The Mindset of an Athlete
I didn’t realize how growing up as an athlete shaped my life until I became an adult.
Only now can I see it clearly: so much of who I am and how I push through hard things comes from that mindset.
Where It Comes From
I grew up playing sports but football (soccer) was everything. I picked it up at six years old just by watching others play. My parents never really understood the value of sports, so I was the only sibling who went all in.
Choosing football wasn’t easy. A lot of people around me believed it wasn’t for girls. Opportunities were limited and for years, I played on my own. Still, I persisted and I was obsessed.
I didn’t join my first team until I was 16. From there, I spent the next ten years playing professionally in Lebanon. I showed up to every training session and every game I possibly could. I was committed. I was consistent. Being an athlete wasn’t something I did. It was who I was.
Everything changed when I moved to the U.S. My identity slowly shifted from athlete to employee. I played less, trained less and without realizing it, that mindset went quiet. It didn’t disappear. It just went to sleep.
It wasn’t until I started training for a marathon consistently again that something woke back up.
Persistence: When the Body Wants to Quit
Yesterday, I did one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
As part of my marathon training, I ran a half marathon under conditions that felt stacked against me and I owe finishing it to the mindset I built growing up.
I ran in a new city, in Mexico City the capital of Mexico, which sits at 7,400 feet (2,240m) above sea level. The air is thinner, breathing is harder and altitude sickness is a real concern.
I’m here for a wedding, an hour and a half away in a village called Tepoztlán. The days leading up to the run were chaotic: little sleep, far more walking than I should’ve done on rest days and a late night of dancing at the wedding. I got back to Mexico City at 1 a.m. and woke up at 8 to run.
The route itself was a complete unknown. I had heard about “Muévete en Bici” an event where they close 55KM of streets on Sundays but not everything was closed. I jaywalked, ran in circles at red lights and made terrible route choices. Twice, I found myself running straight through packed markets, weaving between hundreds of people while trying to hold my pace.
By mile eight, I felt weak. I was struggling to breathe. I was already over an hour in and I still needed to push for three miles at a faster pace. My body was done but my mind wasn’t.
I missed my second target pace by eight seconds. Then I still had two miles to finish. Even slowing down didn’t feel easy. All I could do was focus on one step at a time and trust that time would pass. It was a pure mental battle.
When I finished, I felt emotional in a way I never had before. Yes, it was the toughest run I’ve done so far. Yes, I fell short of one goal. But I still finished a half marathon in 2:05 and I’m so proud of myself.
That pride came from persistence. From refusing to quit when everything felt uncomfortable.
Consistency: Without Compromises
Growing up playing football meant saying no, a lot.
I missed family gatherings, trips, and outings just to make training and games. When I stopped playing regularly, I struggled to stay consistent with anything. What I lost wasn’t fitness. It was accountability. Running brought it back.
One of the reasons I signed up for my first marathon was to prove to myself that I could still commit to something hard for a long time. Eleven weeks into training, I can confidently say the athlete mindset is back.
Running comes first not because it’s convenient but because consistency demands it.
This weekend required real compromises. I’m on vacation, yet I had to run my longest distance so far. I left outings early, chose sleep over late nights, left the wedding early to drive back to the city instead of staying over and skipped the wedding brunch the next day just to stay on schedule.
After the run, I went out with my friends before going back early to sleep for a good recovery.
And it doesn’t stop there. I’ve been following a healthy diet for four months now. Sugar used to tempt me constantly but now I barely think about it. I’ve been leaning on the same willpower I built as an athlete.
Beyond Sports
The pattern is clear to me now. This mindset never left. I’ve carried it into every major decision I’ve made, even outside sports. It shaped my work ethic, my resilience, my ability to push through discomfort when things get hard.
That’s why I know one thing for sure: my kids will play sports of their choosing. No compromises.
Because sports don’t just build bodies, they build people.
They teach persistence when things hurt, consistency when motivation fades and commitment when it would be easier to quit. And those lessons don’t stay on the field, they carry over into every part of life.
I’ll say it’s never too late to start. But if you do, don’t treat it casually. Show up like an athlete, go all in. The benefits are worth it.