How Shawn Johnson Regained Her Confidence Post-Injury
Do you know what it feels like to be a world champion and Olympic gold medalist like Shawn Johnson? (Photo: Getty Images)
Most of us will never make the Olympics, but what if you could learn and apply this same mindset to your business, career, health and relationships? If you’re like me, you know it would be a powerful mindset to tap into.
I used to be a CrossFit maniac and loved working out with a great group of people at my local gym. One day, Shawn Johnson, the Olympic gymnast, came to our gym and schooled us all. It was awesome. So, of course, I had to interview her for my podcast. Since then, we’ve become friends and play around with acro yoga when she’s in town.
Shawn won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, then won the 8th season of Dancing with the Stars. She is not only an incredible athlete, performing at the top of her game while in her teens, but she also became America’s sweetheart when she took home the gold.
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One story she told me that really hit home was one most people probably haven’t heard. After her gold medal, Shawn injured her knee pretty badly in a skiing accident. She was planning on competing in the following Olympics in London, but the road to recovery was a mental battle.
Shawn admits she lost all of her confidence in her body’s ability to perform after the accident; it was her first major injury in her entire career and her sense of invincibility was shattered. For the first time, she was facing fear, doubt, and the fact that her body had to start over in training.
I asked her how she would re-cultivate that confidence if she could go back to that moment in time. She explained that she didn’t think it was possible because her old confidence was based somewhat on naiveté.
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Instead, Shawn has learned how to build a new belief in her body and herself, which is based on a new foundation. After the injury, she still won silver medals in major international competitions, but this time she was competing just to prove to herself that she could. Shawn is a firm believer in passion over talent, and for her, re-finding her passion was the major accomplishment rather than getting another gold medal.
This is what impressed me so much about Shawn’s mindset, cultivated through years of competition, training, and being at the top of her game. She knew that a belief in herself is the single most powerful asset she has as an athlete, and she wouldn’t trade what she went through to create that belief for anything.
For our full conversation, listen below:
For more on Shawn, click here.
ABOUT LEWIS HOWES: Lewis is a pro-athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur who hosts the top-ranked podcast The School of Greatness. He interviews the best and brightest minds in health, entrepreneurship, relationships and lifestyle. Follow Lewis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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