The “No Excuse” Guide

Part 2: Tune Out the Chatter

(Editor’s Note: The writer's opinions and observations expressed here are her own, and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views, policies or positions of FLW.)

Read Part 1 of this series, Make a Plan and Work the Plan, by clicking here.

The chatter is non-stop: Throw a Senko. Throw a wacky worm. Throw a beaver. She's conceited. She talks too much. She's just a pretty face. Don't throw there. Don't get tangled. Don't screw up.  You are awesome. You are my biggest fan. You are an inspiration.

Chatter can be dock talk, personal abusive talk, hater talk, fan talk and everything in between. The list goes on. I truly believe tournament fishing is all a mental game. I feel that the most successful anglers know how to tune it all out and fish in the zone. It is crucial to know how to tune out all the chatter and shut up and fish.

My rookie season on the Walmart FLW Tour has been absolutely amazing. I've been blessed to learn so much about tournament fishing from the best anglers in the world. With that being said, I have been flooded with so much information about fishing that my brain has gone into complete overload mode and has short-circuited! I'm grateful for all the valuable fishing techniques I've learned, however, it's come at such a fast speed that I tend to overthink every little thing instead of fishing in the moment. 

There have been tournament days when I felt like I forgot how to fish because I wasn't confident with what I was throwing. Furthermore, I started to doubt my abilities and talked abusively to myself. The struggle is real!

Nevertheless, I made a choice after the Beaver Lake tournament that I would continue to be coachable but would do my homework and fish intuitively. I chose to fish in the moment from then on. I made a choice to continue to keep my head down and tune out the dock talk as much as I could. Moving forward, this would prevent me from distractions. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what else is going on around me because it's me against the fish. This has paid off, and I improved in the two tournaments that followed Beaver Lake.

As a sponsored female co-angler on Tour, I've received a lot of praise and a lot of hate. It comes with the territory and is a part of the game. Even though some of the hatred I've heard or received has been shocking, I tune it all out. What other people say about me is none of my business and a projection of their own shortcomings or reality. If someone has to publicly or privately put me or another down, it truly has nothing to do with me. Everyone is fighting his or her own battle, and I've learned to take nothing personal, otherwise it's emotionally taxing. I have pretty thick skin, and I resort to using compassion and kindness and staying true to myself. I will never apologize for being myself. Furthermore, I take note but tune out all negativity, and I do this through prayer, my son, fishing and working out. These things keep me mentally fit and keep things in perspective.

On top of all the outside chatter, the worst kind of chatter is my own. The conversations I have with myself can be rather condescending. I’ve learned a lot about myself this year. I'm my own worst enemy.

Being hard on myself is a double-edged sword. Ambitiously, I'm trying to better myself, my work for sponsors and my fishing skills. However, I constantly beat myself up on my mistakes and in wondering how I can do better. This forces me to learn and push myself when I'm weak. At the same time, it can result in me sometimes overthinking and can be emotionally exhausting. I can accept my flaws. I realize I'm only human and that we all make mistakes. What I can’t accept is failure – failure that I’m not doing my best or taking ownership of my own mistakes.

Nonetheless, I feel I've had some success in the short amount of time I've been fishing tournaments. I'm extremely proud to be representing Walmart, FLW and all my sponsors. I feel the best is yet to come. I will always be hungry and strive to achieve my fullest potential but will need to do so with a work-life balance and by cleaning out the negative self-talk. No excuses!

In summary, my suggestions to those of you looking to fish professionally are as follows:

1. Be willing to be coachable, but fish from the heart. Tune out the dock talk, and fish with confidence.

2. Accept that you will have haters, and tune it out. Realize that their negativity and behavior have nothing to do with you. If you do not have haters or fans I'd be concerned. Use it as fuel to press on, and always use compassion. Speak and act with integrity. Always!

3. Be hard on yourself and never satisfied. Push yourself, but know when to stop and not burn yourself out. Do not try to achieve everything at once. Success doesn't happen overnight and takes a lot of hard work, patience and learning.

4. Most importantly, be happy! Don’t forget to have fun! Remember who and what matters in your life. I truly believe that life is about making others happy, and success is driven by meaningful relationships. Who cares if you caught a 10-pound bass or a 2-pound bass if you do not have people to share it with? Take time for those you love because when it is all said and done your loved ones will always be there. Life is too short to be anything but happy. No excuses!