Can’t Run Uphill With Downhill Thoughts
Terry Crews said this and it stuck with me. Here’s what it means when the pressure’s high and your self-talk turns shaky.
I reported to training camp last week and I’m feeling blessed and energized for year 12 in the League!! A fresh page has me thinking about mindset.
At the end of June, I was in LA for the NFL Player Personal Branding & Social Workshop. A select group of current players were invited to spend two days in rooms with top brands, platforms, legends, and producers - the people who are building what’s next around the NFL.
Terry Crews, the author, actor, host, and former NFL player (among other accolades), spoke with us. He said a lot of great things. But one line stole the show:
“You can’t run uphill with downhill thoughts.”
I wrote it down. Then I kept repeating it. I texted it to my team. It lit me up!!
It was so obvious when he said it like that. But why is it so hard for us?
You’re climbing. You’re putting in the work. You’re trying to stay locked in.
But your thoughts are slipping in the other direction.
You’re doing everything right on the outside…
But on the inside, you’re comparing. Doubting. Frustrated.
Wondering why it’s not hitting yet.
That’s the trap.
”You’re running uphill with downhill thoughts.”
Eventually, it wears you out.
You think you’re working so hard and putting in the reps, but you’re your own ops. Your inner voice is sabotaging your effort.
I’ve been fired with zero warning.
I’ve scrolled social media and started comparing someone else’s moment to my own path.
”You're done.” “The best is behind you.”
That's what the voice says. That’s when the downhill thoughts show up. Not loud. Just steady.
“They forgot about you.”
“You’re behind.”
“You missed your shot.”
“This might be it.”
It doesn’t take a crisis to think like that.
It just takes fatigue.
A little silence.
A stretch of waiting.
Upward results need an upward mindset.
“You can’t run uphill with downhill thoughts.”
Boom—Pro Bowl season at 33.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
You don’t rise to the level of your goals.
You rise to the level of your mindset.
Mindset is a muscle. You can train it. You can strengthen it. You can flip the script before the spiral sets in.
You don’t have to finish the week perfect, but you do have to protect the way you speak to yourself. That’s the real discipline. That’s the real reps.
Nobody hears your inner dialogue.
But trust me—your next level starts there.
-KVN