Patrik Nilsson

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

By InnerVoice

April 14^th, 2017

Follow the dream

I was never the most popular or social guy in middle school, and found my friends and acceptance in middle-distance running. This is where my passion for endurance sport grew stronger, and one day I tried my first short-distance triathlon. My parents have always 100% backed me and my siblings as long it was something that meant something to us, so when I did my first triathlon they were on my side.

When I heard about Hawaii Ironman the real dream was created. And when I decided to aim for Hawaii, my parents were the ones telling me it was possible. And when I decided to quit college to follow that dream, they backed me up with all the support I needed. I had seen the possibility to train harder and one day stand on Hawaii. So, I stopped running and gave my all to triathlon so that one day I could stand on the island.

they will always have my back

The first, and hardest thing for me to understand about triathlon was the amazing experiences you get while training, travelling and racing. I knew there would be a lot of training, even more people to meet, and travelling, but I never knew how many amazing places you would see. There are so many animals, people, places or cities that I would never have seen without my sport. It is and always has been an amazing bonus to be able to see the places I see because of triathlon.

For me, the most important thing about competing is to have people around me that I trust and I’m able to enjoy life with. The two people that mean the most to me are my girlfriend & coach, Teresa, and our son Matteo. I know they will always have my back, make me believe in myself, enjoy my life and give me a reason (when you start to dig deep) to push harder. During races, I don’t think too much, but when it gets too hard mentally I think of my son and girlfriend. 'Continue and give them a reason to believe, have dreams and see what is possible if you try.'

The worst thing I could imagine would be a family member who was disappointed in me.

don't worry, be happy

The only time you lose is when you give up. Your mind is your biggest enemy and with the right mindset you can accomplish anything. I think it is important that you try to find positives in everything. I have met too many people who are only able to see the bad in other people - this is a mindset I could never live with. So just like the song from Bobby McFerrin “Don’t worry, be happy”, I think it is important not to worry about everything and put more energy into being happy and finding a life you enjoy.

It's the same during races, I think it is important to find positive things to focus on. Instead of focusing on what is bad, find positive things that give you the energy to tackle the challenges. During races, and life, it is also important for me to find fast solutions; make a decision, leave things behind and focus your energy forward. I've taken that into my everyday life where you will always need to find solutions, make fast decisions and focus ahead and continue with your life.

“Never give up, it is just as hard for everyone.This is just for a while.”

find ways to enjoy what i'm doing

The first time I considered quitting was during Ironman Cozumel. I was mentally down from things happening before the race that I didn’t enjoy racing. So in the race, leading at 30k on the run, I gave up. Instead of running ahead, I walked back to the hotel. I just gave up. I was feeling good, but not enjoying what I did. For me, this was a big and important lesson. I found out the hard way that it is not possible to do good work (in anything) if you don’t enjoy it. I have to enjoy and like my work if I am supposed to go out every day and push myself. If I am not, I will quit or pull out from a race. So, after this, my main focus has been to find ways to enjoy what I am doing, even if it is a long swim by myself, hard bike rides or run sessions on the track.

giving without expectation

I don’t have too many inspirations in triathlon, but I have always found it amazing how some people give without getting anything in return and can do so much for other people. It can be to give a young athlete a pair of shoes for free, buying a homeless man food, or travelling abroad to fight against hunger in countries that are in need - this has always inspired me. If I one day win Ironman Hawaii, I would like to find a thing I could do for someone that would mean a lot to them and not expecting anything in return.

If I woke up tomorrow and wasn’t able to compete anymore, I think it would be very important for me to find something that I could replace triathlon with. I put 110% into triathlon and think I would need to find a new thing to dedicate my life to. If that would be to help kids with triathlon, fight against doping, be a good father/husband or start my own company, it doesn’t really matter. But I would need a thing that could give me the same satisfaction I get from triathlon.

“I think most elite athletes lie if they say it is easy to have a “normal life” next to their career. A professional sport is something that takes 24 hours of your day, 7 days a week. It is not a thing you do from 0800-1600, 5 days a week.”

live with meaning

In my triathlon experience, I have learned that I need a goal. I can’t walk through life without a meaning. I need a thing to work for every day, to see a meaning from life. If that one thing is triathlon or my son, it doesn’t really matter. But I need a thing that gives a meaning to my life. From my failures, I have learned that I need an answer if it goes bad. I need to know why it didn’t go well to be able to continue. I can’t just have a “bad day” and go home, I need to know why I had a bad day so I know how to avoid that in the future.