1 . 15 years ago, when I was playing basketball in one of Australia’s premier basketball leagues, I remember a sports psychologist we had for the season. As young professional athletes with high egos (自我价值感), the team were not quite convinced the techniques of psychology would ____   performance, especially when it didn’t involve using the physical strength and endurance needed to _____ the weeks of training and games. I, ____ , was interested.

We were trained in a visualization technique used before games. It involved moving ourselves into a meditative (冥想的) state and taking ourselves on a journey into the ____ to recreate the experience of a game, From ____ home, getting to the stadium, being in the change room, walking out onto the ____ and then finally visualizing how we would play and see ourselves ____ . The most important part of the ____ was to bring to life the vivid details of each stage, while also focusing on the ____ that came with it. We were trained to ____ fear, doubt and learned to go beyond them, so that by the time we got onto the court, we were grounded, ____ and ready to play.

What I learnt most from this technique was that winning games was important but how we ____   to play was even more vital. And ____ visualization was a powerful way to see through to the ____ , there were absolutely no ____ in the hard work of getting there.

2 . During my first three years of college, I put on weight quickly. Between classwork and a part-time job, I had zero time for ______. Besides, I ate a lot of fast food. Not surprisingly, I _____ a fat stomach.

After leaving college, I ______ to take exercise. Invited by a friend, I ______ working out with exercise machines three times a week. I was the kind of person who did not try something ____. I ate the same food; I did the same thing. M friend, however, became ______. One day, he said, “We’re not getting enough exercise. We should play tennis instead.”

Me? Play tennis? No way. I was strongly against his ______. I was not good at sports and I was ______ the exercise machines. ______, weeks later, I found myself standing on a tennis court (球场). As I held my racket (球拍), I felt ______. I ran after every ball he served to me, completely ______ about 90% of them, hitting the rest into the other court.

The first few months were quite ______. But one day, as the ball came flying toward me, my racket and the ball finally met in the place where it is most effective to hit a ball. I watched ______ as my return landed where I had aimed (瞄准) it. I had finally ______ how to play tennis properly!

I learned a ______ during my journey toward learning to play tennis: I can do whatever I set my mind to.

3 . I used to hate running. It seemed too hard, and pushing outside my comfort ______ was not something I was raised to do.

In fact, I wouldn’t have become a(n)______ if it weren’t for my husband Charles He had been a ______ competitive runner for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he ______ it.

So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to join him at the ______. Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us both up for a five-kilometer race. I ______ about doing it. It was too soon.

But on race day, there I was.

The gun went off Thousands of runners ______.

The first kilometer was tough. I was already breathing ______ and painfully aware of the group of runners____ past me.

After another minute I saw the three-kilometer ______.All I could think of was that I was ______.

I rounded a comer, and saw both sides of the street______ with people watching the race, all cheering the runners on. I ______ my legs to keep going.

Then I looked up and saw the clock. The ______ ticking away gave me an incentive(助力). I knew that if I had ______ finished this race I would have achieved something, So, I ______ up, and kicked it.

I had my arms ______ higher when I passed through the finish line. A volunteer put a(n) ______ around my neck.

“You did great! I’m so proud of you!” Charles was thrilled that I’d ______.

“That was amazing! I want to do another race.” I proudly hugged my medal as we started to walk to the post-race festivities. My lungs and my comfort zone both______.