Dottir: My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time CrossFit Games Champion

You can only regret something and truly call it a mistake if you don't learn and grow from it.

You're never going to do something by accident. You have to believe in yourself to want to become something.

Inside of me there are two dogs. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too. When asked which one wins I answer, the one I feed the most.” —CHEROKEE STORY OF “TWO WOLVES

Being a champion is not about holding your hand in the air and accepting a medal, it's about the way you carry yourself every second of every day.

At the end of the day, only you know how hard you worked. Make sure you gave it your best.

Perfect never gets the opportunity to become better.

If you have ultimate belief in something, you have higher purpose. If you have higher purpose, you are able to accomplish amazing things. It’s

I was ready to invest everything I had into being a better coach at the exact same moment that she was ready to invest everything she had into being a better athlete. We began this journey together, at the same starting point. Our partnership has always been on equal footing; we figure things out together, test and tweak them together, and get better together.

The CrossFit community celebrates strong women and powerful performances, helping to reinforce a new paradigm in which being a strong woman is inspiring and impressive. It’s become popular to be capable in your own body.

Failure has been the key ingredient to my success in sports and in life. Had I not known failure, I would have continued to accept “good enough.” I might be a mediocre lawyer or athlete. Instead, I’m a two-time CrossFit Games champion.

In my fourth year as a Games athlete, I had finally stockpiled enough wisdom and experience to keep a cool head in the midst of Dave’s mental assault.

Whatever is going on in your head, your body will follow.

With a strong grounding in my purpose, I can suffer through almost anything. Our mental exercises at the Cape helped us understand our purpose. Self-knowledge allows instinct to take over in competition. When it gets hard -- in the last thirty seconds of a workout, or in the middle of a ten-rounder -- the answer for why you are working so hard will dictate what you do next. Stomp the gas, or hit the brake.

Your response is what dictates the outcome of your situation.

My biggest takeaway was that doing my absolute best is the ideal outcome. I realized I didn't have to do anything special. I just had to work as hard as I could work. I realized I'm only in competition with myself. It was around this time that I began to internalize the slogan, "Be the best me.

People like to make excuses and tell themselves they're not the best because they lost the genetic lottery. In reality, it's hard work that makes champions -- not genetics.