Carli Lloyd spoke on mental toughness and work ethic

Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is the way to break barriers, according to Carli Lloyd. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2015 Women's World Cup champion spent an evening on campus at Southeast Missouri State University and spoke about the importance of perseverance and mental toughness on and off the field and how those aspects contribute to success.

Lloyd spoke on Nov. 2 at the Show Me Center as a part of Southeast's 2015-2016 Speakers Series. The event was free to the community and all Southeast students and faculty.

Throughout the night, Lloyd briefly reviewed her life as a professional soccer player, putting most of her attention on the preparation it took to get to the successful place she's at now.

"You have to work hard every single day," Lloyd said. "No days off, and you have to train harder than anyone else."

From an early age, Lloyd showed great athletic ability when it came to soccer. She added that the love of the game, athleticism and ability were what carried her through most of her early soccer career. It wasn't until college that she realized she had to gain additional competitive advantage.

"The most important thing is that you have to work hard all of the time," Lloyd said. "You have to give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time."

Lloyd's competitive advantage was a mix of perseverance, dedication and hard work, which she said were the backbone to her success in competitions like the 2015 Women's World Cup.

"Those 16 minutes [in the World Cup final], were really 13 years of training that no one saw," Lloyd said.

Lloyd added that this work ethic is not just for when she competed on the field, but is a relevant part of her day-to-day life.

Students at Southeast took Lloyd's words to heart. A junior at Southeast, Paige Gallagher, said the student body and all who were listening should have been affected by Lloyd's words.

"She spoke so much about passion, work ethic, respect, patience and dedication," Gallagher said. "Those are values that should be applied to our lives if we want to be successful."

Southeast senior Jena Preiss also said this was the most important feedback she received from Lloyd.

"Sometimes you slack off and want to give up, but being motivated and giving it your all is what will get you places in life and help you to achieve your highest goals," said Preiss.

By controlling what we can control, we are able to make the most out of any situation said Lloyd. To Lloyd, there is no such thing as giving up, even after nearly quitting back in 2003. She credits her trainer of 13 years for the push she needed to keep going.

"Every single obstacle that has come my way, I have been able to persevere. I was able to get through it," Lloyd said.

"That's why Carli is so inspirational to me," Gallagher said. "Even when she was on the verge of giving up she didn't. She persevered and believed she could win."

Lloyd has been dealt her fair share of setbacks. In 2010, a serious ankle injury caused her to be out of play for almost six months, with a recovery time of about a year. In 2012, she was benched just weeks before the Olympic Games.

"You can't take a negative situation and frown upon it. You have to look at it as a challenge and turn it into a positive," Lloyd said.

Lloyd added that both of those negative situations made her a smarter player and twice as strong. She also emphasized that those situations were small in comparison to her ultimate goals of winning the Olympic Games and the World Cup.

Gallagher agreed with Lloyd's statement.

"I found this extremely important," Gallagher said. "Sometimes I lose my 'fire' in what I'm doing, but I shouldn't let the small things distract me from my ultimate goals."

Being mentally tough is the best way to handle the stresses of life according to Lloyd. She emphasized that mentally preparing to handle tough situations before they occur is the key to remaining stable and focused on your goals and not the confusion around you.

Preiss agreed that mental toughness is extremely important.

"Life will always have its ups and downs, but having a good, strong head on your shoulders can get you through anything," Preiss said. "Toughness isn't just defined at the gym, it's also defined by character, being able to go through some of the hardest things life can throw at you and only becoming stronger because of it."

So, what's next for the soccer superstar? Lloyd will continue to train for the final games of the World Cup Victory Tour this December, and will play against some serious competition including Trinidad and Tobago and China. Once the tour finishes, the U.S. women's soccer team will begin training for the Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship in February. The United States will host the tournament in Dallas and Houston.

Lloyd is also working on a book of her own, which is set to release in the fall of 2016. The book will be a memoir of Lloyd's success on the field, focusing on the physical and mental preparation beforehand.

Lloyd mentioned she is planning to take a break from U.S. soccer after completion of the 2019 Women's World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympics in hopes of starting a family.