I have always been of the opinion that more of your success with CrossFit (and your overall life) has to do with your mental capacity more so than your physical capacity. The way the Elite CrossFitters think is the main reason why they are the Elite.
Here are the Mental characteristics of the Elite:
-They all have a coach. It is much more productive to have someone with a third party objective to help you skip unnecessary steps and push yourself further. The coaches at HGX are here to support you, take advantage of them.
-They are cool under pressure. If you were to watch their faces in the heat of competition in each event they are always in control, constantly breathing throughout the WOD and stick to their game plan.  They know what to do and how to do it, they have practiced.
-They are always positive. I didn't see anyone complain about a WOD, movement, weight, etc... They understand that to be the best it doesn't matter what the WOD is, how HOT is was, how HEAVY the weight is, it only matters who they are. They trust themselves, their training, their support group around them, focus on the task at hand and block out any negative thoughts!
-They have appropriate goals and expectations of their performances. CrossFit is a numbers game. They know their numbers. They know what it takes to hit those numbers. They are focused on hitting those numbers.
-They don't worry about other competitors or uncontrollable factors. They understand that they are 100% responsible for their success. Their success has about nothing to do with anything outside of them and has everything to do with everything inside of them.
If you notice all of the techniques they use, you COULD use. I find that the elite are not that much further ahead than any of YOU. In fact, a lot of them were in your shoes at one point. They were on your physical and athletic level. The only difference is they have put the extra work, stretched they self belief/self-worth and are determined to reach their FULL potential.

Partially published by CrossFit 818