High Achiever Attitude

When You go out for your hard training session is it usually your motive to achieve or do you rather try to avoid failure?
Sounds like the same thing, doesn't it. But it is NOT. In the matter of Sportspsychology this is a huge difference.

Elite Athletes are keen on achieving successes, whereas so called "low achievers" are trying to avoid failure. I studied this theory with great interest last semester and yesterday got to experience it riding up Mt Cootha.
I was on my 3rd hill repeat and pushing hard. I passed an older cyclist, whose words to me were, "See you can do it!".
[I pause here for a second, to let you think about this statement.]
Without me thinking I replied "You can do it too!! Just keep going!".

But that was not what he meant. He was in the believe that I had doubt about making the hill. I never doubted though- instead I thought he meant something like, "see you can do it and I am a bit struggling here."

See the difference?