In life we are ALWAYS learning. Lessons we learn in one area of life can be applied often times in many other areas of life. For me, that was sports. I am a HUGE believer that participating in organized athletics - especially team sports - can teach values and life lessons that can be useful for years and years.
Growing up I naturally gravitated towards athletics as what set me apart from others. It was my niche, what made me who I was and still am.
Whether it is as a player, a coach, a teacher, or a manager, you CAN not only influence a person's life, but pass on life lessons and principles too. The way we treat each other, the lessons we teach, and the lessons we learn are more important than you can ever imagine.
**Notice how I said, "can" because it can't always be automatically assumed that coaches, teammates, and even parents, who are all the key influences, will build character the right way. I was fortunate enough to have AMAZING influences my entire athletic career and hope my kids will someday too.
However, unfortunately this isn't always the case. Too often because of lack of guidance and proper reinforcement from coaches and parents, sports end up creating 'characters' instead of building character. There is a HUGE difference. Also, it is up to the kids themselves to have a good attitude and portray that on the field or court.**
 |
| Rebels <3 |
As I grow older and go through more phases of my adult life, I am very thankful for my experiences even when I didn't want to practice or go away to camps. Those experiences not only helped me on the court and on the field, but now more than ever they are helping me survive LIFE.
 |
| We're going to States! |
1. IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN OBJECTIVE, YOU DON'T HAVE A GAME
What's the point of a game? To compete and ultimately have a winner at the end. That's the objective. Score points. Win. So what about in real life? If you want to create a life that you truly want, you must first know what it is that you truly want. What is your objective. You should aim to have a clear vision of what that life looks like. Then go get it. There is no right or wrong answer, everyone is different.2. SHARE THE SCORING OR YOU WILL LOSE
In order to succeed, you need to help others succeed. You can't succeed on your own and you can't achieve your objective (see #1) alone. Even the best athletes need coaches, teammates, trainers, support, etc. If you truly want to succeed, you need to build supportive relationships all around you where everyone helps each other. This support will grow and maybe even change and disappear along the way as well and that doesn't always have to be a bad thing.
Shortcuts and cheating get you nowhere. I am all for saving time and being efficient, but rules and principles are made to be followed. Sure breaking the rules may lead to some short-term rewards, but if you build your castle on a foundation of sand, it will eventually collapse. When you break the rules when playing a sport, you get benched or assessed a foul which ultimately hurts you the more you get. Same in life, you break a rule, you get in trouble, lose something, or even go to jail. Not worth it. Follow the rules, and go through the process, and accept the journey, good things will happen.
You might be able to fool others, but you can't fool yourself. If you are not putting in the effort you know you can, you will know and you will suffer. You are not only hurting your team, but yourself. Just because you are busy doesn't mean you are being effective. Half-assing your efforts won't teach you anything but to keep half-assing it. Just getting by shouldn't be an option. When you accept the fact that changes need to be made, and then you make those changes, results will happen.
5. FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS
Face it...there are some things you are good at and some things you are not. You have your own set of unique skills and attributes. You don't have to be an expert at everything. I have wasted a lot of time focusing on things I didn't like and wasted my time. Focus on the positive skills and gifts you have to offer.
It's not all about performing at a high level. It's HOW you perform. Think about the people you admire and why it is that you admire them...you will find that it is mainly character traits that draw you to them. At the end of the day, character is what makes you who you are.
I can't even begin to list all of the mistakes I have made in sports and in life thus far!! You are human and mistakes will happen (a lot) so don't beat yourself up over them. Evaluate what went wrong and what you can do differently then move forward. Create a plan to eliminate those mistakes and implement the new behavior. Learn from your mistakes, put your new plan into action, and keep moving. Mistakes guide you, not define you. If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't trying hard enough.
8. COMMUNICATE
It could be with your coach, manager, family member, a significant other, a friend, a teammate, through meditation, a Therapist, a Higher Power, or whatever/whomever. There are a lot of ways to communicate and everyone is different. When you talk things out it helps you identify your values and purpose. It will help you through difficult times and reevaluate the situation with a clear mind. It is VERY helpful to get another point of view on things. For example, a tough decision you need to make in your adult life or something you did on the court or field. Never be ashamed or too stubborn to ever ask for help.
Life is not fair at times and usually it involves overcoming setbacks and other adversity. With athletics you will lose games. You will strike out, you will miss a shot, the ball will get stolen. Typically it can start at a young age where you learn to overcome adversity and deal with temporary failures, when you are trying to reach your goals. The goals could just be simply trying to win the game. Overcoming adversity is a mental skill that will serve you tremendously when life happens.
I am grateful for the opportunities that I had and for actually being interested in pursuing sports even into 4 years at the college level when I wanted to throw in the towel at times and just be a college kid. I am even more thankful for the support system I had because obviously I would not have been able to do what I did without it. (Thank you mom & dad. I don't say it enough.)
I often sit back and think about all of the great times that I had with amazing people. I may have complained when I was younger about practice but I am glad I stuck it out and I hope one day my children can appreciate the benefits of hard work and not giving up too.
I miss the games, practices, bus rides, pre and post game meals, warm-up music, heart-to-heart conversations with teammates and coaches, hearing my name over the speaker, jerseys, free swag, the taste of a victory, the sting of a loss, tournaments, and how easy life was when I really didn't know what easy truly meant.
Life isn't the same and growing up isn't easy but I will hold onto these lessons and these memories for dear life and take them everywhere I go.
