Playing Every Game Like It’s Your Last
What they mean when they tell you it goes fast
I want to preface this by saying I can’t stress any of the following enough. I’m not even sure I can do it justice or put more emphasis on the simple phrases you’ve already heard from somewhere else. So any advice on this topic from me, your parents, coaches, older friends, former players. Believe them: It goes by fast. (There’s one of those sayings you’ve probably heard 1,000x before) But let me be 1,001. It goes fast. Whether you believe it or not, everyone’s playing career comes to an end one day, no matter what level you reach. From Kobe Bryant to someone who barely missed the pro’s to an average high school player. When that time comes, how can you ensure that you got the most out of it and look back and be satisfied?
Playing every game like it’s your last is something else you’ve probably heard before, but the older I get and the longer I play the more it’s starting to set in for me. I’ve heard it plenty of times before, but I started to notice hearing it more when I was in college. It’s really hard to keep playing after college, and for 95% of guys, that Senior Night game or playoff loss is the end of the athletic road. You start to hear (like I did, 3 years in a row), “Man, enjoy this it went so fast you got no idea what this feels like now that it’s really over.” And you sit there and think you understand, until you’re the one letting the Freshman and Sophomores know, and really REALLY trying to let the Juniors in on the secret.
So what am I getting at? I’m lucky enough to still be playing, although I did have a taste of the end of the road, and I didn’t like it. Thankfully, I got another chance to continue my career and enjoy the ride. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in things that are happening over the course of one game, but at least having that sense of urgency as your mindset going into each game can really help you out. Here are some ways to help you keep this mindset and some of the things I do to enjoy the ride and make the most of it…
The grass isn’t always greener…
A lot of my mindset of college was this chip on my shoulder because I didn’t end up at a Division 1 school. I played with an attitude so that I could say, “See I told you I could have done it.” Hey it turned out for the better, because I bought into the process right away, and that school, that team, the whole experience were the best four years of my life. If you gave me a chance right now, to go back and change it, I wouldn’t even consider it.
Another example: When playing overseas, the goal as a player is to move upwards every year. I was so concerned during my first season in Berlin with just getting it over with and moving on to something better that by the time I got home, I really missed my whole set up and routine in Berlin that I thought I couldn’t wait to get away from! Funny thing is I really miss my Berlin apartment and that is a trade I would definitely make right now!
Don’t take it for granted. While planning ahead for something better, you might miss how many good things you have going for you right where you are. Appreciate what you have while you’re working towards what you want.
You can’t go back and do it over…
I would LOVE to get another chance at all of my stops along the way. Elementary school travel team, middle school teams, varsity basketball, college. You don’t realize how much you’re enjoying it while it’s going on. You only go through each of those phases once, so make the most of them while you’re there, you can’t go back and work harder or have more fun.
Don’t rely on saying you’ll make up for it next game, next practice, “next time”. There are only so many games on the schedule; after each one, that’s ONE FEWER opportunity that you have, ONE FEWER “next time”, so don’t be ready to go “next time”. Be ready to go now.
One Little Trick…
Okay now we’ve looked at them in the grand scheme of things, what’s something you can do before the game to get that focus, take that moment to enjoy it but also to get ready to go?
You put your shoes on every game, right? Gotta tie the laces, too. Everyone has their routines or superstitions for every game, but you’re not getting through your basketball game without lacing em up. Take that time, that 30 seconds (or however long it takes you) and say to yourself what if this was the last time? What if this game was my Senior Night, or last playoff game? How would you want to play that night?
I started this shoe lace routine during my 1st season in Portugal after my single-season hiatus (the one that left the bad taste in my mouth). Like I said before, it’s hard to have this mindset every night, to leave it all out there no matter what, night in and night out. Lacing your shoes up and using that one memory can get your really psyched up, ready to run through a wall. But I wanted to make sure I did something to enjoy it. Not to add pressure, or increase your focus, but just to enjoy the ride. Every time they announce my name and I run out of the tunnel, I kind of zone everything out. The game plan, noise, nerves, and just enjoy the fact I’m dressed, laced, running out onto a basketball court. These 5 seconds (it’s actually probably HALF that long but it feels like 5 minutes if you do it right) just enjoy the ride. No pressure, no plays, no mistakes, no regrets…
So I actually have a game tomorrow, the probably 10-thousandth of my career, and it’s an important one. I’m going to do my best to enjoy it and leave it all out there, because as I’ve learned it’s really surprising when you don’t have a game tomorrow anymore. It’s my only chance at the game tomorrow, so I might as well lace em up like it’s my last and enjoy the ride…no regrets. Hopefully this routine can help you do the same.
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