Finding Gratitude
GRATITUDEFRIDAY
As athletes, we all want to become bigger, faster, and stronger. We go to any means to obtain this through eating right, lifting, and running, all of which are undeniably important to attaining optimal health. Yet, as I gain years in my coaching career, I have found the pathway to greatness is the mind. A healthy mind puts us in a position to be successful. We all know you can’t out-train a bad diet. Well, we also can’t perform at our highest level with poor thoughts.
Let me explain through my experiences how I came to change my thoughts to help my performance. I had reached a point in my life where I had become full of bitterness. This led to my mind becoming closed and pessimistic. My thoughts were always negative, which led my coaching performance to suffer. My fellow coaches and athletes didn’t want to be around me. I had finally reached a point where something had to change or I had to quit coaching. This is when I was introduced to GRATITUDEFRIDAY!
The fastest way to a healthy mind is through gratitude. Research reveals gratitude has several benefits that range from better relationships, better physical health, better physiological health, better sleep, reduced aggression, improved self-esteem, and increased mental strength. Living a life of gratitude allows you to become aware that every moment is a given moment, or it is a gift. Consider the truth in this adage: Yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift; that’s why they all it the present.
So, how do we find gratitude? We choose to be grateful! No matter the situation, we can find something to be grateful for in our practice, game, and life. This can turn what we perceive to be bad times into good times. It is all about perspective, my friends! For example, in 1996, I was a part of a team that had won 42 football games consecutively. The third game of the ’96 football, we lost to a team that ended up only having two wins all year. After winning the State championship that year, reflecting as a team, we realized how grateful we were for that setback because it allowed us to become a much better football team. That loss humbled the coaches and the players, and it rid us of all complacency. Consequently, we were able to work at a much higher level, and we became a much better football team. It was that shift in perspective that propelled the team to achieve greatness, ultimately winning the first 5A State Championship for the district.
Let me explain GRATITUDEFRIDAY. Every Friday morning, ritually, I write out my gratitudes. Some Fridays, the list may be long; other times, I may expand on one gratitude. This doesn’t matter. The importance is I am exercising gratitude, which changes my perspective. Perspective drives my thoughts. These thoughts drive my beliefs, which drive my attitudes. I choose an attitude of gratitude!
I hope you will try GRATITUDEFRIDAY! It will not only help you perform better in your sport or career, but it will change your life just as it has and continues to change mine!
LIVE GRATEFUL TODAY!!!
