The Things I Wish I Realized Sooner
Sometimes knowing really is half the battle
Life, in all its crazy ups and downs, twists and turns, presents a surplus of opportunities and situations that you’re either prepared for or not. Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail. Variety is the beautifully bittersweet spice of life.
My favorite aspect of sports and their respective cultures is the life lessons and blue-collar values that they provide. Whether it came through a tough loss, a coach’s wise words or a consistent dose of a hard day’s work, those values are undoubtedly a huge piece of who I am and have helped me overcome many hardships since.
Some things aren’t just experienced or learned though, they come through understanding and realization.
Active Skills
Accountability
Actions have consequences; plain and simple. It seems that in group settings athletes and individuals tend to think that they blend in and no one can see them. While they are partially correct, someone is ALWAYS watching. Do you have the pride in yourself and the respect for others to provide the best product possible, THE BEST YOU, everyday? Be accountable for your thoughts and actions.
Focus & Listening
Both of these actions are incredibly hard, especially in a world of constantly updating timelines, absurd life schedules, and hundreds of streaming platforms. Our attention and time are incredibly precious. Living in the moment and taking in the opportunities to really live life when they come take a practice in awareness and appreciation.
One of the hardest things to do as a young athlete is to let the lessons that coaches pass on soak in. It’s easy to say, “yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard this before coach,” but actively listening and comprehending those little nuggets is where the magic is. Listen to the words people say. Knowledge is power and you never know what wisdom is about to drop.
You Make Your Own Breaks
One of my college coaches told me, “You have to bloom where you are planted, Hall. We’re in Emporia, Kansas, but you can’t tell this ain’t the big time.” I thought it was funny because, well, it’s Division 2 football in a small factory town in the middle of Kansas. It felt like the crowd was confused on if they were at a movie or a football game. Every Saturday, I knew, the crowd knew, and my coach knew what it was.
However, on the inside, the day-to-day operations, you would have thought we were at the University of Alabama getting ready to play in front of 100,000 people. The energy that he provided and the passion that he put forth were constants that you could fall back on and appreciate. No doubt, his positive outlook and passion for life helped elevate him through his career, same as it has mine.
It’s Not What You Do, It’s How You Do It
Enthusiasm. Intensity. Positivity. Attention to Detail. Consistency.
This is the biggest one. Honestly, there are a ton of words that could be written up there that convey this message, but think about the people or the teams you see as high achievers; the champions of their respective settings. They all wake up the same way as the person that is just getting through their day to get through it. The difference is when they get going, they ATTACK!
Every person or team faces adversity. The mindset of how you approach those hurdles is the predictor of how successful you will be in overcoming them. For example, every group that goes through a PC summer runs 50 40’s. Some of those teams win state championships while others go 3–7. The difference in the teams is; one, the great ones want to be there. Two, the best attack each repetition with the intent to get better. Three, they are relentlessly uplifting and positive not only with their own self-talk, but also with others. Four, they subscribe to the details (start behind the line, no false starts, finishing through the line). And most importantly, they do all of that EVERY SINGLE TIME. The plan is the same, everyone wants to win, but will you do it the way it needs to be done?
All things that are great in this life are earned, not given. The truly sweet things. Take the time to deconstruct and analyze the things around you, learn from those that take the time to care about you, and always keep growing.
