"Underestimating the Long Term, and overestimating the Short Term.” Those who live under the umbrella of entitlement fail to see the benefit of hard work. They may work hard but they are quick to stop working hard if the result is not immediate. Most people, especially American youth who have been brought up in a culture of “entitlement”, are conditioned to receive immediate results and if those results aren’t positive, then giving up is a viable option. Our grandparent’s generation was conditioned to work hard for weeks and months and years with no sign of any reward. They worked hard with the “hope” that something good “may” come someday. That culture created a work ethic that resulted in Space Travel and the personal computer. Entitlement is unfortunately a condition brought about by our environment. Parents want their kids to have it easier than they had it so they make life easier. They do the work so the child doesn’t have to. They drive the kid to practice instead of telling them to ride their bike. They do this out of love but this love leads the child to expect rides everywhere. Entitlement has allowed certain industries and businesses to thrive (Apps for our I-phones (mostly games), Starbucks, and anything else that allows us to have it and have it now and have it anywhere. It is more natural to feel entitled than to be persistent. It isn’t our fault. We have been conditioned this way. However, we will only reach our full potential when we persevere. Entitlement leads to giving up. Persistence leads to growth (James 1:2-4). In order to reverse the trend of feeling more and more entitled, we must be intentional about working hard over a long period of time without any certainty of success. Being a successful athlete is a great way to reverse the condition of entitlement.
The concept of “Buying In” is something that is mentioned often in sports. “Buy In” refers to the mindset and action that comes from the athlete completely trusting the training philosophy and then following that philosophy without ANY intentional alterations, omissions or complaining about the training program by the athlete. Most athletes struggle to understand that a good and competent coach will alter and change the training program to adapt to an individual athlete's needs. Athletes falsely believe that the program is set from the beginning and won't change. However, the coach can only adapt the training when there is “Buy In”. If a coach must guess what an athlete is or is not doing, then the coach is guessing what the best training should be. To avoid poor training, the key to success is that the athlete must completely “Buy In” to the program and train according to it and then communicate with the coach if the athlete has any issues or confusions or if they feel that the training program doesn’t fit them. For the coach, it is up to the coach to help the athlete understand the training program and then adapt the program, when appropriate. Success is virtually impossible without “Buy In” from the athlete. The athlete is responsible to “Buying In” and communicating to the coach. The coach is then responsible for being receptive to the athlete’s concerns and then finding ways to communicate and/or adapt. The biggest challenge that exists is that coach wants “Buy In” but the coach feels that “forcing” the philosophy on the team or any individual athlete will turn the athletes away. No one likes forcing anyone to do anything and no one likes to be forced to do something. However, “Buy In” is crucial to achieve success. Therefore, if “Buy In” does not come voluntarily by the athletes, it will be forced upon by the coach, which never ends well. Athletes must help themselves, the team and the coach to have success by “Buying In” and then communicating any issues, while doing all they can to avoid complaining.
An athlete can be a participant in sports. An athlete can be someone who possesses athletic ability. To me, an athlete is more than these two things. An athlete is someone who devotes the time and energy required in order for them to reach their full potential as an athlete. An athlete not only has athletic ability but also has the mental ability to maximize their athletic potential. An athlete is more than a collection of muscles that work hard. An athlete consists of a mind and a spirit that reside inside a body and all three work together to reach the full potential of that body. Athletes think. Athletes feel. Athletes sweat. Athletes perform. Anyone can wear a uniform or have their name on a roster. Some may even jump high or run fast. Only those who are intentional and proactive about reaching their full potential will truly become athletes.
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