Ask someone who is much older than you about their past and you will find that they remember some facts and experiences as if they occurred yesterday and they will be 100% accurate. That same person will encounter some facts and experiences that did in fact occur yesterday and the facts seem to escape them. And then there are facts and experiences that we all have that we happen to remember a little differently than they actually occurred. School was much harder or much easier than it actually was. Athletic accomplishments are usually much better than they actually were. The snow and the hills that we had to climb to get to school to have those athletic experiences where much deeper and steeper than they actually were. Life in general was much harder or easier than it actually was. Time erodes memory. Our memory doesn't hold on to the truth as much as we assume it does. This is to our benefit when it comes to unpleasant experiences that we want to forget. That is why the phrase "time heals all wounds" exists. However, time also erodes our memory and we forget how hard we worked to get to where we are now. You need to constantly remind yourself how hard you worked and how much time you have devoted to your training that has helped you to get where you are now. That memory should give you a strong confidence. And after you remember how hard you have worked and how much you have accomplished, take that knowledge and even work harder and smarter so that you may improve even more.
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Choice. We have choice. After a practice or competition or test, a student-athlete can respond in a multitude of ways. If they perform well, they can be happy and satisfied and not see any need to change what they are doing (not a great choice). If they perform poorly, they can become self-consumed and focus on the disappointing result or goal not met and allow the performance to negatively impact their future practices, competitions or exams (not a great choice). Then there are those (these are the successful people) who see competition and practice and exams as one more step in a very long staircase that takes them upward toward their goals. A successful step gets us closer to our goal but that doesn't make the rest of the steps any easier or already achieved. All steps are equal and one step merely brings you to another equal step. So ... What did we learn from that successful step and how can we use that to make the next step even better and also successful? And when we do find ourselves slipping or stumbling on the step (it happens), do we forget about all of the progress we have made up the staircase? Do we go limp and lay on that step or even worse, allow ourselves to slide all the way down to the bottom of the staircase? Or ... do we realize that this was a small moment in time and only one step of many and we get up and take another step forward and upward. Getting better requires responding appropriately to both successes and failures. We can and should learn from both.
We have all watched the runner finish the race and throw their hands in the air in victory. They are excited. The spectators cheer and clap. Then we watch a basketball player sink the last second three pointer and the team erupts off the bench and tackle the shooter while the fans rush the court. Winning alone is fun. Winning as part of a team is much more. Life is better when shared with others. Life is more fun when we can do what we love along side people we love. The quality of life is multiplied when the number of people involved is multiplied. There is a reason why we curl up in a ball and into the fetal position and want to shut everything out when we are sick or tired. And there is a reason that when we win or when we are excited, we throw our arms in the air and jump up and down as if we are inviting anyone around to join us. Life is better when life is lived with others.
1) Worry - to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret. (Dictionary)
2) Worry - a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble. (Google search) 3) Worry - the thoughts, images, and emotions of a negative nature in a repetitive, uncontrollable manner that results from a proactive cognitive risk analysis made to avoid or solve anticipated potential threats and their potential consequences. (Wikipedia) 4) Worry - a response to a moderate challenge for when the subject has inadequate skills. (more Wikipedia) 5) "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength." Corrie Ten Boom 6) "Do Not Worry ..." Matthew 6:24-35 7) "No one can pray and worry at the same time." Max Lucado Worry should not be an attitude or a condition or a lifestyle. Worry should not be an uncontrollable behavior that prevents us from finding peace. Worry should have one purpose in our life. Worry should be a flashing red light and a annoying blaring siren that has one function - it alerts us to the value that we place on something in our life and it acknowledges our feeling of inadequacy to properly deal with that something in that specific moment of time. Once alerted, our attention should begin to move away from the loud noise and bright lights (that accomplish nothing more) and turn quickly to specific ways in which we can control the situation and when there is nothing else to control, we then should pray about those things that we have no control over. Two very important lists exist around Christmas time: Santa's "Naughty or Nice" list and our own Christmas list. As a kid, our Christmas list was a huge deal. We wanted those items on that list really bad. We also wanted to make sure that Santa knew how much we wanted those items and that is why we put crayon to paper. As I grew up, my Christmas list lost it's purpose, for many reasons. However, I still want things. In athletics, we want things. A good routine to get into is to make a list. Make a list of things you want to accomplish and what you want to get better at. Add to the list. Work to achieve the things on the list. Check off those items on the list that you achieve. Add more stuff to the list. And don't complain if all you get in your stocking for Christmas is underwear and socks if you don't take the time to make a list of what you really want.
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AuthorCOACH. FATHER. HUSBAND. SON OF THE KING. WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY. Archives
November 2023
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