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Dear Athletes,
If you’re going to expend the time, effort, and energy to put in work, why not make it a point to do it WELL. What do you gain from doing it badly instead of doing your best?
- It’s still going to cost you the time.
- It’s still going to cost you the energy.
- It’s still going to cost you the effort, but it won’t get you the results and could very well increase your risk for injury.
Don’t wait for someone else to “keep an eye” on you or tell you to do it right. Hold yourself accountable.
And …
Pay attention so you can help your teammates stay focused and keep their intensity level up too. ESPECIALLY if you have a coach who does a good job of keeping explaining what you’re doing and why, don’t just mindlessly show up and go through the motions … or only do what you’re told when someone is there to tell you what you should be doing.
Use the opportunities you have to work well independently instead of requiring constant supervision to give your best effort.
Engage your brain.
Connect with what you’re doing and the reasons your coach is giving you for doing whatever it is you’re doing.
Seek to deepen your understanding rather than always needing someone else to tell you what to do, when to do it, and how otherwise it doesn’t get done.
This goes from the field, to the weight room, to the classroom, to just about anything in life. Do what you CAN do even when no one is watching.
Because, I guarantee you, someone is watching more often than you realize. Coaches might not always harp on you, breath down your neck, or correct you unceasingly, but that doesn’t mean they don’t see what’s happening.
If and/or when you have the opportunity to work a little more independently, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to use that opportunity to slack? To back off your focus, intensity, or effort? Or are you going to use it as an opportunity to strengthen your self discipline? To hold yourself accountable? To put forth your best effort even if no one notices/says they notice?
Coaches are often evaluating when you least expect it. They’re paying attention to who is consistent with their intentionality and effort regardless of the situation and they’re also paying attention to who is consistent with doing the bare minimum when the situations to do so present themselves.
What are your choices and actions showing your coaches in those moments?
