The athlete’s mind is a special one. Any individual who is an athlete, or was an athlete can agree. There are certain lessons you learn, and a lot that you hold on to. Here are the best ones.
Don’t Settle. Why should you? You were put on this Earth for a purpose. Go out, and find it. Don’t get comfortable until you have stepped outside of your comfort zone and have at least given it your best effort. After that happens, there’s no way you will settle in any aspect of your life. Don’t be ordinary. Put that “extra” effort into it, and become extraordinary.
Don’t Judge. It doesn’t matter what car you drive, what your ERA is, or how fast you can run, at the end of the day, we all have the same sized grave. I’m not saying you don’t have to compete to BEAT the best, you absolutely do, just remember before you walk in someone’s shoes, make sure you can handle it.
Work Your Ass Off. Nothing in this world is handed to you. It will separate you from everyone else if you do this. There is always someone out there who is willing to work harder than you. Your job, is to make sure that person backs down and is scared to face you. Don’t give up, because the moment you’re about to succeed is the moment when you want to give up.
Everyone Who Loves You, Will Stick By You. And if not, forget them. When you find a “team” you can count on, you hold on to them for dear life. There are very few people who understand the mentality of an athlete, or someone who is “pissed off for excellence.” They won’t abandon you, but you have to make sure you don’t abandon them either.
Failing Is Not The End, It’s Only The Beginning. I can’t stress this enough. I’ve been turned down in every aspect of life, and most people would shut out the world. I have my moment where I get upset about it, but then I remind myself who I am and what I’m doing. You can try and try and fail and fail, but at the end of the day, the finish line was worth the struggle. I can promise you that.
Remember Why You Started. This is so important. Sometimes you get caught up in your life with work, with relationships with everything. You have to stop, and remind yourself why you started your journey. This makes the biggest difference. Remind yourself why you love it.
You Are Rare. Own It. Not everyone has a gift that an athlete does. Or anyone. You will succeed in aspects of life that nobody else can. Everyone has a champion inside of them. Find him. You don’t have to be an athlete to be a champion. But you can’t find the champion in you if you don’t believe he exists.
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