​Athletes - What do you want? Think about the goals you want to accomplish. Write down what you aspire to in sports. Be specific. Do you want to start in high school? Do you want to play in college? Do you want to be the best defensive player in your conference? Do you want to be a 40% 3 point shooter?

Knowing what you want is an important question to answer for yourself. Then, identify the work that will help you get there. Because that is what it is going to take to accomplish big goals in a competitive sport, WORK. You must build mental toughness, physical strength, skills, and a high level of understanding (high IQ). To develop all of these areas you are going to have to work extremely hard.

Knowing what you want will help you make a plan. How do you get what you want? Create a plan for the work that you will need to do consistently. And here’s the great part…ask those around you for help. Many people will step up and help you chase your goals, you don’t have to do it alone (coaches, parents, brother/sister, teammates).

Secondly, knowing what you want (it can change, but go ahead and ask yourself what it is today!) and seeing it in your handwriting will help you push through the tough times when you don’t feel like working or when things feel like they are going against you. These are the moments you own the greatness you want! Show up on the bad days and accomplish something that gets you closer to your goal.

Decide what you want. Then go chase it. Put in the blood, sweat, and tears to be the best version of you!

#getbetter

Who are your heroes? Your mentors? You don’t have to personally know each person you look up to, and there are countless examples out there to study and watch and read about.
Enter Tom Brady.
Brady just won his 7th Super Bowl and his 5th Super Bowl MVP honor. He is the NFL’s winningest quarterback and has proven to be one of the ultimate competitors. Let's look at a few traits he has embodied that we can learn from!

Worker - Brady was drafted in the 6th round and worked to be ready when his chance came (became first string QB because of injury in 2001). He watches hours of film, works tirelessly on his body, and works on his mental toughness. He has a growth mindset and outworks the guys around him.

Humble - Brady constantly praises the guys around him and tries to put the attention on their abilities instead of his own. This makes a super star also a good teammate. He says things like “It takes a lot of people to get us to where we are” and “I’m so proud of these guys, we believed we could do it all along.”

Confident - Brady believes in himself. He has put in the work to trust himself in big moments, and he stays present with those big moments. He also bets on himself. After New England drafted him, he apparently said to owner Robert Kraft when he first met him, “I’m the best decision this organization has ever made.”

Can you learn from Tom Brady and implement one of these traits in the pursuit of your goals?

And, when in doubt, sleep. 

When we develop young athletes, we love to teach the skills necessary to help the team win. Tighten a crossover so they can break down their defender and change direction, or correct the balance on their shot to increase shooting percentage. But the most important thing a coach does for players is teach and model high character.

Athletes! Don’t waste a single opportunity to develop your character. Why would you allow yourself to not touch a line in a sprint? This is self-accountability. Do you have the courage to take a charge? Can you give to the team over yourself and the role you want? This develops your selflessness and humility. Play for the name on the front, not the back...how loyal can you be? Can you lose a game and treat the other team with respect?

Use sports to push yourself in areas of self control, honesty, grit, and accountability. Competing in sports has a definitive timeline, but sports can be a vehicle to lay the foundation of your character that will serve you the rest of your life. Sports provide you challenges that will cause you to face struggle, and force you to make decisions that will develop and reveal your character.

Remember, you will always have your character. Develop it.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." (MLK Jr.)