Do You Want to Be Remembered??? How to be remembered in your game (and beyond)
Do you want to be remembered for your game?
I hear many student athletes say they want to be remembered for how they play their game.
And I think if we are honest, we all want to be remembered for something.
Those who are remembered seem to have more opportunities flow their way and make a larger impact on those around them.
With this, today we will talk about:
3 Qualities to Help You Be Remembered in Your Game (and Beyond Your Game)
People “wanting to be remembered for something” has become so cliche in this day and age.
(There’s even that song that says “100% reason to remember the name.”)
I believe deep down we all want to be remembered in some way, so we can have more opportunities and can make a greater impact.
Here are:
3 Qualities to Help You Be Remembered in Your Game (and Beyond Your Game)
1. Innovation
Create new ways and techniques of doing things nobody has ever seen before.
I recall the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots.
The Eagles ran a trick play nobody had ever seen before.
They ended up scoring, they ended up winning, and this play was forever known as The Philly Shuffle.
The Eagles designed a new play that helped them:
Score
Win the game
Be remembered for their innovation
2. Perseverance
Have the resilience to press on through life’s trials, tribulations, and storms and remain steadfast on your goals and vision.
Cal Ripken Jr. was a baseball player who was referred to as The Iron Man.
He played in over 2,000 straight major league baseball games despite long, grueling summer days and aches, pains, and injuries.
He pressed on through all the game’s challenges
He had remained durable throughout his career
He was remembered as The Iron Man
3. Authenticity
Fully embrace and bring out the athlete you were designed to be.
Embrace all your:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Flaws and imperfections
And fully be who you are.
Your game doesn’t need another Patrick Mahomes
Your game doesn’t need another Caitlin Clark
Your game doesn’t need anyone else
Who your game needs …
IS YOU!!!
Embrace your playing style
Embrace what makes you train your best
Embrace your leadership and communication styles
Embrace what gets you pumped up and how you make your unique impact
The more you embrace who you are (flaws, imperfections, quirks, and all) …
The more you make your authentic impact on the game and …
The more you will be remembered in your game.
Recap
3 Qualities to Help You Be Remembered in Your Game (and Beyond):
Innovation- Create new ways and techniques of doing things nobody has ever seen before
Perseverance- Have the resilience to press on through life’s trials and tribulations and remain steadfast on your vision
Authenticity- Fully embrace all of who and what you are, bring out the athlete you were uniquely designed to be, and make the impact you were created to make
I wish you well on your journey of being remembered in your game and in the Larger Game of Life beyond your game, and I look forward to seeing you next week.
Afraid You Won’t Make It As An Athlete??? How to Develop the Mental Resilience to Access your Full Potential
“DARN IT!!! I missed the shot!”
“Are you kidding me ump, that was definitely a strike!”
“Why is coach taking me out of the game again???”
It’s inevitable within our sports …
Situations outside of our control happen.
Often, athletes will view these as negative, get down on themselves, and mentally check out of the game.
However, today I am going to offer you a new perspective.
And when you hold onto this belief with unwavering conviction,
You will be refined into the athlete you were born to be in your game
And …
You will be refined into the person you were born to be in the Larger Game of Life.
This belief is:
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
Let me say that again:
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
In your game, if you:
Miss a Shot- You realize the Game is providing you feedback so you can make it the next time
Get a Bad Call- You realize the Game is providing you an opportunity to respond poised for the next play
Get Pulled Out of the Game- You realize the Game is providing you an opportunity to rejuvenate and witness the game from a new perspective so you can go back in firing on all cylinders
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
And this translates to the rest of your life as well.
You see, on a personal note,
My life has been full of uncontrollable situations that have appeared to be negative.
But I have held fast to this belief, and as a result …
Life has always provided me a larger platform to have a greater impact on those around me.
My Dream
When I was young, I vividly recall watching a young basketball player in the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament named Stephen Curry.
And when I watched this guy play,
He inspired me and reminded me the way I played basketball.
From that point on,
I devoted my life to one day playing professional basketball so everyone who watched me play would be inspired.
And I full-heartedly committed to making this a reality.
I was the recess king of the court.
I was extremely competitive on my travel teams.
However, I came down with a mysterious medical condition that kept me from growing.
This made basketball extremely difficult, but I remembered:
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
My Realization
I buckled down to get every edge I could get:
I would practice my skills for hours
I was in the weight room, doing plyometrics, and running around the neighborhood
I honed in on my nutrition, mindset, sleep, recovery, toughness, and every little “enhancement” I heard about
And as a result,
I was the most well-rounded athlete I could be and remained competitive.
Soon afterwards,
I came down with more mysterious medical conditions that made my gut extremely compromised and made my body overly exhausted. Eventually these health complications led to me being taken out of sports and I watched my athletic dreams wash away.
This was heart-breaking to me, but I remembered:
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
My Realization
Although I was unable to live my dream,
I became extremely smart about all facets sports performance related,
And I could help other athletes reach their aspirations.
I geeked out on training science
I started coaching high school teams
I went to college with the mission of cracking the code to make anyone an elite athlete
And as a result,
I had many amazing opportunities lined up for me to train high-level athletes after college.
However,
I was graduating in the spring of 2020 (News Flash: When the world was put on hold due to the pandemic) which canceled all my post-college training plans.
Not only were these plans canceled,
I couldn’t find any job within the training industry because we were not allowed to be within 6 feet of others.
I was bewildered and confused about what to do, but I remembered:
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
My Realization
Rather than wait around for opportunities to train athletes,
I could create an online brand where I could train anybody virtually!
This way:
I could impact far more athletes
I was not confined to my physical location
I could overcome the restrictions brought on by the pandemic
I took a look at what I knew about the internet:
Google
Microsoft Word
Email … And that’s about it!!!
But I committed myself to this new vision and would learn how to do it.
And as a result,
I created an online ecosystem with social media platforms, online courses/coaching, email systems, and sales funnels.
After a few months of running this online ecosystem though,
I began to feel a deep hole within my being that grew deeper and deeper the more I produced content.
Eventually I perceived this was a strong call that Life was calling me to another Path.
Once again, lost and confused, I told myself:
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
My Calling
One night, feeling utterly debilitated by everything that had been happening in my life, I went out into the middle of a field one night, stood there underneath the stars, and said:
”Life, You have taken away everything I have worked so hard for:
You took away my athletic dreams through my health conditions
You took away my training opportunities after college with the pandemic
Now you are taking away this online ecosystem I created because I feel a deep sense of unfulfillment
What are you leading me to???
How are you guiding me to my Highest Potential???
What do you have for me???
I SURRENDER!!!
SHOW ME THE WAY!!!”
And once I said those words, I had this surreal experience where every cell in my being felt like it was dissolving and melting away:
My Skin
My Muscles
My Bones
All of it dissolving and melting away …
Until there was nothing left but a ball of fire, a bundle of energy, deep inside my being.
And when I connected with that,
I realized that could never be taken away …
And that fire inside me is what will inspire others as I help them to connect with it within themselves.
So, you see,
Every uncontrollable situation that has taken away my dreams in my life,
Has only led to a larger platform to make a greater impact on more people.
And I have been able to persevere through this all because I have remained steadfast with the unwavering conviction that:
The Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential.
I invite you to look at your game, and your Game of Life beyond,
And see how every seeming setback is actually …
Refining you into the athlete, the student, and the BEING …
You were born to be.
I wish you well on your journey of realizing the Game is orchestrating all events to guide you to your Highest Potential, and I look forward to seeing you next week.
Attention Student Athlete Mothers: 3 Ways Moms Can Have a Profound Impact on the Lives of Student Athlete Children
This is for the mothers of student athletes!
Or, if you are a student athlete, please share this with your mother.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, we are going to discuss:
3 Ways Moms Can Have a Profound Impact on the Lives of Student Athlete Children
Disclaimer:
I AM NOT A MOTHER!!!
But, I was a student athlete and today I will be speaking from the perspective of a student athlete and what I am most grateful for about how my mom impacted my development in my game, in my schoolwork, and in my life.
1. Be Present
Do your absolute best to be at your child’s activities:
Their games and tournaments
Activities in school such as awards ceremonies
Other events outside of school such as music recitals, youth groups, and volunteer opportunities
Physically be present for them.
And also …
Mentally and emotionally be present for them.
When you are with your son or daughter, focus all your thoughts and attention on them in the moment.
When you are present for your student athlete physically, mentally, and emotionally,
They will realize how much you care for them and are invested in their success and development.
2. Offer Them a Helping Hand
As student athletes, your son and/or daughter has a lot on their plate:
Their games and practices
Their homework, exams, and other school activities
Their other training and recovery such as their mindset, nutrition, and sleep
With all this going on …
They can easily become overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything.
And when they are doing their best to manage everything, but are having difficulty keeping up …
Offer to help them out with something like:
Cooking food
Cleaning the dishes
Doing small tasks and chores
(Note: This does not give them the green light to sit around playing video games, eating potato chips, while forcing you to clean their rooms for them, but when they truly are doing their best, offer them your helping hand.)
When you offer to help your son or daughter with various tasks,
They will realize how much you care for them and are invested in their success and development.
3. Provide a Compassionate and Loving Touch
Perhaps my most powerful memory of my mom actually came outside of my sports.
I was on a hospital bed, going through some medical challenges, and I remember this one specific moment when …
She touched my hand.
And, although it was a tiny act,
Every vein in my body tingled as I realized how much my mom loved me and cared for my well being.
I invite you to do the same.
Every day, provide your son and/or daughter a compassionate and loving touch:
A genuine hug emanating from the heart
A tender-hearted touch on their hand or shoulder
Any other gesture done from a space of pure affection
Although they may not overtly express it,
Your son and/or daughter loves YOU, wants to be loved by YOU, and wants to make YOU proud.
Once again, when you provide your child with a compassionate and loving touch,
They will realize how much you care for them and are invested in their success and development.
Recap
3 Ways You Can Have a Profound Impact on the Lives of Student Athlete Children:
Be Present- Physically, mentally, and emotionally
Offer a Helping Hand- When they are truly trying their best, yet still feeling overwhelmed
Provide a Compassionate and Loving Touch- One that is authentic and emanates from the heart
I wish you well on your journey of empowering your student athlete in their game, in their schoolwork, and in the Larger Game of Life, and I look forward to seeing you next week.
Feeling TRAPPED as an Athlete??? How to PLAY FREE in Your Game (and in Life)
Do you feel like you are underperforming?
Sometimes you feel:
Slow
Stuck
Just a little bit “Off”
You know you have the potential inside you because you are able to execute highly in practice,
But when the game is on the line,
You freeze up and miss your opportunities.
And this leaves you feeling worried about how others are judging your performance, such as:
Your coach
Your teammates
Your family and friends
Look, I know …
Feeling trapped as an athlete absolutely SUCKS!!!
Throughout my career as an athlete,
There were many times I felt trapped as well.
I knew I had the potential inside me as I would perform well in practice,
But there were moments I would freeze up during crunch time and I would let my opportunities slip away.
After the game, I’d berate myself:
“How could I miss my mark?!?”
However, through this process,
I discovered how I could play freely as an athlete,
And today we will talk about:
3 Areas to enable you to play FREELY in your game, and in the Larger Game of Life
Freedom in Your Craft
As an athlete, your Craft is your sport.
Master the skills of your sport.
Intentionally practice the skills and techniques to enable you to excel in your sport.
If you play basketball, work on your shot
If you golf, work on the mechanics of your swing
If you play softball or baseball, work on taking grounders and fly balls
Condition your body so you can move and function optimally.
Make sure you are following a well-rounded training program that targets the energy systems and movement patterns of your sport to enhance your abilities.
Study the intricacies, nuances, and ins and outs of the strategy of your sport.
This will help you become a complete athlete and be the smartest player you can be.
Study the greats in your sport and watch your own game film to help you understand how you can improve.
Freedom in Your Mind
Train your mind so you can sink into the Zone effortlessly and at ease.
Focus on one thing at a time.
Be able to hold your attention only on the present moment.
If you are practicing, focus only on your practice
If you are doing chores, focus only on the task at hand
If you are doing homework, shut off all other distractions and zone in on your homework
Remain cool, calm, and composed in pressure situations.
Slow down your breathing so you can regulate your Nervous System.
Develop your mental toughness and resilience.
Push your edges in your training and take on challenging tasks in your daily life.
Freedom to Play for a Greater Cause Beyond the Game Itself
Every time you step into practice, a training session, or a game, play for your:
Enjoyment
Inspiration
Passion
And for the enjoyment, inspiration, and passion of others:
Your team
Your school
Your community
3 Ways to Play Freely in Your Game
Freedom in Your Craft
Freedom in Your Mind
Freedom to Play for a Greater Cause Beyond the Game Itself
And these three areas will enable you to play freely in the Larger Game of Your Life.
Freedom in Your Craft
In life, your Craft is what you absolutely love to do.
Your calling
Your passion
Your purpose
Discover what it is and become the best at it you can possibly be.
Master the skills and study the nuances, intricacies, and ins and outs of it.
Freedom in Your Mind
Focus fully on the present moment.
Remain cool, calm, and composed in pressure-filled situations through the storms Life may provide.
Develop the mental toughness and resilience to become the person you were meant to be.
Freedom to Play for a Greater Cause Beyond the Game Itself
In everything you do, do it for your:
Enjoyment
Inspiration
Passion
And for the enjoyment, inspiration, and passion of others:
Your community
Your family, friends, and coworkers
And eventually to the world as a whole
I wish you well on your journey of playing freely in your game, and in the Larger Game of Life, and I look forward to seeing you next week.
