There are a handful of individuals on this planet that woke up one day determined to be the best... and then every day there after, they were convinced that nothing would stand in their way - they knew that they would be the one to change the way the game is played. These are the Kobe Bryant's... the Jerry Rice's... and the Serena Williams' of our world. But what makes these people any different from the rest of us?
According to Dictionary, "an athlete is a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength."
I think it is clear that an athlete harnesses something much bigger than physical skill... they possess a mindset much different than the rest.
Kobe Bryant said "Winning takes precedence over all. There's no gray area. No almosts."
Every day Kobe made the clear decision that failure was not an option and so he allowed nothing to stand in his way of attainment. He was determined to not only be his best, but to be THE BEST of all time.
Our minds are like a record with one track. The mind will play the same song over and over again until we press pause or until we change the song entirely. If our track is filled with self doubt or fear of any kind, we will most definitely sabotage ourselves in this journey. However, if our track is played with confidence, strength and resilience, it would become nearly impossible for us to fail. Greatness would become our only option. We must choose to become determined enough in each day that we habitually play the track for success.
An athlete knows, strong determination comes with sacrifice and they know that you must be relentless in your pursuit of greatness. We have to be willing to sacrifice everything along the way - time, energy, relationships, etc. all as an investment in ourself. But at the same time, it is most important that we NEVER compromise anything on this journey to greatness. "Sacrifice everything, but compromise nothing."
"Greatness that is born from Love, is the kind of Greatness that will change the world."
Fall in love with yourself and fall in love with the game that you are playing - whatever it may be. Allow yourself to become so obsessed with your craft that you let it consume you...let it envelope every one of your cells, let it influence every one of your conversations, let it give rise each one of your thoughts... and ultimately, let it become you. There is a domino effect, when we fall in love with the discipline of the pursuit of our craft, we fall in love with the discipline of the pursuit of our entire life. Then, there is not one area of our life that we will not be determined to reach our fullest potential.
We often forget that we are the ones that determine who we are and what we are capable of. An athlete cultivates an unwavering belief in themself. There will always be nights that others say that you cannot... but you must find the strength in the dark to remind yourself that there is no other that is more capable. YOU are the difference between greatness and mediocre and YOU have to be the one that tells your story of greatness over and over again. Until, one day, this story will begin to tell itself.
Get the Athlete Mentality
1.) Decide What It Is That You Want to Pursue
Write it down, save it in the notes on your phone, put it on a post-it in your bathroom. Whatever floats your boat! It is essential to become absolutely certain that this dream is what you are going to live out. (There can be no gray area here.)
2.) Fall in Love with Your Dream
Play this dream out every night before bed. Play this dream out every morning when you wake up. Play this dream out before every meal. Begin to feel this dream as if it were your reality right now and eliminate any separation between you and this dream.
3.) Build Your Routine
Your daily routine should be dedicated to the creation of whatever your dream is. (If it is not, change it.) Every action that you take each day should be confirmation to yourself that this is what you want... AND what you deserve. Just to be clear, you deserve anything and everything that you can dream of - do not let someone (including yourself) tell you otherwise.
4.) Reflect, Recommit, and Grow
We learn from trial and error and so temporary failure is inevitable. Take the time each day to reflect - acknowledge your wins and your temporary losses. But then recommit to your pursuit and become better today because of yesterday.