Hard Body Island

“The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of us while we live.” – Norman Cousins

The sporting career of an athlete can feel a life time but ends very quickly. Somehow we are supposed to continue being competitive and improve like how we’re accustomed to. Or is it time to take a break because that part of us has died? We deserve a break right? We have worked so hard for so long and we can actually be normal people right?

We are completely doing ourselves a disservice by becoming “normal” people all of a sudden. We held ourselves to a high standard of being student athletes. We would wake up early for weights. Then we would go to class all day. We would have to eat enough to be fueled for the day. After that, we would go practice. Repeat that the next day. Now we want to work a job and hope for promotions. We spend our money on drinks and shoes. We post as if we are doing well. Then we get confused on how we have all these normal people problems as if it wasn’t our fault? Where did we get this mentality from?

I believe this stems from a lack of purpose. You can’t blame yourself for this. We have dedicated most of our time to our sport for so many years. Being athletic becomes our identity. When our identity is stripped from us we panic and don’t know where to go. Once that happens the complacency kicks in. We stop doing leg workouts (or working out in general). We drink alcohol on Wednesdays. We feel sorry for ourselves. Our purpose was to compete and win using our athletic abilities, but when our athletic abilities aren’t needed anymore, how are we supposed to succeed?

CHOOSE YOUR PURPOSE! Read a self-help book. Talk to your coach, teachers, and parents. Ask your best friends what type of person you are. Get an internship to gain real life working experience. You won’t be successful if you don’t know where you are going. Take time to actually figure out what you want out of life. What type of people do you want to impact? Where do you want to make that impact? Who do you want to make that impact with? Pick one thing and stick with it.

Complacency will lead to issues that you would’ve never thought you would face. Don’t take your foot off the gas pedal, press harder. Most people will slow down. Speed up and broaden the range between you and them. Be competitive with everything you do. You’ve done this before, it’s nothing new.

Set a goal, commit to growth, and embrace the challenge. The best version of you is still ahead. Start today!