Comments on: Lessons I Learned From Competitive Athletics

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 07:04:22 +0000

I appreciated all that sports taught me and was privileged to compete as a three sport athlete in high school and wrestle five years at the collegiate level.
Dan Gable puts it best, I believe, in his famous quote: “Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”
I appreciate all of the posts shared and agree with every one of them.
Thank you all.

By: Randy Hanson

Randy Hanson — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:41:00 +0000

1. That results are important but not as important as most make them.

If I can win without giving full effort or lose while giving everything, then the result must not be paramount.

2. What is important is that you are on the path to improvement in an area that you love.

By: Rick Kaselj

Rick Kaselj — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:27:19 +0000

Great post Pat!

Many people dream of being a professional athlete, I learned that if you try to hide from the truth, you never will grow.

Why is truth so important? It is because respect, relationships, and unity all depend on truth. Without truth, I couldn’t trust my teammates and they couldn’t trust me.

Rick Kaselj
http://www.ExercisesForInjuries.com

By: Steve Preston

Steve Preston — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:46:46 +0000

“That’s not wrestling… that’s ‘grab-ass!’

My Middle School Wrestling Coach (Coach D’Agostino) used to say this when we screwed up…

It has stayed with me for a lifetime… He didn’t sugar-coat everything and try to be ‘politically-correct’. It helped me think about ‘going through the motions’ versus ‘doing things right!’

By: Karen Kay

Karen Kay — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:36:23 +0000

Pat,

I agree with all of the comments listed above. However, what continues to stand out to me on a daily basis is MENTAL TOUGHNESS. I always considered myself to be a mentally tough competitor and that it was probably the most “intangible” trait of all that had an impact on both my playing and coaching careers. I wish more young athletes and coaches would recognize how valuable each experience is along the way and that mental toughness is a learned skill.

Thanks!

By: Shelby Turcotte

Shelby Turcotte — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:20:53 +0000

Perseverance. Not in the typical sense, but more in the sense of not knowing how close you may be to success (however you define that). There are often times that a single play in a game can change the whole momentum and literally shift all of the momentum. Up until that point you aren’t really sure where the “light” is, but suddenly you realize…in business you never really know where the breaks will come or where you’ll find success on the path, but if you stop before you get there you might only be one play from success!

By: Ryan Riley

Ryan Riley — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:08:35 +0000

Hey Pat,

I can definitely relate to this post after playing college and pro baseball…here are a couple things on the mental side of things as you know baseball is such a mental game…

1) Only focus on what you can control- too many people worry about what the “other guy” is doing and waste energy, and time on things they have no control over. Pretty soon you forget how you are or what you are all about…

2) Life is a roller coaster- Nothing ever stays the same and there are no guaruntees so try not to get too excited about the highs and too bummed out about the pros.

3) Stay in the present tense-obviously set goals but try not to get too anxious about what lies ahead or worry about what happened in the past…just focus on what is happening in the now. “A lot of good at bats make up a great season”

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:06:48 +0000

Sports were so important to me. In fact for many years that is what I focused on.

I did well in school because I wanted to play sports. I would shoot baskets outside in Minnesota all winter long. I recall working so hard between my 6th and 7th grade years because I thought I would not be a starter.

In high school I was always one of the best players… Then came college and I learned that I sucked relative to the team. I learned humble confidence is way better than cockiness. I learned that I could give up now and it would have been a lot easier.

Here is a summary of what sports taught me
1. Be super competitive and be your best BUT help others be their best as well.
2. Be great and do not worry about what others think of you.
3. Hard Work, Discipline, and Perseverance!

By: Justin Yule

Justin Yule — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:01:57 +0000

As a guy with horrible bodybuilding genetics, but determined to step on stage when I was in college, I learned that when you dream big, set a hard deadline, and visualize & attack you can accomplish whatever you want.

Know EXACTLY what you want.
STAY FOCUSED.
Don’t let ANYTHING stop you!

By: Michael Boyle

Michael Boyle — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:08:14 +0000

I learned how hard you had to work to just be average. I was just an average football player. Didn’t start until my senior year. Always working to get better. Later in life I learned that this paid off far more in the real world. My ability to outwork those more talented than I began to pay off when it was no longer a game. I think that was greatest lesson. You may not be rewarded early and rewarded late.