Category: Opinion

[T]he hustler’s every waking hour is lived with both the practical and the subconscious knowledge that if he ever relaxes, if he ever slows down, the other hungry, restless foxes, ferrets, wolves, and vultures out there with him won’t hesitate to make him their prey.~Malcolm X


Source: What Would You Do?

It has often been said that someone can tell how far a person will go in life by the circle of friends he keeps. This is certainly true for an athlete who life is complicated by an abnormal work schedule and can be plagued by location issues. Then, add the pressures of being in the spotlight and others’ demands for him, and even the way his life should go, can create an enormous burden for the athlete to shoulder.

For these reasons, it is important that the athlete have an inner circle of family and friends that he can truly trust. An athlete may need to delegate relocation, money, or other family issues, and those handling those matters need to have the athlete’s best interest at heart as well as follow his lead instead of following their own agenda.

For an athlete to consider anyone above reproach could be a fatal mistake. It is just as easy for a family member to steer the athlete wrong as Joe Smoe from down the street. And steering someone wrong does not lend itself to just financial decisions; it includes career direction, second career choices, physical conditioning, love, and just life decisions in general. Jack Johnson’s financial future was placed in jeopardy by his parents, Johnny Manziel’s career by his associates and friends, Maria Sharipova by her medical team, and the list goes on and on.

In the book, The Courage to Trust, Cynthia L. Wall, LCSW, discusses circles of belonging. She sets out definitions to help an athlete, or anyone for that matter, to determine between an acquaintance, companions and coworkers, friends, intimates, and soul mates (and soul mates goes beyond those to whom we marry). The key is the level of trust, self sacrifice and intimacy each of those have within an athlete’s life.

Certainly, those individuals who fall within the soul mate level will have more influence on one than someone who falls below the friend level. Knowing which level a person falls into will help you determine how much weight to give that person when it comes to handling your affairs. Knowledge and insight can come from anywhere, but it would be foolish to give a coworker access to your bank account.

And it is understandable that trust will fluctuate with some individuals falling out of your soul mate, or inner, circle and others who were once acquaintances growing into more trusting roles. There should never be anyone in your inner circle that there is not mutual trust, care, respect and love, and one should never give more trust to someone in hopes they will change. Believe a person when they have truly shown you who they are–that doesn’t mean judging someone based upon someone else’s experience with a person or from the outside looking in. You have to get to truly know someone for yourself.

If you don’t trust someone, then your interaction with them should reflect that lack of trust or knowledge of her. Yet, remember not to close yourself off by not getting the whole story. If you choose the right folks to be a part of your inner circle, life can be a beautiful thing. Consider those athletes who have come before you like Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Franco Harris, LeBron James, that have great support system and their success is evident both on and off the field.

Anyone who agrees or disagrees with you 100 percent of the time probably should not be part of your inner circle. . . . period.


Source: James Rodgers

“Family doesn’t automatically qualify for being within your ‘inner circle’ unless you have the high degree of trust with each family member.”~Natalie


Source: Facing The Giants via Tony DiFranco

As an athlete, focus is a crucial piece in one’s arsenal. It allows the athlete to tune out outside problems, comments and pain. Focus clearly paves the journey an athlete must take to meet his objective on the ice.

For most players, focus can be an issue. Life’s issues and pressures can misguide them into taking shortcuts or not giving each practice 100% of their time and effort. That lack of focus hurts his performance on the field or ice. However, focus can be developed. Like any other habit, according to Daniel Coyle in The Little Book of Talent, focus an become anew within 8 weeks.

Focus is not inspiration nor is it motivation. Focus is the ability to keep one’s eyes on the horizon despite the obstacles and speed bumps set in front of the athlete as a distraction. Focus is a talent, and it can be either poorly developed or made to be laser sharp.

According to Coyle, the bad habits of distraction or laziness are to be ignored not broken. In his words, breaking bad habits is a waste of time. Instead, it is more effective to create new habits with practice which will simply hone one’s focus and replace the bad habits. Habits that enhance focus include vision boards, setting large goals and keeping them to yourself, meditation, staring, and stealing ideas by learning from others who have mastered the skill you are trying to acquire.

An example of stealing would be to take notes on how your athletic hero performs on the field. Notate how he makes his stance, the position of his hand, and how he gains power to take on the opposition. Then, you can take that a step further by creating a vision board demonstrating those skills which you need to incorporate into your game. Another example would be to watch the athletic hero during her games or practice and then visualize yourself performing as she does.

Remember, the goal is to cause the unconscious mind to imagine and recreate the performance during practice and games. Keep your focus positive (i.e., “center the ball” instead of “don’t pull to the right” when bowling). Visually experience the perfect performance whether its by watching your hero do it or visualizing yourself performing perfectly. Then, take a nap. Wake up knowing you can do it. If the mind can see it, then the body can achieve it.


Source: Ranger Jesse Motivation