Zach Tessier knows a thing or two about persevering. After being diagnosed with diabetes in high school he went on to play Division 1 baseball at High Point University.
"I realized early on that results are not always immediately attainable but are achievable over time."
Being committed to a goal is one of the most powerful things a human being can be part of. Putting blinders on and blocking any and all negativity or doubt is the tool of all tools a student-athlete can attain.
Extreme focus is what is required in order to reach your goals, but it is hard to maintain for prolonged periods of time. It is especially difficult when one experiences a failure or a life altering situation, like in the case of Zach. When one loses this focus it is important to immediately brush off the failures, learn how to deal with the altering experience and persevere.
One's aspirations are bigger than one's self. Each day it is important to find a motivation that peps you up to get back on the horse and work hard. Another thing to understand is that the only way to truly grow is to fail and learn from those failures.
A tactic to use when facing failure is not looking at it as failure, but instead as you learning what not to do. This keeps the process positive and actionable. Thomas Edison once said, "genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." Nothing worth achieving comes easy.
Patience is the final thing. Teach yourself not to be flustered by failure instead embrace the process and learn to love it. Great hitters in baseball fail over 70 percent of the time and make it to the Hall of Fame. The highly successful people of the world are usually not the smartest or most talented, but the hardest working and most patient.
In order to be great at something one must love the process of becoming great at it.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Mr. Time Management
Scott Rolin, a football player at Virginia Tech University, thrives in a structured environment where your day is planned out and the routine becomes second nature.
"I would say the strict scheduling. Every hour of the day you are doing something whether it is class, lifting and conditioning, or practice. Having morning workouts helped me a lot with my classes."
We hear it all summer from our parents before we enter our first semester of college. "College is all about time management." "If you can manage your time, college will be a piece of cake." We would just roll our eyes and smile nicely. Even though we heard it a million times we never took a second to internalize the importance of managing your time.
Student-athletes have the luxury of having a base structure of their agenda. Classes must be scheduled during a certain block of time and practice is the same time every day. Even though that might seem like it is a whole day it really isn't.
Class and practice at the most take up about six hours of your day, and assuming you sleep eight hours a night that still leaves you with ten hours.
What do you do with those ten hours? Do you get an extra workout in? Spend a few of them studying? Or lounge around as much as possible until you have practice?
Learning to optimize your time allows you to optimize yourself. There is nothing wrong with some down time, but there is a lot that can be done to benefit you as a student-athlete with ten hours.
Mentally, scheduling every hour of your time makes the day go by quicker because you are accomplishing so much. Get to the training room an hour before practice and take care of your body so you can demonstrate the best version of yourself to your coach during practice. Make sure you give yourself at least an hour or two to get your assignments done before hand minimizing the chaos of doing it the night before.
Micromanaging your time holds you more accountable to yourself and others by physically seeing on your computer or smartphone what needs to be done during that day.
"I would say the strict scheduling. Every hour of the day you are doing something whether it is class, lifting and conditioning, or practice. Having morning workouts helped me a lot with my classes."
We hear it all summer from our parents before we enter our first semester of college. "College is all about time management." "If you can manage your time, college will be a piece of cake." We would just roll our eyes and smile nicely. Even though we heard it a million times we never took a second to internalize the importance of managing your time.
Student-athletes have the luxury of having a base structure of their agenda. Classes must be scheduled during a certain block of time and practice is the same time every day. Even though that might seem like it is a whole day it really isn't.
Class and practice at the most take up about six hours of your day, and assuming you sleep eight hours a night that still leaves you with ten hours.
What do you do with those ten hours? Do you get an extra workout in? Spend a few of them studying? Or lounge around as much as possible until you have practice?
Learning to optimize your time allows you to optimize yourself. There is nothing wrong with some down time, but there is a lot that can be done to benefit you as a student-athlete with ten hours.
Mentally, scheduling every hour of your time makes the day go by quicker because you are accomplishing so much. Get to the training room an hour before practice and take care of your body so you can demonstrate the best version of yourself to your coach during practice. Make sure you give yourself at least an hour or two to get your assignments done before hand minimizing the chaos of doing it the night before.
Micromanaging your time holds you more accountable to yourself and others by physically seeing on your computer or smartphone what needs to be done during that day.
The Quality of Perspective
Doug Howard, former basketball player at the College of William and Mary, was named team captain his senior year.
"A quality that has carried over with me is always having proper perspective. Playing on a college team no matter what was going on in my life, or whether I was playing or not forced me to keep working hard every day. I had to always have great perspective on how fortunate I was to be playing and how many people would love to be in my shoes. This ability to be grateful has carried with me and allows me to not feel sorry for myself."
Perspective is huge for any college athlete. The opportunity to play collegiate sports is a luxury the vast majority of the population will never experience. It is important to count the blessings given to you simply by being able to practice.
Looking at the "big picture" prioritizes your responsibilities as a student-athlete. Do not mistake perspective as a passive act. Rather attack your goals as a student-athlete, but with a foresight as to why they are your goals in the first place.
Perspective is a form of gratitude. This gratitude allows you to stay in the moment whenever you feel overwhelmed by a situation. Instead of looking at a problematic situation as negative, take a step back and look at the opportunities the problem opens up.
For instance, not getting the playing time you think you deserve is a problem. Instead of pouting and ruminating over why the coach likes Player A over you, step up and ask for a moment of your coaches time to plead your case. Present the facts as to why you believe you should be playing more without putting down the teammate you wish to replace. Have evidence as to why you feel like you are the best option for the team. If the coach is still not sold on you, ask what you specifically have to do in order to gain more playing time. This holds your coach accountable by laying a roadmap for you to be in the lineup.
This case study might seem specific to a sports scenario, but doing an act like this teaches you many things. First, you face the common fear of confrontation and stand up for yourself. Second, you put together an evidence based presentation as to why you are the best candidate. Third, you gain clarity as to what you must do in order to accomplish your goal. All of these aspects can then be transferred to the workforce when you must present a case to your boss in order to get that promotion or any other situation.
Look for small victories and micro-lessons within every situation you deem negative. This in turn will provide you with proper perspective moving forward.
"A quality that has carried over with me is always having proper perspective. Playing on a college team no matter what was going on in my life, or whether I was playing or not forced me to keep working hard every day. I had to always have great perspective on how fortunate I was to be playing and how many people would love to be in my shoes. This ability to be grateful has carried with me and allows me to not feel sorry for myself."
Perspective is huge for any college athlete. The opportunity to play collegiate sports is a luxury the vast majority of the population will never experience. It is important to count the blessings given to you simply by being able to practice.
Looking at the "big picture" prioritizes your responsibilities as a student-athlete. Do not mistake perspective as a passive act. Rather attack your goals as a student-athlete, but with a foresight as to why they are your goals in the first place.
Perspective is a form of gratitude. This gratitude allows you to stay in the moment whenever you feel overwhelmed by a situation. Instead of looking at a problematic situation as negative, take a step back and look at the opportunities the problem opens up.
For instance, not getting the playing time you think you deserve is a problem. Instead of pouting and ruminating over why the coach likes Player A over you, step up and ask for a moment of your coaches time to plead your case. Present the facts as to why you believe you should be playing more without putting down the teammate you wish to replace. Have evidence as to why you feel like you are the best option for the team. If the coach is still not sold on you, ask what you specifically have to do in order to gain more playing time. This holds your coach accountable by laying a roadmap for you to be in the lineup.
This case study might seem specific to a sports scenario, but doing an act like this teaches you many things. First, you face the common fear of confrontation and stand up for yourself. Second, you put together an evidence based presentation as to why you are the best candidate. Third, you gain clarity as to what you must do in order to accomplish your goal. All of these aspects can then be transferred to the workforce when you must present a case to your boss in order to get that promotion or any other situation.
Look for small victories and micro-lessons within every situation you deem negative. This in turn will provide you with proper perspective moving forward.
The Value of Relationships
Emani Fenton, a former college football player a Cornell University, was an All-Ivy League performer and an excellent student.
He stated, "The best character quality I fostered in football was love. In my life, I would estimate that I have played in 125 football games. In one year of college you have almost as many teammates. The games and memories I remember are tied in with the emotion, most times love. The celebrations, the tears, the jokes with people from a different background builds a love that stays with you forever. There is nothing better, not a day goes by where I do not talk to a former teammate in one form or another."
Emani brings up a quality that most of the time is taken advantage of while one is in the midst of a semester or season. Relationships are what get you through everything in life. When you are down on yourself you need someone to pick you up, and when you have a great experience you want someone to share it with.
Understand that as a student-athlete you walk into a room full of people with a common set of values and beliefs. Teammates are your source of strength as they know exactly what you are going through. It is easy to relate to people who willingly accept the same risks and rewards as you.
Teams are manifested through a common goal. Through this goal trust is created and relationships are forged. The locker room serves as a sanctuary of openness that allows teammates to form ideas and constructively criticize each other so they can best achieve that goal.
The way to build relationships is to build trust, and the only way to build trust is to allow yourself to be vulnerable. As a student-athlete do not be afraid to ask for help in areas that you are weak in. Look for role models in the locker room who succeed both in the classroom and on the playing field. Mimic their actions and ask them about themselves; your interest in them will undoubtedly shift their interest to you.
In the future you will realize that the trials and tribulations you shared with your teammates are well worth it. These shared experiences are the foundations for cultivating the strongest relationships that will last throughout the entirety of your life.
He stated, "The best character quality I fostered in football was love. In my life, I would estimate that I have played in 125 football games. In one year of college you have almost as many teammates. The games and memories I remember are tied in with the emotion, most times love. The celebrations, the tears, the jokes with people from a different background builds a love that stays with you forever. There is nothing better, not a day goes by where I do not talk to a former teammate in one form or another."
Emani brings up a quality that most of the time is taken advantage of while one is in the midst of a semester or season. Relationships are what get you through everything in life. When you are down on yourself you need someone to pick you up, and when you have a great experience you want someone to share it with.
Understand that as a student-athlete you walk into a room full of people with a common set of values and beliefs. Teammates are your source of strength as they know exactly what you are going through. It is easy to relate to people who willingly accept the same risks and rewards as you.
Teams are manifested through a common goal. Through this goal trust is created and relationships are forged. The locker room serves as a sanctuary of openness that allows teammates to form ideas and constructively criticize each other so they can best achieve that goal.
The way to build relationships is to build trust, and the only way to build trust is to allow yourself to be vulnerable. As a student-athlete do not be afraid to ask for help in areas that you are weak in. Look for role models in the locker room who succeed both in the classroom and on the playing field. Mimic their actions and ask them about themselves; your interest in them will undoubtedly shift their interest to you.
In the future you will realize that the trials and tribulations you shared with your teammates are well worth it. These shared experiences are the foundations for cultivating the strongest relationships that will last throughout the entirety of your life.
Value of this blog/my personal experience/accountability
Each post in this blog will give you a quality I and four other former student-athletes acquired during our tenures at school. The purpose of these accounts is to give student-athletes some perspective and guidance as to what they will learn during their time as a college athlete.
College can be the most exciting time and the most challenging time for a student, and the college experience can be exponentially more exciting and difficult when you are also assigned the role of athlete. It is important, especially during the difficult times, to really distinguish and internalize the attributes you are gaining during this wonderful experience.
Each athlete should be cognizant of what they learn both on and off the field and constantly be adding to what I call your "toolbox." You will soon realize that each of these characteristics travel with you everywhere and serve as tools for future triumphs and tribulations you encounter. I hope for nothing else you gain awareness and a small sense of clarity each time you recognize one of these qualities.
My experience as a student-athlete was a positive one. As a former pitcher on the George Mason University baseball team I had a lot of fun with the teammates and friends that I gained in my four years. It was through these teammates/friends that I gained a sense of accountability.
My definition of accountability as a student-athlete is, "the responsibility and obligation to put forth your best effort for yourself and your teammates." When other people are relying on you, such as getting in shape for the upcoming season, it is important to prepare yourself so you are in the best possible position to contribute for your team. In a sense, accountability is honoring your commitments to yourself and others.
Accountability carries over to whatever endeavors you have in the future. Whether it be a job or your family, a person will never be in a position where they are not accountable for someone else. Every high school athlete signs a letter of "commitment" to the school they wish to attend. Each team signed the same letter stating that they are accountable for their actions on and off the field.
Moving forward, remember that you always represent someone else in anything you do. Hold yourself accountable for others and others will hold themselves accountable for you.
College can be the most exciting time and the most challenging time for a student, and the college experience can be exponentially more exciting and difficult when you are also assigned the role of athlete. It is important, especially during the difficult times, to really distinguish and internalize the attributes you are gaining during this wonderful experience.
Each athlete should be cognizant of what they learn both on and off the field and constantly be adding to what I call your "toolbox." You will soon realize that each of these characteristics travel with you everywhere and serve as tools for future triumphs and tribulations you encounter. I hope for nothing else you gain awareness and a small sense of clarity each time you recognize one of these qualities.
My experience as a student-athlete was a positive one. As a former pitcher on the George Mason University baseball team I had a lot of fun with the teammates and friends that I gained in my four years. It was through these teammates/friends that I gained a sense of accountability.
My definition of accountability as a student-athlete is, "the responsibility and obligation to put forth your best effort for yourself and your teammates." When other people are relying on you, such as getting in shape for the upcoming season, it is important to prepare yourself so you are in the best possible position to contribute for your team. In a sense, accountability is honoring your commitments to yourself and others.
Accountability carries over to whatever endeavors you have in the future. Whether it be a job or your family, a person will never be in a position where they are not accountable for someone else. Every high school athlete signs a letter of "commitment" to the school they wish to attend. Each team signed the same letter stating that they are accountable for their actions on and off the field.
Moving forward, remember that you always represent someone else in anything you do. Hold yourself accountable for others and others will hold themselves accountable for you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)