The title of this blog is used by most people on New Year's Day, when the time feels right to embrace new beginnings, new habits, and create a total change in lifestyle if they aspired to do so. In my opinion, the people who wait to begin changing once the time switches to 12:01 AM on January 1st are just fooling themselves. Why do I say this? Less than 50% of people with New Year's resolutions are successful with keeping them past 6 months. That makes the other "50%" feeling like a failure because they are stuck in the same old habits, actions, and attitudes towards their self-image. Relying on a certain time to start making changes in your life should not matter. It is what comes next that really matters-the overall process and journey of improving.
The new you can start today. Right now. As you are reading this sentence. The only thing getting between you and where you want to be, whether it's physically or mentally, is you. Stop making excuses for yourself. I understand this may be too straight-forward for some of you, or maybe it's something some of you needed to hear to get started, but it is the truth. What incentive do you get for setting a certain time to start bettering yourself? Nothing.
Once you make the decision to start a lifestyle change, it may be easy for the first few days. However, it will eventually start to become difficult. You will need to have a reminder to keep going.
Being a collegiate athlete is hard. Personally, I have struggled mentally and physically with the perceptions of how a college-athlete should live. In high school, I struggled with anxiety. In college, my symptoms got much worse with the amount of work it takes to be at the level that I was at. I had to change my work habits and find ways to keep me motivated on the field and in the classroom. I am sure that some of you have felt this once you entered the workforce by trying to balance work, your social life, and everything in between. One simple question kept me going and motivated to continue working hard every morning I would wake up, while half the campus slept in, to prepare for season. Once you wake up in the morning, ask yourself "Am I all in or am I half in?" The answer to this 9 word question reveals who you are as a person- what characteristics you posses, what intentions you attain, what goals you want to achieve. Giving 100% effort into every single task you do gives you the most potential to accomplish your successes you are working towards. Being "half in" day-to-day means it will take longer to achieve your goals or you may not even reach them at all.
Image: When I play, I sometimes write reminders on my wrist to keep me going no matter how tough things get or how tired I may feel.
It is important to embrace each day like it is your last and approach each task to the best of your ability like your life depends on it.
As a student-athlete, falling short is presumed unacceptable. Your job is to perform your best every single day and to never quit. If you give up, you let not only yourself down, but your team, your program, and your community. Most importantly, quitting reveals that you have weaknesses that can get in the way of your season. Of course, there are exceptions, however your level of mental toughness shines through when deciding to quit or keep going.
Going back to the "All In" decision, you are in charge of how much effort you are going to bring to your day to day life. Do not make excuses, because you are just cheating yourself out of the successes that could be heading your way. You are the only person that gets in your own way. Start now and make each day an improvement, mentally and physically, and those long-term goals you have set may be achieved sooner than you thought.
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