Sacrifice
To become the best possible version, you can be you are going to have to let go of things. You will have to make sacrifices that you may not want to. Sacrifice can be a difficult thing to do. It can be challenging to let go of the present in hopes of a better future. I get it. You are comfortable with what you are doing now. Your “happy” with the way things are. You don’t want to give any of it up because let’s be honest. Change is difficult.
However, you have to be willing to rid yourself of the present moment to accept the possibility of becoming great. As an athlete that could be breaking a toxic relationship. Changing your coach, switching up your current training program. Changing your diet. The list goes on an on.
The most significant sacrifice that youth athletes will have to make is the time they spend with friends. Time outside of training and school is usually filled with fun with friends and getting into some questionable activities. If you want to be a great athlete you are going to have to sacrifice those moments for a long-term benefit.
The fact remains that to become the best you can be, you need to release your current self. I understand that it can be hard to let go of something that is tangible. Something that is real life for something that is uncertain. You have to be confident in your ability to grow and make your sacrifice worth it.
The Path
The path you are on is winding. It is not straight. You are going to want to go off your way sometimes. You are going to want to go off and have those fun times, eat that bad food, and do the things that you are missing out on. I get it. We are human. Making mistakes is part of our DNA.
The good thing about the path, however, is that it will always be there. You can still get back on the trail. You are on mistake away from being away on the path. It is ok to go and do the things that fun. I am not going to give anyone grief for blowing off steam. You are human and deserve some fun, or else you will burn out.
The important thing is that you get back on the path and stay on it. Making progress. Realizing that the sacrifice you have made is for a purpose and that you are moving in the direction of something greater than yourself.
Pain And Pleasure
Everyone is going through some form of torture. The pain you feel whether it is emotional or physical is not essential. You are going to feel pain on your journey. You’re going to go through some of the hardest parts of your life going through this time. You are going to want to quit because the pain may seem just too much to take. I have been there. Been right on the cusp of stopping something I loved. I didn’t want to miss out on the things everyone in my circles was doing. Missing my friends, I missed going and having fun; I missed being a teenager. However, my love for the sport of football was more significant than the pain I was putting on myself.
Sacrifice is going to cause you pain. There is no doubt about it. Deciding to eliminate something from your world that has been a part of it for an extended period is not easy. You make connections with things, and when that connection is severed, you are going not to feel too great about it. That pain in necessary however for growth to take place.
The pain is there so can appreciate all of the hard things you have done. When you finally reap a reward for all the pain you have been going through you will feel pleasure. You will experience happiness. You will eventually feel that opposite of that dreaded feeling of sadness. Desire is the outcome of hard work!
The Climb
The path is the road your on. The climb is the mountain the route is on. I know very zen buddha of me. Stick with me for a second. Your journey as an athlete should always be in an upward motion. A climb up the mountain if you will. Just like the mountain, however, you are going to have ups and downs.
You’re going to get the wins and your going to get the loses as well. You have to take them all in stride. If you don’t, you will get sucked into a continuous downward slope. The failures that happen to us as athletes are not failures they are merely a learning experience. The climb you make is not defined by the failures that occur. It will be determined by how you respond to the losers.
Final Form
There is no definitive form. Your path and mountain do not end. You have goals and aspirations. Once you have made those goals and expectations, you should be looking to the next target. Constant improvement. Continuous progression is what we love as human beings. Do not except that you are done. You are not done yet. There is always some aspect of your game that you can improve.
There is always some aspect of your world that could be better. Make another sacrifice and move on to the next big thing. Get back on that path and climb that mountain just a little bit further!
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KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
