Living the "Athletic" Life

This blog will be slightly different from the last five posts. I will use quotes from Michael Dirba’s essay “Commencement Advice” I read last year. The author gives advice to graduate students who are about to step into the real world and begin a new chapter in their lives. Throughout his essay, Dirba uses quotes to illustrate the main ideas, which I thought was very creative. That being said, after reading the essay, I immediately noticed a connection with my athletic career and how, just like graduate students, I have begun my career and I am about to live the “ups and downs” of being an elite athlete. I will use some of his quotes to give my own advice to future athletes about getting through the “athletic” life…not that I’m saying it’s a nightmare, on the contrary, it’s an unforgettable life filled with new experiences.

Here are, what I think, four keys to successful careers.

1. “Life is trouble.” If you think you will be cruising through your career, you might want to consider doing something else other than sports. The life of an athlete is filled with challenges that sometime result in failure, disappointment, and frustration. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” This, I believe says it all. Every day, a new challenge will arise and only you can decide whether or not you want to overcome it and how you chose to face it. I assure you that confronting challenges will make you stronger, both as an athlete and person, and in the long run, it will shape your true character.   

2. “Live all you can. It’s a mistake not too.” One often says they should “live every moment to the fullest”. Now, you might wonder why I am using this cliché to illustrate Dirda’s saying. Well, in this context, “live every moment to the fullest” is not so much of a cliché but rather, an incentive to enjoy being an athlete and at the same time, motivate you to pursue new goals and dreams. That being said, I suggest you cherish every experience, regardless of the outcomes, since you will always learn something new about yourself and more importantly, about the nature of life.  

3. “Choose some heroes and imitate them.” Having role models in your life is very important, especially when overcoming difficult challenges. In some way, they help guide you towards greatness and motivate you to become the best athlete you can be. Role models are very important for your athletic career and in achieving fulfilment in everything you do. So, my advice to you is look up to them and try to follow in their footsteps. Also, believe in yourself and your ability to become both great athletes and people, just like your role models.

4. “Do what you are doing.” John Wooden once said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” For you, athletes, this is a powerful saying since it motivates you to do your best and perform to your potential, regardless of what you perceive to be impossible and of course, what other people might think of you. For instance, only focus on the present and on your strengths. By doing this, you will free yourself from any doubtful thoughts and more importantly, from the fear of failure itself.      

         

So, this is my advice to future athletes. My advice is very simple but it can be challenging at times. You just need to take one step at a time and focus on the present moments. Being an athlete may seem easy to some but living an “athletic” life is quite a battle.