by Michael Cooper 04-19-2011 06:09 PM
This is the most powerful, and meaningful question you can ask yourself. You’ve been playing and/or coaching your sport for several years now. You've been living and playing through numerous experiences that ultimately have developed you into the athlete you are today. Are you happy and satisfied with who you have become? Are you happy and satisfied with the direction you are headed? Are you experiencing your game at the exact level desired?
Many athletes go through life experiencing chaos, suffering, and pain. Why? Because they fail to recognize the importance of having a clear purpose, vision, and goals statement written out. This is crucial for the purpose of directing their thoughts, feelings, and actions into the desired results they wish to achieve. They fail to answer the powerful and meaningful question: ”What do I want?”
Sure you may have some physical things in your life... Nice car, Big home, some Money. However, most of your relationships might be suffering. Your finances might be slowly slipping away. Your mental and emotional health might be weak. This is what I mean by chaos, suffering, and pain.
In order to experience what you truly desire—peace, happiness, and lasting fulfillment, in ALL aspects of your life—you must answer the question. You must sit down and uncover what you truly love, and would love to do, certain that there are no limits to what you can do. Sit in silence and ask yourself…”What do I want?”, and pay attention to the thoughts, ideas, and images that fill your mind. Write them down. After all, these thoughts, ideas, and images are coming to you from your heart and soul for the purpose of going through you. No one else is sitting in silence with you telling you what to think. It’s you and your inner knower. Pay attention to it. Follow what your inner knower is revealing to you. For once, rely on your inner knower rather than relying on outside influence to control your thinking and results.
At first you may be skeptical and nervous with what is revealed. This comes from the unknown. You do not have to know how you are going to do what you love. The “How” never mattered. Edison didn’t know how he was going to light up the world. The Wright brothers didn’t know how they were going to introduce the world to the kingdom of flight. They just knew why! The “Why” is all that matters. And the “Why” comes from doing what you love, and loving what you do.
If you are afraid to do what you love. Do what I have learned through one of my teachers…
Do it afraid. Why? Because you do not have a contract to live forever. You do not get to go through life and at the end say, “Oh, now I know what I want”, and go back and do it again. Too late. Game over. The time to “live” your life and do what you want is NOW. Have the courage to follow your heart. Be amongst the less than three percent that wakes up every day and says…“I love what I am doing and doing what I love.”
Published 04-19-2011 © 2024 Access Athletes, LLC
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