10 Life Lessons I learned from sports

Happy Monday y’all. I spent the better part of the weekend watching my middle son zoom around the cross country course and the soccer field. When you spend that much time baking in the sun and watching middle school kids, you observe a few things. It’s entertaining enough to watch the other parents — but really, the kids were the ones who were teaching this weekend. But sports is like that. Some of my most important life lessons were learned on the playing field. Here are a few things I noticed:

1. It’s great to be a rockstar, but even better to be a member of a great team. You can be Renaldo, but if the rest of your team isn’t in synch, you’re not going to succeed. Being human is a team sport. Remember that and you’ll go far.
2. Attack the ball, don’t wait for it. That goes for anything in life. Know what you want and go for it. Don’t wait for it to come to you.
3. When the other team runs their mouth, answer with your feet. The best way to shut someone up is to dominate them. The best revenge is success. Get in their head.
4. Practice something so much that it becomes part of your subconscious. The second it takes you to think is the moment when your competitor will gain the advantage. Know when to react. Perfect practice leads to perfect performance. I gave my son the example of driving a stick shift. After a while, you don’t even think about shifting gears. You just do it.
5. Listen to your coach and the ref. Don’t talk back. Say yes sir (or ma’am) and play your game.
6. Be aggressive. Being afraid is when you get hurt. But don’t be a cheap-shot artist. Karma will bite you in the butt. Play tough but play clean.
7. When you are in shape, you can can focus on the mental part of the game. That goes for sports and life — you need energy to focus. And life is mental. Fitness is mandatory.
8. Have a plan and execute it. Run your run or play your game in your mind before your competition.
9. Talent is awesome — but heart wins the day. I got “Most Talented” in high school but I wish I had gotten “Most Heart.” I’ve discovered that it is the people with heart who change the world.
10. Losing sucks but is a great teacher. Don’t beat yourself up. Learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them.

I’m proud of all the kids who compete, give their best and lay their hearts out on the field, course, court or track. I hope they take the lessons they learn and use them for a lifetime of success.