If we believe we are owed, we expect to get paid.
Athletes:
"I've put in extra work, now I should get more playing time."
"I've worked really hard in practice, now I should win more."
"I've made all these sacrifices, now I should be on the all-star team."
"I've been really coachable, now my coach should like me better."
Coaches:
"I've invested all this time and energy, now my athletes should work harder."
"I've given them great drills, now we should win more games."
"I've told my athletes what to do, now they should make fewer mistakes."
"I've done more than enough for this team, now they should step up." In other words, "If I do this, I get that."
Transaction at it's finest.
There's a big problem with this formula.
What happens when you don't get paid? What happens when you don't get what you think you are owed?
The blame game begins. The finger points out.
Athletes pout. Coaches have hissy-fits.
Athletes give up. Coaches resort to punishment.
This is the opposite of Mental Toughness. Sport doesn't owe you anything. Stop expecting your transaction to go through.
Shift to transformation. Sport is a journey, not a walk around the block. A journey is something that changes you; it transforms you.
Athletes, when you work hard, put extra time in the gym, make sacrifices and become coachable, it's an investment in yourself. You're doing it to stretch, to grow, to transform into the best version of yourself.
Coaches, when you make huge sacrifices of your time and energy, when you run great drills, when you prepare for practices and games, it's an investment in yourself. You're doing it to stretch, to grow, to transform into the best version of yourself.
Every journey has adversity, otherwise it's a walk around the block. When you don't get what you want, it's part of the journey.
Sport builds character. It also reveals it.
When your transaction is denied, your character is revealed.
Want some help with this journey? Give me one hour and your transformation will begin. Book a Tiger Talk.
