Dear HD Nation,
As I was watching the Final Four games last night it got me thinking back to when I got the chance to play in the NCAA tournament and what a dream come true it was for me. I started to think what it took for me to put myself in a position to have that opportunity. After giving it some thought I came to three conclusions that really jumped out at me:
- Obsession is a gift not a curse – I become obsessed with becoming the best player I could become. The word obsession seems to have a negative connotation because people believe it is something destructive or harmful. Show me one person who achieved greatness who was not obsessed on some level.
- Set Unrealistic Goals – Reaching a goal always takes 10 times more time, energy and effort than we realize. So in order to stay motivated, the goal has to be something really big and exciting, otherwise we will lose the energy and enthusiasm to accomplish it. Setting average, normal, realistic goals does just that – keeps you average.
- Overcommit – Society discourages the “all in” mentality because we are taught to play it safe and not put everything out there. We are encouraged to conserve and protect ourselves and not go for the big payoff. The big players on this planet are willing to “go for it” and make the big plays. Remember there is no shortage of how many times you can take action.
I hope these three ideas can help my players in some way. I didn’t go from some average athlete with no muscle from Westwood to standing on the floor at the Georgia Dome playing on national TV vs Michigan because I played it safe, set small goals, and only occasionally thought about my dream of becoming the best basketball player I was capable of becoming. There are no shortcuts, there are no magic wands.
Until Next Time,
Coach Billy
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