Leveraging Adversity

11 Lessons Athletes Can Teach Us About The Game Of Life Posted: 04 Feb 2015 03:54 PM PST Photo by Koji Kawano  In many ways, life should be approached just like athletes approach sports. We expect optimal performance out of ourselves. We often push ourselves to the limit — physically and emotionally. We are under intense pressure to perform. There is heated competition. We will have setbacks, failures, even injuries — again physically and emotionally. And somehow, we have to find a way to keep going. So what are the important lessons we can learn from athletes? The Game Doesn’t End Just Because You Have A Bad Day. You are going to have bad days, everybody does. But the game goes on. Life goes on — with or without you. While it may feel like the end of the world when things go wrong, there will always be another tomorrow — and another chance to make it right. No Player Is More Important Than Anyone Else. The game cannot be won on the shoulders of one person alone. The game, much like anything in life, depends on a team of people. If You Can’t Get Along, The Team Doesn’t Want You. The team can’t make you decide to be a team player. The team can’t make you decide to cooperate, share the responsibility, shoulder the burden, and share the victory. That choice is yours. And if you want to be on the team, you have to want to get along. If You Want To Win, You Have To Train Hard. Winning isn’t an accident. It isn’t handed to you. Winning is something you earn because you trained hard. And just like in sports, those who win in life, are usually those who put in the most time training. Training Isn’t Optional. You can’t perform well if you don’t train. Every day. Sometimes twice a day. Sometimes all day. Even on weekends. If you want to be great at anything, you have to put in the time. And in sports it used to be that if you missed three practices, you were off the team. Why? Because you were not training. And to play — the game of sports or the game of life — you have to train. How Well You Play Depends On How Hard You Work. In sports there is no mystery. It’s the one who stays after practice, does extra training, targets the weaknesses and works double time on them, who, at the end of the day, ends up with the win. Because he/she simply trained harder than anyone else. Give Your All, Every Day, And You Will Have No Explaining To Do Later. There’s a saying in sports. Leave nothing on the table. Go out, give your all, and you will have nothing to regret later. Life is no different. If you want success in life, no regrets, and nothing to explain later, give your all in everything you do. When You Are Having A Bad Day, Don’t Complain, It Only Makes It Worse. Bad days happen to everyone. But what separates the great ones from the rest is how they handle them. And one thing they don’t do is complain. Because complaining is like pouring salt in the wound. A bad day is bad enough — you don’t need to make it any worse by complaining. Don’t Be Upset That The Game Is Hard, It’s Supposed To Be That Way. If you think the game is too hard, you don’t have to play. But the game isn’t supposed to easy. The game, after all, is supposed to hone your skills, refine your play, and make you great. That’s why we play. Because we all want to be great — and great isn’t supposed to be easy. Don’t Blame Anyone Else For Your Mistakes, It’s Bad Sportsmanship. We all make mistakes, we all have setbacks. But blaming others for yours doesn’t make them go away. Instead, blaming other people for things you did wrong only makes you a sore loser. And it keeps you from learning from them. Winning Is Not The End Product, It’s A Byproduct. Winning is great. And we all remember the great wins. But winning isn’t the end product. It’s not the destination. Winning, is what you get when you play well. The game is played for you to perfect your skills — for you to become great — and you don’t stop playing just because you won. Life is a sport. There are skills we need. Rules we have to follow, and tests we must take. And in many ways, we are always training. Training for the game of life. To learn more about training for the game of life, or Claire’s upcoming book, LEVERAGE, visit, www.leveragingadversity.net