What defines an athlete?
I’ve wondered this question since I was in high school.
Growing up, I didn’t really participate in a lot of sports.
I was pretty chubby and had just this terrible asthma.
But after I started to lose weight, I started gaining more confidence & I was actively trying out for more sports.
I decided to take up rugby shortly after, and I got to tell you;
WORST. MISTAKE. OF. MY LIFE.
I got injured pretty badly and it took years for me to recover.
But during that time, it really made me wonder:
What makes an athlete an athlete?
And I had plenty of athletic friends growing up.
Some of them were volleyball players, some of them were basketball players.
And sometimes I would observe them.
Looking for different traits that would be the ‘smoking gun’ that would give me the answer I’ve been looking for.
But surprise, surprise--I didn’t find it.
Why?
Because all athletes are different.
They vary in size, character and culture.
So it’s extremely hard to point out the main ‘spark’ that makes them the way they are.
But then I realized…
What if this has nothing to do with physical attributes?
What if this has to do with something deeper?
So I did some research, and I came across this neat article about “The 4 Pillars Of Success”
What are these 4 pillars?
Inherent Ability
Intrinsic Motivation
Opportunity
Direction
But what does this mean?
Well, it’s basically saying that to be this unstoppable athlete,
A.) you need to have some sort of talent for it.
B.) You have to do the sport just for the sheer love of it.
C.) Opportunity is taking full advantage of whatever life throws your way.
And D.) direction is having a clear sense of where you want to go in life, despite any setbacks.
Doesn’t this sound a lot like you?
Personally, I know for me the hardest was trying to find out what my talents were.
No, I’m not a born athlete.
I’m not even a raised athlete, but if there’s one talent that I have is taking a hit.
I know that doesn’t really sound like a talent, but the more I think about it, it really is!
I used to be really into boxing and used to do it a lot, and everytime I got punched in the face, I’d get back up again, like it was nothing.
Not that it didn’t hurt.
It hurt every single time!
But there was something in me that told me to keep going, and accept those hardships as part of the journey.
Is that a talent?
To me it is, but you decide for yourself.
You also got to love the sport you’re doing, otherwise what’s the point?
No one plays basketball because they hate basketball or they’re forced to do it.
This shouldn’t be treated like a 10th grade gym class.
Sports is something you do when you need a break from reality.
Sadly, nowadays sports is becoming more & more political, which it really shouldn’t be, but I’ll get away from that.
Love the sport you’re doing and make sure it’s challenging you in the best possible ways.
Like personally for me, I’m an avid CrossFitter.
I love that sport and I know there’s some controversy over it because they say it causes broken bones & ribs & what not, but I love how it pushes me to the limits everytime.
Trying to beat the time-cap; trying to make it on the leaderboard; all that is fun to me!
Opportunity is another way of determining what a true athlete is.
There was this song a while back by Fort Minor, and it said something like
“This is ten percent luck
Twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure
Fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name.”
That ten percent luck thing is actually really related to opportunity.
You’ve only got one life, and I don’t know about you, but I do believe in a higher power.
I believe that this divine creator gives you a set amount of gifts in life, and it’s up to you how you want to use it, if you want to use it all.
Like, take for an example, the 2020 Super Bowl.
Patrick Mahomes may never have been the top quarterback if he didn’t seize every opportunity to win.
Of course, you need some degree of skill to spot those opportunities, but you also need to have faith and trust in your ability to “close the gap.”
Direction, I believe is the most important of all the pillars.
Why?
Because you could have an extraordinary amount of talent, be given every opportunity in the world, but if you have no aim or purpose of where you’re going, you’re a nobody.
I used to know this guy, really talented, star basketball player.
Great dude to be around, shot hoops like he was Steph Curry, and was even offered a scholarship to play in Kansas.
He did take that scholarship, but eventually he dropped out of college and stopped going down that road.
I think he started working as a construction guy since then, or maybe it was a security guard, but most of the time, I see him on Snapchat doing drugs & listening to a lot of rap music.
Again, nothing wrong with that but wow, times have really changed.
My dad used to tell me that a man without a purpose is like a garden without a gardener to take care of it.
It’ll wither and die.
Hopefully, I pray you find your purpose too.
It doesn’t have to be in sports, but definitely make your life worth one living.
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Until then Firebreather, don’t forget to become the unstoppable you