Where's Your Passion?
It's a great question to ask your athletes! I find myself as a coach or see parents at times wanting it more than their kids. We desire for our athletes to be standouts and not just on the field but in life. I am hoping that after you read this article, you as parents have a discussion with your children, and maybe even an evaluation about how much passion they have put into their playing ability lately. I define passion as a strong emotion, heart, hunger, fire, an expression, and the list can go on. There are so many talented players of all ages, but one thing that exceeds talent is PASSION. The acronym I would like you to consider is the following:
P-persuasion
A-absolute
S-standout
S-sold-out
I-inspiring/impactful
O-objective
N-notable
If you look at my acronym that I have created, you might find that your athletes, are missing some of those characteristics or you might find that they meet "some" of these expectations. Here, at our Academy, we instill having a tough mindset, and not just being average, but a standout! There are so many athletes out there, that have so much potential and talent, but we tend to find them going through the motions or just simply being satisfied. The most frustrating thing to see is an athlete with so much potential with very few flaws, but what they lack is PASSION.
What does it take for someone to learn passion? I truly feel that it starts with being around someone that is passionate! Alot of times when I'm coaching, i find myself getting really excited about a particular topic and I can read the players and even see what they are thinking at times..."why is she so excited! why does she seem like she is yelling all the time! BECAUSE I'M PASSIONATE! Not because I want to be in their shoes and go back and do it all over again, but because I love the game! Because passion is what was instilled in me while growing up.
My heart is that in the near future my athletes become so passionate that these characteristics begin to show. My heart is that they persuade, not just themselves, but others that they want it bad enough. That they become absolute about their perfomance. That they standout and inspire/impact others that it leaves a mark- even a LEGACY. That they have an objective to not fit in and be like everyone else, but instead excel and exceed everyone. I want them to leave that notable mark, that when someone hears the phrases: "grind", "driven", "beast", "savage", "hungry", "fire", and other phrases that define a persons work ethic and their ability, their name leaves a mark! I WANT MY PLAYERS TO BE SOLD-OUT!
