Sports and Motivation
The NBA Playoffs are approaching. This is the time of year when talent, character, and discipline are on full display for millions of viewers across the world. I’m not an avid basketball fan, but it’s tough to ignore two months of the best athletes in their sport struggling arm-in-arm for the privilege to hold the title of “Champion” for the next 365 days and lock their names in history as the season’s best.
This characterization is truly inspiring. In fact, sports analogies, across the board, lend themselves well to motivational literature. I would venture to guess that more than half of the books in the self-improvement section of your local bookstore were either written by a sports superstar or refer to one within their pages. It’s no coincidence; a professional level athlete is a clear symbol of all the characteristics that self-improvement literature tries to portray.
Consider your favorite professional sport: basketball, football, tennis, hockey, soccer, golf, you name it. While the required skill set and physical demands differ widely, they all involve disciplined practice and are characterized by a structured season with clear ranking system. The path to the top is simple and well-defined. Complement your physical endowments with proper, disciplined training. Compete in the required events at your greatest ability. And set your sights on first place. If you fail to become champion one season, simply double down and try again next season.
That sounds simple enough, but it is hard. Temptation and other distractions get in the way, which is why it’s lonely at the top. Now consider how this relates to your life. You have a certain set of endowments that define your physical and mental ability. Enrolling in school helped refine your strengths and improve your weaknesses. Along the way you are competing with yourself and your cohort to establish yourself as a champion at defined milestones — top-of-the-class, the best college, the best job, etc.
Life is not as structured as sports, though. Becoming the champion in your field does not arise from going to specific meetings or working on particular projects. Nor does a college education guarantee financial stability and a happy life. The challenge you face is establishing these milestones for yourself. Define what needs to happen for you to become a champion. Consult family and friends for their perspective, and enroll them in your journey for success. You will be able to get what you want only when you know what your ideal future life looks like.
The end of the NBA Playoffs mark the end of the 2010-2011 season. It also coincides, roughly, with the end of the first half of 2011. Use the next two months to define what you will do in the second half of the year to get to where you want to be. Define the training and milestones that will set you up to be a champion for the next season, the 2012 season.
