Personal Growth Through Sports

Yesterday I stood in front of 50 athletes and coaches and talked to them about their responsibility as students, athletes and leaders. I stressed the idea that sports have to be about more than the games being played.

When we reduce the lofty teaching potential of athletic participation to the score of the games, we have lost a chance for personal growth.

Athletes have the responsibility to show courage in their decision making. Leaders have to sometimes be like the eagle. The eagle does not flock with the crowd; it stands alone with pride. Athletes are under a microscope with others watching their every move, this means that they must move about with a high level of integrity.

They have the unique chance under public scrutiny to blend mind body and spirit with a unity of purpose like no other venue. We the public hold athletes to very high standards, and rightfully so. Applying the same standards to our personal lives will foster personal growth.

It will make us better individuals. Stronger individuals.

It’s All About The Journey

The past few days have been very busy for me. I’ve done workshops with 3 sports teams and a major hospital in Philadelphia.  I also conducted four sessions with a few different departments at the Borgata/Water Club Casino Hotel.

I did “Sports Gone Wild” yesterday and it went really well. My guests were great and the conversation was quite spirited.  My main argument was that there is too much of an emphasis on the outcome, while not enough of it is placed  on the journey when it comes to sports nowadays.  It is important to set outcome goals, but the real valuable lessons for personal growth are attained during the journey itself. Regardless of the end result.

Whether the ultimate goal is higher profits or being number one, the  focus should be placed on what we learn about ourselves along the way.  With every challenge that is faced, an individual either takes a step forward (a win) or a step backward (a loss).

Reaching an undesired outcome doesn’t have to negate the learning that has taken place.

What do you think?

Sports Has Gone Wild!

There are many factors that have led us to the place where sports are out of control. In essence, SPORTS HAS GONE WILD! I am not going to point fingers at coaches, parents or players specifically. Each of these groups are contributing to the problems. The condition of sports today is a vicious cycle. There are no points to a circle, so the issues are interlocked. The basic underlying motivation in sports today is ego driven. The ego is in charge, justifying the end at the sacrifice of the means, is behind the actions of the principles involved. There are a few major changes over the past twenty years that contribute to the fact that sports has gone wild. They are parental involvement, the college recruiting craze and the players lack of self-responsibility. In general, there is a lack of civility existing in the year 2008 that is unprecedented.