Recommit

Ever set off to achieve a new goal with lots of fire and enthusiasm, only to see that zeal fade away as times get rough, setbacks push the goal out of reach, or your simply not hitting your target?  I know I sure have, and I'll bet it's happened to each of you.

Many times wrestlers start a season with lofty aspirations and everyone is eager on the first day of practice.  But far too often those same athletes get to a point in the season where they're worn down and the season seems to be dragging, and they can't wait for the season to be done.  They can't wait until the days when they don't have to go to practice.  They can't wait until they don't have to watch their weight.  They can't wait until they don't have to be disciplined about their strength and conditioning workouts.  But many times the season flies by before they know it, there's a big physical and mental letdown, and pretty soon they're bored because they don't have anything they're working for.

Similar things happen in several areas in life.  You can't wait for this semester to be over.  You can wait until you leave this job and start a new one.  You can't wait until your kids are out of diapers.  We always think that once I finish this, once I have that, once I achieve ______, my life will be better, I'll be happier, and I won't have as much to worry about.  However, life will always present you with new challenges, and you will never really get "there."  If you did, and you had nothing left to work for, then the rest of your life would be really boring.  We're never happy with where we currently are, and we're always looking for the next best thing.  That's not entirely bad, but if we don't enjoy the present moment, it will pass us by before we even know it.  And if you don't enjoy where you're currently at in life, you'll never be happy.

Rather than letting time and opportunities slip through your grasp, the highly acclaimed sports psychologist Brian Cain recommends: "Stop counting the days, and make those days count."  Stop counting down the practices left in the season just because it's hard.  Stop wishing your time away at work just because you don't like the job.  Stop trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel in an academic course just because it's a lot of work.  I've done all three of those, and I truly regret each instance.  You may feel like it's awful while you're going through it, but believe me, you'll miss those things after they're done.

That being said, you need to bring a fresh perspective to practice each day (or work, school, or whatever you're pursuing), no matter what the circumstances.  As Olympic Champ Jordan Burroughs says, "Embrace the grind."  I challenge each of you and myself to live more in the present and make the most of each day.  The mother of one of my wrestlers likes to tell her sons, her husband, and herself to "recommit" if they're losing fire for a goal.  If you're running out of steam, take a quick mental break and think about why you do what you do and what you want to come out of it.

Recommit,
Jeff