Some Tools to be Great
Meditation
In our latest installment of the Mindful Athlete, we dive into the skill of meditation. While I am no pro at meditating there are some things that I found to be helpful for me. The first thing that I found to be helpful was my environment. When finding a place to meditate you need somewhere where you will be undisturbed and I like to have an environment where there are things for me to focus on. I like to have different things to focus on as I can get distracted, so having multiple points can make it easier. A good environment is essential in maintaining peace throughout your meditation. The second thing that I found to be helpful is time. We are all humans so our attention spans aren’t that long. I like to limit my meditation periods to between 10-15 minutes. The third thing that I found to be helpful is mixing up my listening mechanisms. Meaning that I will go through music, podcasts, or ambient noises. Having multiple options can allow for different ways to meditate. Podcasts can help with educational thought. Music can allow for reflection. Ambient music can ease the mind. Each thing provides a unique way to think about yourself and sink into thought.
Resources
In our second tool installment, we take a look at how we can use our resources to achieve our goals. Our resources are perhaps the greatest thing we can use to elevate ourselves. The greatest resource in our life is our parents. Our parents are the people who will do anything they can to see us succeed. They are our foundation, our rock. They will provide us with ever-loving support and will pick us up when we fall. Our coaches are another great resource to use. Coaches provide never-ending encouragement and can also be real if they need to. They give us the ability to make it happen on the field. They can also be a great resource to find a college. Many coaches will have connections to recruiting services or have a direct connection to a college coach. Use your coaches to help you and see where you can improve. Friends are another resource we have. Having a couple of good friends who want the same thing as you can be so vital. Becoming great isn’t a one-person journey. You need other people to aid you in practice and drills. Think about who you have in your life and how they can lift you up.
Nutrition
Perhaps one of the most undervalued parts of our journey is how we fuel ourselves to stay healthy. Nutrition can play an integral part in how we feel on a day-to-day basis. This means that if you aren’t taking the proper steps to make sure your body feels good, how can your mind feel good? If we take care of ourselves in preparation for a game we can limit the distractions that may occur. For example, say you eat a bad breakfast the day of a game. You feel horrible in the time leading up to the game, so your mind is only focused on how you feel not the game itself. This can lead to negatives as you may not play well and it could throw you off for a little while. As you can see, there are so many different ways that nutrition can affect our lives. A satisfied stomach can lead to a fulfilled mind.