Being an athlete requires a tremendous amount of training, dedication and commitment. Sometimes it may not seem worth it due to the countless hours of practice or the pain and suffering of conditioning, but other times there's nothing you would rather be doing than playing the sport you love. Here is a list of 7 inspirational quotes all athletes should live by and always remember.
1."Even when you've played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember. You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates."
Athletes should never take their teammates for granted, no matter how much you may get on each others nerves or how often you all need a break from each other. At times it may seem like all you guys do is argue, but its really because over the course of a season your teammates become like family, and sometimes families fight. Yes, there will also be those big plays or games that will be stuck in your mind forever, but looking back years and years from now it will be the memories you created with your team that you won't ever forget. The hotel sleepovers during tournaments, team bonding after school and even those games that get rained out half way through and everyone scrambled into one of the mom's cars are memories you won't ever forget because you were with your team. Teamwork is the ultimate path to success, and is one of those incredible and irreplaceable feelings you won't ever lose.
2. "When you feel like quitting, remember why you started."
Throughout all the commitment, strength and conditioning training, and what seems like countless hours of practice it may just seem easier at times to quit. But think about what would happen if you really chose to stop playing the sport you love. Remember why you started to play in the first place; remember your dreams and your goals and how amazing it feels to be out on that field or court doing what you you know best. Being an athlete requires a tremendous amount of dedication and work ethic, but in the end you know deep in your heart that it is all worth it.
3. "Good players inspire themselves, great players inspire others."
As an athlete, many of us are so focused on how to be the best and what we can do to motivate and inspire ourselves to train hard and play well. One thing I've learned is that being a great player isn't all about how well YOU play or how dedicated YOU are, its also about inspiring others to want it as much as you do and helping your teammates to see their own potential. Giving off that positive energy and showing your teammates how this sport means the world to you can help inspire someone to take on that same level of dedication and commitment. What happens on the field is of course a huge part of a team's success, but what happens off of the feels amongst teammates can sometimes be the extra edge a team needs to come out on top.
4. "Play every game like it's your last."
The reality of being an athlete is that things happen that prevent some of us from playing the sport we love ever again. Imagine being in the middle of a game and all of a sudden you tear your ACL or injure another part of your body and just like that you are out for the season or maybe even for good. Imagine having some kind of medical condition and before you know it your doctor tells you it is no longer safe for you to be participating in rigorous exercise and you are not able to participate in athletics for who knows how long. Imagine how you will feel once your senior year season comes to an end or your club team has its last game and reality sets in that the sport that has been your life for the last few years has come to an end. Every time you're out on that field or court imagine those scenarios, and play as if it was the last time you would ever throw a ball, make a pass, or score a goal. You never know when the think you love the most could be taken away.
5."Don't aspire to be the best on the team, aspire to be the best for the team."
Many athletes are guilty of wanting to be the star of the team and wanting to be seen as the best player. Although wanting to improve and succeed is a goal that all players should have, recognizing and figuring out what your role on the team is can sometimes be more important. Wanting to be the starting first baseman or the starting goal keeper is a great goal, but if your primary role on your team is to be the designated hitter or left defenseman instead it is important to recognize and accept the fact that that is what is going to make your team most successful in the long run. Each and every player on a team has an extremely important role whether they are starting each game or sitting the benched cheering on their teammates. Although it may be extremely difficult to accept your role on a team, realizing that it is what will help bring your team to success while at the same time working on improving your own skills is what it is all about.
6. "Today I will do what others won't so tomorrow I can do what others can't."
As an athlete, going above and beyond expectations is what can separate you from other players. Commitment and dedication are two of the biggest qualities needed in order for an athlete to reach his or her goals. Go above expectations and run that extra mile around the track even though the rest of your teammates are going home. Go to the batting cages that extra day even though your coach only said you should go once. Do that extra round of circuit training even though your protocol says you can stop here. Push yourself a little bit harder each time and when you want to quit just think about how good you will feel in your game next week or once the season starts next month. Think about how all of this hard work and extra training is all going to be worth it once you have reached your goal.
7. "A coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime."
Oftentimes coaches are taken for granted or not appreciated by the players on a team. One of the most important things I have realized is how much of an impact your coach can have on you. Many coaches spend countless hours with their players each week and get to know them extremely well. Coaches are some of the most influential people in an athletes life and can have such a positive impact on them whether they know it or not. Although it may not be top of mind for some athletes, it is so important to take time to realize how your coach has impacted your life and thank them in some way for being such an incredible role model. Not only do they want what is best for you as an athlete, but as an overall person as well. Coaches deserve to be recognized by their athletes for the amount of support, time and dedication put into ensuring that each and every player is a better individual at the end of the season.
