A – Z of Sports and Success

Posted at May 12, 2009

Sports Series

The final whistle has been blown on the Sports Series. We have a few minutes of extra time and I think it is a good idea to end the series with a recap of the basics of sports and success. Today we look at the ABCD to Z of powerful ideas and lessons that we can take with us.

Action

Without action there would be no sports; you cannot sport in bed. You need to have a bias for action in order to succeed in life and in sports. Action is the opposite of laziness. Your actions determine your results. Stay active lest you lose your skills. Your prowess depends on how much action you put in.

Baggage

Players leave their baggage in the changing room. Do not get into the game of success with baggage. Leave your baggage such as anger, bad memories, negative self talk, fear, bad company etc outside. Emancipate yourself from mental baggage.

Concentration

Playing in sports with your mind else where can result in dismal results or even death, in boxing. How well you do is directly proportional to your intensity of concentration. Concentrate on sharpening your strengths and improving areas you may be falling behind in.

Discipline

A disciplined player does not wait for their coach to call them to turn up for practice. They are self starters with little need for supervision. Be disciplined in your undertaking. Make a schedule and stick with it. Discipline is doing the right thing at the right place at the right time to achieve the desired goals.

Effectiveness

Effectiveness means hitting the nail on the head. It means being smart about how you work instead of working hard for the sake of working hard. Focus on outcomes and deliverables. Refine your strategies to be more effective. Eradicate ineffective actions and habits.

Failure

Failure is part of sports. Sometimes you will win, other times you will lose. Do not let the fear of failure paralyze you. Failure should act as a reminder for the need to improve. Failure is also a message to move away from your comfort zone. If you fail, the only way you can win is by doing things different. Take failure as a hint to reflect and analyze your performance, goals and your success journey.

Goals

Sportsmen and women are very goal oriented. You should set clear goals to help you succeed faster. You should set SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound. Setting and writing down goals helps in setting an action plan that will drive you to success.

Habits

Sports people have set habits that they keep to attain their goals. The habits of a rugby player are different from those of a long distance runner. We are creatures of habits. You become what you do everyday. Habits have a bigger impact on your success than desire. Get rid of bad habits and develop new habits that are empowering and that take you closer to your goals.

Individual

Nobody can succeed alone, not in a significant way anyway. Embrace people and teams. Leverage the experience, knowledge, passion and resources of others. Individual talent and action counts for something and is rewarded. Do not suppress that what makes you unique. Seek to embrace your individuality but develop a good working relationship with others.

Jealousy

When some sports people do well, they may attract jealousy from fellow players or other people. Jealousy is a green eyed monster that should be shunned. Professional jealousy can also be as a result of one person or company experiencing a higher level of success. Instead of being jealous of others, it is best to carve your own niche and succeed on your terms. Jealousy is a negative emotion that has been on earth since time immemorial. It is like a boomerang, if you let it rule your life it will come back to bite you.

Knowledge

Knowledge about sports opens up opportunities and doors that would otherwise remain closed. Good sports people gain deep knowledge of the people and environment under which they operate. Learn who are the trusted sources of knowledge and learn as much as you can from them. Understand the rules and standards that govern your sport or career. Gain specialized knowledge. This will set you apart from others and allow you to deliver more specific value.

Lessons

Experience is the best teacher. Sports people are always taking lessons with each practice session or game. Learn from both success and failure. Learn from your own mistakes and those of others. Never stop learning. Keep improving by taking more lessons, coaching and training.

Mind

Success or failure is all in the mind. If you tell your mind that you are weak then your body will respond accordingly. A positive mental attitude will help you improve yourself. Win first in the mind and it will manifest itself in the physical or monetary equivalent.

Novelty

When a new star player joins a team, fans are excited but the novelty quickly wears off. People get bored of doing the same thing over and over. Unfortunately success calls for doing something over and over even when it gets boring. Keep playing even when the novelty wears off. Innovate and look for ways to stay fresh.

Opportunity

Take time to evaluate the pros and cons of opportunities. Rolling stones gather no moss. If a player wants to gather some credibility, they cannot afford to be jumping ship on their teams mid season. Stay focused on your job. Do not become an “opportunity seeker”; it is like chasing the wind. Stick with something long enough but at the same time do not let good opportunities for growth pass you by. Be judicious.

Poison

Some people can poison an entire team. Get rid of bad apples from your team or quarantine them. Toxic ideas and people are hurdles to success and can bring you down. Do not sabotage yourself. Be discerning about what keeps you from achieving your goals and get rid of that poison.

Quit

Quitting is not an option if you want to achieve your goals. Be persistent. Good players never quit and when they quit they do it in their own terms. Choose to retire when you are on a high instead of being hounded from office. Do not let your mind play with the idea of quitting. Leave quitting for failures.

Reputation

Let your reputation precede you. Your reputation is shaped by what you do on and off the job. A good reputation is worth more than diamonds. Reputation takes years to build but can be destroyed overnight. A good reputation will open doors for you and allow you to command higher compensation.

Self Belief

If you think that you can, then you can; if you think you cannot then you are right too on that one. Self belief is an important ingredient for success in sports, business, career and relationships. Build your confidence step by step. Give yourself credit for each of your achievements however small. Do not beat yourself too much for your failures. Learn from them and avoid making the same mistakes every time.

Talent

Talent is a good place to start for players in sports. If you are talented in an area of life, develop it. Use your talents. Spend time discovering your talent. However, talent alone is not enough. You still need to put in hours of practice to improve and perfect your game.

Underdog

Being the underdog means you are playing a more experienced opponent and your chances of victory are rated as limited. Sometimes crowds support the underdog. If that happens to you be thankful and do your best to create an upset (surprise victory). Mohammed Ali was the underdog in the “Rumble in the Jungle” but he was able to snatch victory by changing his strategies and outlasting George Foreman. Remember that the size of your victory depends on the size of your opponent.

Victory

Win with humility and lose with dignity. Victory is the sum result of your experience, effort and a bit of luck. Victory can be a bad teacher. Do not dwell on past victories as that can hinder your progress. Focus on your next win and do everything required to prepare for it.

Weight

Fat people do not play in most sports apart from sumo wrestling and a few other sports that I don’t know of. Be mindful of what you eat. Be away of the number of calories your body needs, what you consume and what you burn through exercise. Have a consistent exercise regime.

Xenophobia

Not many words start with X. Xenophobia means the fear of strangers and foreigners. Many sports are multicultural with players from all races and countries. Unfortunately every now and again, some fans or team mates may be intolerant to people of different backgrounds. If you want to succeed, you must shun mediocrity by embracing diversity.

Youth

Take advantage of your youth. Drink from the fountain of your youth. Youth is a time window to achieve your goals. Many sports have a short time window for success. Use your youth wisely.

Zeal

Do what you are passionate about and you will never have to work again for a day in your life. Zeal is a feeling of strong eagerness and prompt willingness to go for goals. Have zeal for training, preparation and perfection. The kind of zeal you put in your work will be reflected in your results.

Summary

I hope you have enjoyed the sports series. I have shared many analogies for success drawn from the world of sports. Please feel free to re-read the articles and share them with friends.

Stay tuned for the next series coming to a computer near you.

Have a beautiful day.

Series Navigation«How to Transition from Amateur to Professional

Comments

4 Responses to “A – Z of Sports and Success”

Joy says:

May 18, 2009 at 11:29 pm

very creative.. got the message home in a refreshing new way.

[Reply]
Nwaodu Anthony Ikechukwu says:

May 15, 2009 at 2:00 am

Dan you hav said it all, any body who really need to move forward should just take this A-Z as his or her bible.

[Reply]
m.mwangi says:

May 14, 2009 at 2:38 pm

nice

[Reply]
Brenda Njeru says:

May 12, 2009 at 11:26 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h09PeYlwzU

This a movie that shows what a combination of all those A to Z tips can do for a person.

[Reply]