18 Sep The Best Quick Tip Advice You Will Get for Sports and Life
“It was the best of times…it was the worst of times…”
Does this quote sound similar?
Charles Dickens, anyone?
Anyone?
Even if you’re not a classic literature aficionado like myself, it’s not hard to recognize the beautiful juxtaposition of this quote.
The contrast of the “best times” and “worst times” is something humans have been familiar with since the beginning of time.
During the French revolution, while there was ebullience and luxury glittering the lives of the aristocrats, there was also dismay and poverty shadowing the lives of the Parisians.
Indeed, the main dish of the best times came with a side of the worst times. And fast forward today, humans face the same problem.
It’s an interesting time to be a human, no doubt. Even though we aren’t facing the hardship like that of the French Revolution, we’re still suffering in an immense way that is hindering our potential for growth.
Now, there’s a tremendous amount of information at our fingertips.
And more than ever before, we can find the answers to anything, whether this is through Google, YouTube, or Instagram.
More than ever before, we can have groceries delivered to our house at the exact time we want.
More than ever before, we can search for training videos instead of hiring a coach.
More than ever before, we can meet a date with the swipe of a finger.
More than ever before, we can have our latte ready for pick-up at the local coffee shop before work.
More than ever before, we can Google the weather 10 days ahead of time.
It’s the best of times, isn’t it? Everything seems easy, efficient and carefree. Right?
Alas, as we have seen throughout history, the best times come with the worst of times. Just like the French Revolution, this is all a fallacy of efficiency and thriving. As much as we are flourishing on the outside, we are breaking and regressing on the inside.
At the expense of the “quick fix” information age, there’s a jarring, rolling list of issues:
Folks who are lazy.
Folks who don’t want to put in the work.
Folks who want “overnight success.”
Folks who fail to think critically.
Folks who lose creativity.
Folks who can’t problem solve on their own.
Folks who become sedentary and gain weight.
Folks who rely on others to solve their traumas.
Folks who rely on coaches to provide the answers.
And these are just glossing over the tip of the iceberg. Whether this happens in career or athletic pursuits, they run rampant.
Too often, people message me for “quick tips on ‘xyx'” as if I have a magical answer, or I’m keeping some big, mind blowing secret to my success as a coach and athlete.
My answer? Small, messy and actionable steps for years.
In fact, people need to get comfortable with the chaos and oscillations of the journey if they want to reach a high performing level.
So you want “quick tips” on in-season training?
Hire a professional or mentor, and put in the work with the advice they give you.
So you want “quick tips” on how to become a D1 athlete?
Take your training and recovery seriously and be consistent with how you care for your body.
So you want “quick tips” on ACL injury prevention?
Hire a professional, have them do a customized needs analysis, execute a long-term individualized plan, and take the mechanics of the body seriously and progressively.
So you want “quick tips” on how to become a successful strength and conditioning blogger?
Write over 630 articles and get back to me.
It all comes down to putting in the work.
That’s your “quick tip.”
There’s no need to pick someone’s brain, unless you’re willing to take what they say seriously, put in the work, and be tenacious and intentional in your actions every day following that good old brain pick.
Wisdom is knowledge applied.
Apply yourself.
Think critically.
Do you research.
Use Google.
Don’t ask others for all the answers.
Because more often than not, their answer will be: “put in the work like I did for the past decade.”
With that said, Coach Dave Gleason is going take it from here to deliver even more of a gut punch:
Thank you, Erica, for reminding me how much of a love hate relationship I had in high school with A Tale of Two Cities. Truly the best of books and the worst of books on my required reading list (laughing out loud!).
In giving you my two cents on quick fixes, I’ll spare the plethora of clichés vibrating through my soul as I contemplate on how to help.
Let this dialogue serve more as an encouragement to divert from the quick fix mentality towards doing what work is demanded to reach the greatness you desire. I’m not going to lecture you, nor am I going to isolate this discussion for sport. I think we can all agree doing what it takes to succeed in sport and in life will have commonality.
As a coin has 3 sides consisting of heads, tails and the edge, your truth will fall on the edge. Consider one side of the coin to be the lure of the quick fix. Yet the other side being the arduous journey…the reality. The edge of the coin will consist of your story.
The edge is where you’ll find the most impactful advice from professionals in the know, athletes who’ve been there and coaches that care more about you than they do about being “the coach”.
Let the edge be a reminder of how narrow one’s focus needs to be to have the career, grades, strength, speed or injury resilience they dream about.
Listen, when anyone asks for a quick tip, are they not merely asking for a short cut to a long-term issue, problem or goal? Short cuts and quick tips will lead to a dead-end, whereas putting in the work will help you be the best version of yourself.
Wrap up conversations with our athletes on Friday nights and Saturday morning quite often revolve praising them for putting in the work on nights and days when others won’t. Be willing to do what other athletes won’t…to have the career they wish they had.
This is all easier said than done while living in a world of immediate gratification with everything at our fingertips. We’re conditioned through the constant barrage of “instant access” ads. To no end, social media posts illustrating an outcome versus any meager element of the journey detracts from our cause.
It’s psychological warfare. After all who wouldn’t want 3 steps to play like Messi or quick tips to dominate like Megan Rapinoe?
It’s gut check time. How bad do you really want it? What are you willing to do to get it?
Maybe the most difficult question is: how long are willing to grind to get there?
I’ll leave you to ponder in silence. When all is said and done, the journey with all of its ups and downs, will be what you cherish the most. So don’t miss out.
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