I have had the following since college… I think… I just know that I’ve kept this bright yellow piece of paper in my possession since I received it. Its a great idea of how to be an athlete and I’m glad to share it.
“Athletes are NOT regular people.
Athletes were born with gifts: Speed, endurance, coordination, jumping ability.
Athletes are envied for their gifts by regular people.
Athletes are rewarded for their gifts.
With these gifts and rewards come responsibilities.
It is your responsibility to maximize your gifts.
You CANNOT act like a regular person.
We exist in an educational environment.
Your first responsibility is academic success.
Your motivation for academic success should be your future.
Your motivation for academic success should be for individual and team recognition.
Your motivation for academic success should be so you can maximize your athletic gifts.
Academic success comes before movies, cartoons, parties, boyfriends.
Your second responsibility is to athletic achievement.
You CANNOT socialize like a regular person.
You need more rest than the general public because of how you train your body.
You CANNOT eat like a regular person.
Your body needs quality fuels.
Body composition is important to maximizing athletic achievement.
Committing to the lifestyle of a student athlete means:
You CANNOT act like the general student body.
You must be disciplined and sacrificing of some things to maximize your gifts.
I know sweets taste good! But what do they add to your gifts?
Eating candy, desserts, soda, coffee, fried food, fast food, and alcohol is undisciplined.
Staying up late with friends or boyfriends to party or watch movies is undisciplined.
I know its fun to quote movie lines, but what does it add to your gifts?
Self-restraint means making the decision to be great and not be a regular person.
A sign of maturity and discipline is the ability to delay pleasure.
Some of you may already live the lifestyle of a student-athlete.
Some of you need only small changes to live the lifestyle of being a student-athlete.
And some of you are so far away from living the lifestyle of a student-athlete that you will complain about or mock what is written here although it is true.
Living the lifestyle of the student-athlete will help you maximize the gifts that make people envy you.
Living the lifestyle of the student-athlete will help you achieve.
Living the lifestyle of the student-athlete will help your team achieve.
Living the lifestyle of the student-athlete will help your school achieve.
Have the maturity to be great. Commit to being great. Make the decision to be great. Make the sacrifices to be great.”