An Open Letter To Student-Athletes...

Dear Student-Athlete,
 
You’ve been given a gift.
An opportunity,
A moment in time.
 
It may not seem like it when your alarm goes off at 5am. When it seems like you are the only one lacing up your shoes to go train. When it’s the middle of the night, you are up studying, and you glance over to see your roommate peacefully sleeping.
 
You arrive at a place where you get to do what you love, and somehow wish you weren’t there. You wish for the simple. To sleep in. Eat whatever, whenever. Yet…if you were granted that wish, you’d be miserable. Because the passion in your heart to compete is more powerful than the pleasure of temporary satisfaction.
 
So how do you deal with the mental ping-pong of those thoughts?
 
Embrace your platform.
 
You’ve been given athletic talents. You have an opportunity to use them to help others. You are living out your calling, & inspiring countless others to do the same in the process.
 
Progress doesn’t come without struggle. Success doesn’t happen without sacrifice.
 
So the next time you feel like giving in, give more. When it feels like you’ve reached a breaking point, think back to where you started, and use it as the motivation you need to make this an all-in launching point.
 
You were made for this.
For such a time as this.
The air smells different the higher you climb. Not everyone is made to thrive in that climate. But you are. You are hard-wired for it. You thrive on it.
 
And that…
That is your gift.
You know the difference between thriving and surviving. The stark contrast between creating and caving. The clarity as to what it takes to achieve greatness, and the easy path to laziness.
 
You’ve got this…even when it hurts. You’ve got this…even when others don’t understand. You’ve got this…even when doubt tries to push you down.
 
And lest you think the only result that matters is…
Finishing first.
The lowest time.
The best score.
The gold medal.
The top platform.
The scoreboard.
 
Those will never determine the end result. That is for you, and you alone to say.

Don't get me wrong...I'm a competitor through and through. I don't like to lose.
I'm not minimizing the effort that goes into winning, or the pain you experience as a result of losing. I've been on both sides of that coin, many times.

What I feel like you need to hear...deserve to hear...is that as time passes, the lesson of competing as a student-athlete has roots that run far deeper than one moment in time.

You'll begin to ask yourself these questions. And if you can say yes, you'll have gained far more than momentary recognition.
 
Did you give your all? Did you honor every person on the journey? Did you show humility? Did you act gracious to your competitors? Did you sacrifice your personal preference for the betterment of the team? Did you come a little early, and stay a little late?
 
And…
 
Would you do it all over again?
 
If for no other reason than the relationships you made along the way.
Just to spend those long hours training with them. Just to ride the bus with them again. Just to laugh together, cry together…experience all of it together…again.
 
Because at the end of the day…
 
That is the truest definition of winning that I know.
 
Make the decision to be intentional about building relationships, so that you create a team of influence.
 
When that is seared into your soul,
you can do far more than win a sporting contest.
 
You, student-athlete…
 
You will be ready to change the world.

So please don't throw in the towel when it gets hard. We need you to learn every lesson you can along the way. For the calling that is on your life will be accomplished because of what you learned from them. Without them, life on the other side of sports gets harder. With them you are equipped to take on every challenge thrown your way, in a way that only you can.

Because of that...

You, student-athlete...

You ARE ready to change the world.

No time like the present. Lord knows our world so desperately needs it. And you?

We...those you know, and so many you may never meet...

WE. BELIEVE. IN. YOU.

Compete today.
Compete tomorrow.
For it's in the lessons of competition you will begin to understand your calling's destination. And when that happens, run in that direction with every ounce of passion your heart can muster.

You’ve been given a gift.
An opportunity,
A moment in time.

Now, and in the future.

You, student-athlete, were made...

​FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS.