Connections to people are necessary for every area of your life.  As a college athlete one of your main objectives is to attract people to you who will be beneficial to your athletic career.  Making unselfishness a part of your identity helps with this. She shoots with 4 people covering her…… She dribbles down the court for a lay-up.  However, there are already 2 other people down court ready to receive a pass from her for a lay-up. She’s upset that she was not the highest scorer even though her team was victorious. She yells at the point guard for…

As an athlete and part of a team, giving up on yourself is not an option! You’re sitting on the bench thinking . . . . My family’s here.  When am I going to play?  I practice hard.  Why ain’t I playing?  Why is she playing and I am not?  I know that I am better than she is.  What is wrong with me?  Does the coach not like me?  What should I do? The statements above reveal an athlete who is losing her confidence.  She is beginning to question her abilities and negatively compare herself to her teammate.  Look closer…

As you are discovering your identity, make note of character traits in others that are not in agreement with what you are trying to establish as your identity.  Be aware that if you do not know who you want to be, then others can make you into who they want you to be.  You will be vulnerable to the manipulation of others – a puppet. “You shouldn’t wear your hair like that!”  “This is the big city, Country Girl.  Everybody don’t speak to each other like that.  You ain’t in the country anymore.” “You weren’t here, but I knew it would…

Part of being responsible means exercising self-control.  This includes your actions and your speech in response to your emotions.  An example would be controlling yelling in response to anger and frustration as a result of being unable to do something, or because something is more difficult to accomplish than you expect. To be successful you have to be mindful of your actions and speech and how each affects the people around you.  What you say can uplift or motivate, or it can tear down, or ruin someone, an organization, or even you.  “Come on, you got to catch the ball!” …