7 Key Attributes of a Successful Athlete that is in You

I am sure that watching sports of any kind is one past time that most of us do.  Some of us might even take part in some form of sports.  In fact it does not matter what type of sporting activities, the lessons that can be learned are immense.  The top 7 lessons from  participating in any sporting activities :

1. Passion:  there will be a certain love for the sport.  That love drives a passionate response in us.  One that will create a wholehearted commitment and dedication to a specific subject.  Think about a sport that you are passionate about.  Think about all the various information that you know about that game eg the players, the statistics, even to the point that you might be wearing the team jersey and more.  Now marvel at just how much you do know when it is an area that you are passionate about.  Now think about a topic that you have no interest in and marvel at just how little you know.   Passion will dictate where you put your heart and mind and energy into.  I believe that every one of us must have passion for something.  Passion drives us to want to grow and strive for excellence.
2. Commitment and Dedication aka Never Give Up Attitude:  In any sporting activity, there is a sense of “Never Give Up” attitude.  You could have a bad run one day, but you are out there the next day giving it another go.  You could have a bad golf game today, you are certainly out there on the golf course the next day.  In a team sport, you can’t give up and leave your team mates stranded, you keep on playing and keep on fighting until the game ends.  This type of commitment and dedication serves each of us well not just in sports but in life.
3. Team work:  You will learn what team work is all about.  There is no sporting activity that is isolated or where success is solely dependent on you.  In any activity, there will be someone who acts as a coach, people who you will play with and so on.  Take running as an example, for the most part you could be doing it by yourself but in order for you to improve or have more fun, you will probably be doing it someone else.  Improvements are easier to be achieved when you are doing with other people.  Learning from others, supporting one another and winning as a team are priceless.  The ability to work in a team is a critical attribute in the workplace.  The biggest single point of failure in working in a group or team is the lack of team spirit and the rise of individualistic goals and mindsets.
4. Hard work:  There is something to be said about hard work.  Putting in the hours, spending time on the details and making sure that everything that could be done in preparing for a project is given its attention and due diligence.  The competition is tough out there and unless the work is put into our endeavors, success will be hard to achieve.
5. Focus on the goal:  All athletes have their eyes on the prize.  A goal that they focus all their time and energy on.  Working hard and putting in the time in order to achieve a goal.  Focus is required in anything that we do.  Without focus, we will end up starting many projects but probably never finishing any or not finishing them well.  Distractions will always present itself and if you do not have focus on what you are trying to achieve, I would say that 90% of the time, you will be derailed.
6. Not winning is real life:  Even with all the passion, commitment, dedication and hard work that were put in, no one wins all the time.  Some days, things go our way and some days, they don’t.  Success is not guaranteed no matter what we do.  Not every project that is undertaken will  be successful.  The key is how do we learn from the not winning.  What do we gain from missing the mark?  How do we prevent making the same mistake?  How do we handle failure is critical.
7. Always aiming to improve:  There is a desire to always want to be better, always to improve and to push the boundaries.  In any sporting activity that you take part in, there is always that desire to want to be play better,  be better and just to push yourself to see just how far can you go.  To keep on wanting to improve, keeps the motivation going.  It keeps the passion going and it fuels what you do.

When we put all those qualities together, the reality is that each of us are probably doing it in some form or another.  My circle of friends are high achievers.  I see those qualities in them every day.  Those qualities do not just exist in a Roger Federer or Jordan Spieth but in all of us.  To harness them is the key to unlocking your full potential.