You Gotta Have Your 4Gs

The Student Athlete Playbook

Today we want to look at four essential qualities you’ll need to have to be successful. I call them the “4Gs.” They are Goals, Game Plan, Goods, and Guts. For you to reach your potential in sports, school or life you will have to have them. So exactly how do they work?

Goals – It is important that you “see” what it is you want to accomplish. Without goals you may find yourself going in the opposite direction of where you wanted to end up. Seeing and setting goals help you focus on the destination and follow the path that leads there. Just remember, goals must be specific, realistic and optimistic.

Game Plan – No one should go into competition without a game plan that gives them the best chance of winning. It is extremely important that you know and understand what it will take to win, or reach your goal. Knowing as much as you can about the opportunity will help you understand if you have what it takes to achieve the desired results. Remember, a good game plan will be based on the strengths you possess. That’s what we want to talk about next.

Goods – You must possess the physical and mental skills needed to achieve the goal you have set. Now that doesn’t mean you have to “have it all together” at the start of the journey, but you should have it in “seed form.” In other words, you must have the capacity within you to develop what is needed to complete the trip. In this step it is crucial for you to know yourself.

Guts – You must have the courage and fortitude to press through adversity and obstacles. You can’t give up, even though everything and everyone may be telling you to do so. This will keep you on the path that leads to your destination.

There is tremendous power in cultivating this 4G strategy. Power to believe. Power to choose the right course. And power to change your present situation and to be, do, and have better.

If you want to know more about the 4Gs and other strategies for experiencing consistent personal success check out The Student Athlete Playbook at http://www.championgeneration.com. You also can reach me at dennis@championgeneration.com

Keep Moving Forward.

Calling All ChampionBuilders

No doubt you have heard the expression before, “champions are not born, they are made.” I believe this to be a true statement. But I always follow this statement up with a question of my own. If champions are made, then who in the world is responsible for “making them.” Are there select groups of people who go through some type of training or certification to function as champion-makers? I don’t think so. The fact of the matter is, all of us who call ourselves adults are responsible to be champion builders. Being a champion builder is not as tough as you might want to make it out to be. It starts with the acknowledgement that our youth need direction, guidance, encouragement, inspiration and empowerment to reach their full potential; not just in sports, but also in life. After this acknowledgement you must understand that you can be that positive influence in a young person’s life; either directly or indirectly. Once you have this understanding, the next step is to look for individuals or groups of young people that you can impact. If you have children of your own, of course, the best place to start is right in your own home. The final step in this champion-building process is to act. In other words, rather than sitting back observing the negative behavior of some young people and seeing the negative results of such behavior, you must do something. That’s the only way to change the results. Our young people are knowingly and unknowingly crying out to us to save them; sometimes from themselves. Do you hear it? Do you see it?

Their best chance of success lies in the possibility that some adult shows enough interest and believes in them enough to point them to the road toward achievement; and comes alongside to make sure they make it to their destination. To get there, they will have to have the heart of a champion. For it is not the game that makes one a champion; it only confirms who already is a champion. 

If you want to see young people reach their full potential and you want to be part of our Team ChampionBuilders contact me at dennis@championgeneration.com.

See you soon.

I’m Back!

It’s been awhile but I’m back. Rejuvenated and re-energized. My mission is the same; to impact and empower young student athletes, their coaches and parents. Plenty has happened the past few months as I have been away from the blogosphere. I have started to write my second book which is scheduled to be published this Summer. The book is a resource of practical strategies to help young people (and those more mature) reach their full potential by 1) knowing where they want to go, 2) knowing what it takes to get there, 3) doing what is necessary to develop those skills, and 4) overcoming every obstacle and adversity that tries to get in the way. I am excited about the impact this latest work can have on our young generation of champions.

The Champion Generation Initiative has also launched an ambitious effort to give away 10,000 copies of The Student Athlete Playbook (my first book). The Ten4Ten project is an opportunity for our partners, supporters and everyone wanting to make an investment in our youth to purchase a copy of The Playbook at a discounted rate and have that book go to a deserving student athlete. If you want to know more about the Ten4Ten project contact me at dennis@championgeneration.com.

We continue to produce Real Champions videos for view on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/djarrett2927) and we are still working to help young athletes secure college scholarships with the production of Impact Player Profiles. If you know of anyone who would benefit from either one of these programs please tell them about us.

But let’s get back to the blog. For the next several weeks I will be delivering some fresh content about what young people need to do to reach their full potential and what we adults must do to help them. I’ll also talk about why we should all be mad about some of the things happening in and around youth sports. Here’s what I need from you; if you enjoy my posts and like what I have to say (or even if you don’t) tell others about what we are doing. We want to get everyone engaged in the dialogue.

I’ll talk with you soon.

 

Dig Deep – The Final Part

In this final edition of our exclusive “Dig Deep” blog series we prepare you to reach your full potential and not settle for a “little success.”

5. Dig, Dig, Dig…and keep on Digging

When you are digging for treasure (and don’t forget, that’s what you’re looking for inside yourself) the one thing you must realize is this; you don’t get the gold unless you dig deep enough to get to where it is. There are no consolation prizes or participation trophies. You don’t get the treasure for just showing up. Starting to dig is not good enough. There are many competitors who at the beginning of the game or race look like they can win. They are saying and doing all the right things. At the beginning. But the truth is, that the ones who will demonstrate that they deserve to win will be those who can finish strong. So don’t be satisfied with the fact that you have been digging for a few days or that you have experienced a little success. Why settle for a pocket-ful of gold when there are truckloads just waiting for you; if you will dig deep enough to reach it. Okay, you got off to a great start in your season. A champion is not made in the first five games of the season. And if you are going to be there in the end you must keep digging. There is more of you down there. More of you to reach.

Probably the number one reason why people fail to reach their goal or accomplish what they set out to do is that they give up before they reach the place where the gold is. Here’s what often happens. A person starts digging for the treasure and after a few victories (or a little trace of gold) they feel as though they have gone far enough. Basically they settle for a portion of their potential and not the full deal. But you must realize there is more. As a matter of fact, you have to get to that “more” because what you have up to this point may have been good for what you have already gone through, but it will probably not be enough to win against the challenges and opponents down the road. So what do you need to do? Keep digging! There are too many instances in which people have spent plenty of time and energy digging, only to get frustrated and give up right before they “strike it rich.” We have to be careful that we don’t stop digging when we might be so close to the goal or payoff. Here’s a secret to making sure that doesn’t happen to you. Understand that as long as you keep digging, you are getting closer. Dig more. Get closer. Dig more. Get closer. And another thing; giving up right before you reach the goal has the same payoff as not starting at all. Nothing! So if you are “in it to win it”, stay with it until you claim the victory.

Don’t take the easy way out by blaming your shortcomings on circumstances beyond your control or people “out to get you.” If we’re honest with ourselves it’s usually neither one of these. We just stopped digging. We stopped pursuing the “place of more” within us. You have within you everything you’ll need to become the person you are to be and to accomplish those things in which your talent can get for you. You must keep digging your way to opportunities. Don’t stop digging just because you hit an obstruction. You should expect that there will be things that will try to get in your way. Know that the resources you are digging for are always on the other side of the obstruction. See the obstruction as just another “opportunity” for you to discover more of the treasure inside of you.

The other thing that digging deep does is allow you to miss all the distractions happening on the surface, where people are just talking about digging, and enables you to focus more on the task at hand.

The only question that is left for you to answer is… “Will you dig right and dig deep?”

Let’s put it into action!

Choose one area of your life you want to start digging. It could be a bad habit you want to change; a goal you want to reach; or an attitude you want to correct. You might want to get better grades or be a more vocal leader on your team. Or you might want to get more involved in activities and organizations beyond sports. There is a map and a shovel for whatever it is you want to accomplish. The treasure is in you. And you can find it. Just remember to dig right and dig deep.

If you enjoyed the series and got something out of it please take a moment and let me know.

Keep moving forward.

Dig Deep – Part Four

New to our blog site? Make sure you check out the first three editions of our “Dig Deep” series. We continue here in Part Four showing you how the attitudes and people you let hand around you will affect how deep you dig and therefore how close you get to your treasure.

3. Dig with the Right equipment.

So you know where you need to dig and you know the time to start is now. So what do you do? Grab a kitchen fork; head out to the site; get on your knees and start scooping? I hope not.  You would be wasting your time and energy and setting yourself up for failure. And you would never do that, right? But that is exactly what we do when we have the wrong attitude about what it takes to get what we want. Our attitudes are the equipment we use that will enable us to dig deep enough to find the treasure we’ll need to accomplish our goals. Or it will be the equipment that fails us when we hit a hard piece of earth (or opposition) on the way to the treasure.

Let’s throw one self-defeating piece of equipment away right now.The “I only want to do it if it’s easy” attitude. There is no need to waste time trying to find the easy button to achievement because it doesn’t exist. Not if you’re going to reach your full potential. It may work for getting what’s on the surface; those things that anyone can just come by and pick up off the ground. But if you want what’s underground; if you want to reach your full potential you better have a strong work ethic. Or let’s say it this way; you better be ready to dig. That readiness to dig deep starts in your mind long before it’s carried out by your hands. This is what I call the “attitude of expectancy.” It’s when you understand that if you keep doing (digging) positive things that lead to your goal you can expect to eventually get there. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This type of attitude will motivate you to keep digging. It will drive you past things that try to get you to give up. And it will keep you focused on the end result, not on what is going on now. Notice I didn’t call it an “attitude of entitlement.” That attitude (and we see it far too often) puts the work on everyone else to make our dreams come true and the blame on them when it doesn’t happen the way, and at the time we want. It’s the attitude that demands that someone else do the digging. Parents. The coach. Teachers. All of them are expected to have “your” shovel in “their” hand. And it’s all their fault if we don’t have what it takes to be a winner in  sports, school, and whatever else we imagine ourselves achieving.

It is not their fault. Because it is not their treasure. It’s yours. You have to dig for it. And you can get to it if you use the right equipment.

4. Dig with the Right people.

This is much more important than we really want to believe. Look around at the people you spend time with. First of all, do you see a shovel in their hand? In other words, do they have goals they are trying to reach and are they trying to be the very best they can be? Or are they doing nothing and going nowhere? Where are they digging? In spots that produce negative results? Or are they digging where good things are happening? Do you even know where they are digging? Some of you are trying to do your best to dig in the right spot with the right equipment and at the right time only to have the people you hang with the most, digging in the wrong spots. And guess what they do? They throw dirt from their holes of laziness and apathy, right where you are trying to dig. Think about that! For every shovel-full you dig out of your hole, here comes three shovels-full from your friends. “You don’t have to work that hard.” “It doesn’t take all that studying to get a good grade.” No one from our community has ever received a college scholarship.” You don’t need that dirt covering you up as you try to dig. You must make sure you know and associate with those who are digging right and motivate you to do the same. Even some of your teammates might be digging the wrong way or not digging at all.

The bottom line? Don’t let someone else throw their dirt where you are digging. And another thing; don’t jump into someone else’ hole. You’ll never get to where you want to go or be who you want to be by digging in someone else’s hole. Why? Because your treasure is not in their hole.

Next, we conclude our “Dig Deep” series by telling you what you must do when you feel as though you have dug as far as you can.

Dig Deep – Part Three

Thanks for checking out this exclusive blog series about reaching your full potential and being prepared for the challenges along the way. In this part, as promised, I begin to show you how to dig to get what you want and where you want to be. Check it out and don’t forget to let me know what you think.

Here we go.

So if you want to be ready for those “moments of truth” you’ll face along your path to greatness. And if you want to be the very best you can and go on to achieve great things in sports, school, and life? Grab your shovel. The digging starts right now.

1. The first thing you must do is “Dig In The Right Spot”

You have to know before you start digging that the spot where you are digging will lead to what you are looking for and need. Let me give you an example. If you are trying to raise your grades in order to qualify for a college scholarship and yet you are spending more time trying to improve your video gaming skills instead of studying; you are digging in the wrong spot. Here is a truth you can take to the bank; if you start digging in the wrong spot, and keep digging there, it will never turn into the right spot. Because the ‘treasure” you are looking for is not there! You must stop spending time and energy digging where there is no treasure. What would you do if someone handed you a shovel and said “start digging right here, but I’m going to tell you something the other diggers don’t know…there’s nothing down there.” I hope you would hand that shovel back to him as fast as you can and find the place where the real treasure is buried.

So how do you know before you start digging if you are at the right spot.? Good question. Just like in the case of gold, there is usually a trace amount that can be seen on the surface that points to what is waiting under the ground. So what you can see on the surface is a good key to what you’ll get when you dig. You should know upfront that digging in the ‘ditch of no studying’ will only lead you to the ‘hole of bad grades.’ And that will be a hole you can’t get out of; at least not in time to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you. So make sure you are digging in the right spot.

2. Dig at the Right time.

Based upon what you are trying to accomplish, sometimes you will have to dig at a fast pace. While at other times the pace may be slow and steady. This will depend on the opportunity and how long you have to take advantage of it. The opportunity will dictate how fast you need to dig. Look at the opportunity. See where you need to be and where you are now in terms of successfully earning the reward. Let’s say, you are going into your freshman year of high school with a goal of having a 3.0 grade point average. A slow and steady dig, consistently taking care of business during your four years may work for you. But let’s say, the first two years of high school did not see you giving your best and you did little digging during that time. Well if you still want to reach that same goal by the time you graduate you are going to have to dig at a much faster pace. You are behind. And you have a lot of ground to move. So you must know how much time you have left to be prepared for victory. Want to make the team? You have until tryouts are over to get ready. Want to get an A in science? You have a semester? Want to earn a college scholarship? Once high school is over your opportunities diminish greatly. Want to get that job? You have until a decision to select someone has been made. Let me tell you something right now; and this is very important. Most of the time when we don’t achieve our goals it’s not because we did not have the abilities; but because we waited too late to start digging and weren’t ready in time to take advantage of the opportunity . Remember this. The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity. Nothing lasts forever. You know this. So, the right time to dig…is right now.

In Part Four of Dig Deep I’ll give you some crucial insight on how to know you are digging with the right equipment and the right people.

 

Dig Deep – Part Two

You Need More.

To reach the goal in front of you; to stand up to the challenge; and to defeat the opponent will require more. And in some cases, more than you’ve ever had to come up with in your life. It will take more of you. And to get to that “more” you will have to dig deep. You’ve been in the game in which the clock is winding down. You’ve given it all you’ve had physically and mentally, and now you are running on fumes. It is at times like these that the one who wins will be the one who can tap into a “source” that will enable them to finish strong. To exact their will on the competition. And snatch the victory.

These are the Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady (insert the athlete you admire here) moments. These are the moments in time when everything (and sometimes everybody) is saying “it’s over…give it up…surrender…you lose!” Moments when too many of us shrink under the pressure and give in. But why? Because we have not dug deep enough within themselves to call upon that part of ourselves that could get us through the adversity. Moments in time when champions seem to defy whatever obstacles are in their way and call upon their “reservoir of more” to get the job done. Seal the deal.

It’s the same moment for everyone competing. The same score on the board. In these moments, what makes one person put everyone down by calling the situation hopeless, while the champion puts everyone on his/her back and says “let’s go get what we came here for.” You have within yourself the ability to be either one of these people. The quitter or the digger.

It’s your choice.

You have a vast supply of abilities lying within you. Just like gold, it sits there waiting to be unearthed. It’s value is not diminished just because it has not been discovered. But you will never be able to use it until you get to it. Once you find it and tap in, it will take you to and through opportunities you haven’t even allowed yourself to think about or consider. But just like that gold, if you want it, you are going to have to dig for it. You’re going to have to work for it. You can’t fake it. You can’t wish it into existence. You can’t buy it or borrow it from someone else. Simply put; you will have to get it with your own shovel.

Because when you are facing the opposition, the only thing that will help you is what you have at your disposal right then and there. You won’t be able to call a timeout in the action in  order to dig for what you need. You better have it already. That’s the only way you will win.

No more shallow excuses.

“I didn’t know how to dig.” “I didn’t have time to dig the way I wanted to.” “No one would help me dig.” These excuses simply won’t fly. Your opponent or the situation you are in doesn’t care about excuses. Only the treasure you have dug up and can show will change the situation. Think about what would happen if you went to the store and tried to buy something with an excuse. “I want to buy this video game but I didn’t save up enough money” or “If someone would’ve loaned me fifty dollars I could get this game.” I am sure you agree that you would be walking out of the store empty handed. In your life; whether it be sports, school or any other area, excuses will not get you anything. The only thing that will matter is that you have dug deep enough to be able to exchange what you found in yourself for what is required to win.

Are you ready to dig? I’m ready to get you started in the third part of our exclusive Dig Deep blog series.

Dig Deep – Part One

You have just been handed a map and a shovel. You are excited about what you see on the map. It’s exactly where you want to go, and look; it has all the things in life that you have hoped to achieve. Everything you need to find success, happiness and personal victory is in these two things you now have in your hand. The map will point you to where the gold is and the shovel will enable you to get to it. So what would you do? Throw the map and the shovel away? Refuse to believe that they will really lead you to the treasure you seek? Just sit down and say “I’ll get around to digging later?” Or will you get busy digging? If you want to be a winner in sports, school and life you must decide to dig.

Okay, you have something out in front of you that you want to do, a goal you want to reach, or a big game you want to win. Whether sports, school or life there are five things, that if you do them you will be putting yourself in the best position for victory. And if you keep reading you’ll learn about these five sure-fire things right here on the Champion Voice blog.

But first.

You must settle something once and for all. You must be willing to do what it takes; to give what is necessary for you to be the very best “you” you can become. For you to be your best it is obvious you will have to go beyond where you are now. You will have to “tap” into your reservoir of abilities and talents that up to this point you might not even know you have. Trust me. They are there. But to reach them won’t be easy. Because to get to where they are you will have to dig deep within yourself. And that takes work. That takes shoveling out of the way those things in you that want to stand in the way of you becoming all you were meant to be. Think I’m making this up? Look around at the people you know who had all the potential in the world to do great things but failed to reach their full potential. That doesn’t have to happen to you.

 You will have to dig deep.

If you want to compete in sports, in school, or in life (so that includes all of us) there will be times when everything you are and have developed will be challenged. It may be the game against your toughest opponent. It may be the math class that you must get a good grade in to qualify for a college scholarship. Or it might be the interview coming up for your “dream job.” It is during these times and others like them that you cannot rely on the status quo, business as usual. or even last week’s victories. They mean nothing. If you have played sports for any length of time you have heard the expression “dig deep.” It is usually shouted out by the coach signaling that the situation calls for you to find within yourself that “something extra” that is needed; no, that is required to meet the challenge at hand. The coach knows that if that “something extra” is not brought to the surface at that time, defeat is the more likely outcome. So how do you make sure you have what it takes for all the challenging situations in life both as an athlete and a person?

We talk about that in Part Two of our blog series, Dig Deep.

Staying Power – The Key To Victory

If you play any type of competitive sports or have worked to reach a goal you no doubt have or will find yourself  on the short side of the scoreboard. Whether at the beginning or end of the game, what you do at these times will play a crucial part in determining the success you will have in the current situation and in future ones. These situations are just as much a test of your character as they are of your natural abilities and talents. And what you must possess at these times is what I call “staying power.”

1. STAY CALM – This is no time to panic or to be afraid of the outcome. You can’t devote one second to thinking about losing or a negative result. Don’t be paralyzed in your mind about the things happening around you. Remember that being you will always be the easiest thing you’ll ever do. Trust yourself.

2. STAY COMMITTED – You need to remember your past victories and the other things you’ve overcomed. If you have come back from being down 20 points in a prior competition, a seven point deficit will not “freak” you out. Start with what works for you and what you’ve gained through your preparation process. Utilizing your strengths is still the best option to get the results you want.

3. STAY IN CONTROL – Resist the seemingly overpowering feeling to “wave the white flag” of surrender. You do not have to accept a negative outcome as inevitable. Control what you can control: your actions and reactions. Keep pushing forward.

4. STAY CONFIDENT – You must continue to believe; not just that you can win, but that you will win. That you can reach the goals you are striving for. And that you have what it takes to “make it happen.”

If you can condition yourself to have this kind of staying power you can expect to consistently reach your goals and celebrate more than your share of victories.

Rosevelt Colvin – Real Champion

Check out the premiere of the Real Champion video series. Former NFL standout, and 2-time Super Bowl Champion Rosevelt Colvin talks about what it takes to be the best both on and off the field. Since retiring from football Colvin has successfully launched two businesses and consisitently gives back to his hometown community in Indianapolis. He has a story worth hearing. You can catch Rosevelt on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/djarrett2927.