Excuses are the enemy of growth
by Richard Handy Jr
by Richard Handy Jr
If you want to succeed as a student-athlete, you must stop making excuses and playing victim. It's easy to fall into the trap of making excuses. Blaming a poor performance on a lack of sleep, a tough opponent, or an injury, are excuses utilized to justify your mistakes. Below are 5 reasons why excuses are detrimental to your growth as a student-athlete.
Excuses shift the blame away from yourself and onto external factors, preventing you from taking ownership of your progress.
Excuses can create a negative mindset that affects your discipline, motivation, and self-confidence.
Excuses can damage your relationships with coaches, teammates, and others around you.
Excuses can lead to resentment and frustration, which can affect your ability to be resilient.
Excuses can prevent you from setting and achieving meaningful goals for you and your team.
To achieve success, we need to take responsibility for our actions and decisions, own our mistakes, and work to improve upon our weaknesses. Below are 5 strategies to overcome excuses.
Accept feedback: Be open to constructive criticism from coaches, teammates, and others, and use it to improve.
Own your mistakes: Acknowledge your mistakes and take responsibility for them. Learn from them and use them as opportunities for growth.
Focus on what you can control: Rather than blaming external factors, focus on what you can control, such as your effort, energy, and attitude.
Communicate effectively: If you're struggling with not understanding a technique or tactic, communicate with your coach, teammates, or others who can help you.
Avoid comparison: Don't compare yourself to others, focus on your own progress and development to elevate yourself and everyone around you.
Excuses may provide temporary relief, but they ultimately hinder your growth and progress. By adopting a growth mindset you can put yourself in a position to be successful. Now, you can elevate your performance and contribute to the growth of your team.