Thursday, January 20, 2011

Lessons from Childhood Sports

I've played organized sports since I was 8 years old - 13 years of football, 7 years of rugby, 6 years of baseball, 3 years of tennis, and 2 years of track. Although I haven't played a team sport since 30, I value the lessons I had from the experience. Here are a few of the lessons:

  • Do my best - I played hard in practice and on game day. Whether we won or lost, I gave the game my best.


  • Have fun - I wanted to enjoy the sports I was playing. If I didn't, I would finish the season and not play the following year. There were lots of things that made a sport fun: camaraderie, playing, exercise and learning.


  • Be a good winner - Win gracefully. Enjoy the win and don't taunt opponents, celebrate too much or become over confident.


  • Rebound from setbacks - After a loss, there is always tomorrow, next week or next year. Don't become too concerned with a specific loss or setback..
  • My best sports experience was high school football. I became one of two first freshmen starters on a varsity football team in our county, on a team that went 2-7-1. After that tough start, we rebounded. In the succeeding years, we were 7-2-1, 11-2 (state runner-up), 11-1 (state champions). Each year reinforced the above lessons and gave me memories that I will never forget.

    For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

    This is not financial or sports advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

    Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

    2 comments:

    Self Made Wealth said...

    agree....sport at childhood positives our life in the future. teach your child to do sport.

    regards.

    John Papers said...

    Wow !! really nice blog. It will be very useful for me. So, thanks for sharing this post.