YOUTH SPORTS
“IF YOU DREAM BIG AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU WILL END UP “
Advice from Jennie Finch to softball players of all ages
Control What You Can Control
You don’t have to let other people dictate how you feel or bring you down. Find something positive to focus on, because once you’re angry, you’re conquered. You’ve given other people the power to control your feelings.
A great skill in sports and life, is to learn to let things roll off your back. Instead of getting upset, ask yourself whether you have any control over a situation. If you don’t, then don’t worry about it. Just worry about controlling your own attitude and effort. This will bring so much peace to your life!
If you give everything you have in practice or in a game, that’s what truly matters! Your effort on a daily basis directly translates into results at crunch time. Your effort influences both your attitude and your level of confidence.
Here’s a simply reminder to you today that you’re doing better than you think and you can handle anything that comes your way! You are strong, brave, and courageous!
Overcoming a fear of failure is an important part of gaining mental toughness. Fear of failure keeps too many people from taking any risks at all. The pressure to be perfect can lead people to be cautious and prevents them from embracing the moment.
The truth is in sports – and in life – we are going to fail. There is no way around it. You can look at the most accomplished people in the world, and they’ve failed at something at some time. Failure is a part of competition. But it does not define you.
Even the elite players fail seven out of every 10 times they come to the plate. That means even the great players experience twice as much failure as success. You have to be resilient and mentally tough enough to overcome that constant failure, to not give in to it, and to be confident that things are going to change. Overcoming mistakes and setbacks only makes you stronger.
And this applies to every part of life. Keep looking at the positive side of things and don’t give in to the negative. Life is too short. Take risks, embrace failure, and keep pressing forward.
Taking risks.
Life is all about taking risks. I get really bad butterflies – even now. But in a way I embrace those butterflies because they let me know I’m out of my comfort zone. My butterflies tell me that I’m alive, trying new things, testing myself. I always try to take that nervous energy and use it in a productive way. The only way you can get out of your comfort zone is to take a risk, to try something you’re not sure you can do, to challenge yourself.
What risk have you been afraid to take? The butterflies may not ever go away, but you are brave and courageous! You can do hard things! You can take the risk! You never know what’s on the other side of one courageous step in a new direction.
Why softball?
Sometimes I’ve been asked why I devoted so much of my life to softball. It’s a hard question to answer because the answer is so multi-faceted. So here are just a few reasons:
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I love the game.
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I love the feeling of being part of the team, of playing for the name on the front of my jersey and not the back.
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I love to compete against others and test myself.
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I love to take risks and accept a challenge.
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I love to push my body as hard as I can and feel the sweat drip off my face.
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I love the process and the feeling of satisfaction that comes from working toward goals, both individual and collective.
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I want to make my family proud of me.
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Because I can! My mother and grandmother never had the opportunity that I have.
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Playing helps me both build confidence and overcome the fear of failure.
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