5 Principles that Athletes Follow

Have you wondered about what makes athletes like cricketers so successful at what they do? As a cricket enthusiast, you may be one of the million people hooked to phones and TV screens. IPL athletes have a loyal fan following. 

For instance, take yesterday’s IPL match. If there is anything to learn from yesterday’s IPL match winner, it is tenacity. The ability to persevere in nail-biting situations is what makes an athlete. It is a skill pivotal to many professional careers, such as loan agent.

Both skills and personality matter to stand out as an athlete. It is why athletes follow solid lifelong principles that build the foundation of their careers and public image. 

Here are five principles that athletes follow that you can incorporate into your life:

Defining a Goal or Purpose 

Defining a goal or purpose is indispensable to the athlete. By establishing a purpose, an athlete is better able to work on their plan of action. While it need not be crystal clear, establishing articulate goals helps you in the long run. 

Let’s say a cricketer needs to work on their wicketkeeping. It requires specific practices to improve wicket keeping like footwork or reactions. Without an explicit purpose or goal, the practice would likely yield no result. Thus, becoming more goal-oriented is one of the principles athletes follow to excel in their fields.

Pro tip: It is not always easy to be specific about long-term and short-term goals. However, you can work on separating your purpose and goals. It gives you enough perspective to introspect your decisions.

The Best Strategies are Personalized Strategies

Having resolved the confusion of a goal, let’s talk strategy. Athletes have personalized strategies to solve problems. Both teams and individuals respond and react to situations in different ways. However, they all have one thing in common. They have personalized problem-solving strategies. 

A personalized strategy is the answer to most professional problems. For instance, as a loan agent, you solve pain points for both the lender and the client. You cannot use a single strategy to help your client because they have different needs. 

Personalized strategies also work best for personal goals. 

Consistency > Perfectionism 

Becoming the best player may be the end-goal, but is it important to be perfect as an athlete? Sachin Tendulkar, hailed as the God of cricket has made mistakes. 

An athlete understands the importance of consistency in the long run. It yields better results than striving for perfectionism. 

It is a principle that allows you to build on your habits. This is important because habits give results. For instance, as a direct selling partner or loan agent, you work with diverse clients. This includes understanding negotiation and sales pitches that take consistency to learn. 

Understanding the importance of consistency is also crucial for personal lessons. It gets rid of the anxiety and procrastination that perfectionism brings to the table. Consider this: you have to work on a project but you want it to be perfect. To attain this illusory perfection, you avoid working on the project. The delay adds to the anxiety and may eventually lead to a shoddier work submission. Choosing to work on consistent projects, on the other hand, is a slower process. It will allow you to understand it better and help you avoid anxiety in the long run.

Adaptability is Key

Situations change rapidly on the field. Athletes are on their toes trying to best deal with these changes. For instance, a team member having an unexpected injury may force the team captain to change the entire strategy. There may be a change in the sequence of the batters. It is why becoming adaptable is indispensable as a principle. Furthermore, IPL requires adaptability. You face the unknown here – a change in team members, coaches, and management. 

As a professional, you face several unknown factors, like disgruntled clients and bosses, vendor disagreement, inventory issues, etc. Adaptability is also crucial for dealing with personal challenges. From moving out of your house to work in a new city to dealing with new experiences. It is essential to be flexible to changes.

Push beyond limits

You cannot break world records if you do not push through limits. It is why athletes constantly push themselves beyond their limits. Why is this mindset necessary for your professional and personal life? 

Let’s say you want to start a side hustle. It is something that people do to add to their income source. Side hustles are especially difficult to manage in the beginning. They may require investment – as in the case of running an e-commerce store. However, you have an additional income source when you push yourself beyond your limits.

A word of caution for the ambitious – do not overdo it because there is a chance of burnout. Even athletes tire themselves out. 

Wrapping Up

It is not that athletes never run low on motivation. Instead, they have the discipline to drive them forward. Understanding these five principles that athletes follow will give you a fresh perspective on your professional life. Additionally, knowing these principles also lays the groundwork for lifelong self-discipline.

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