Is Loving the Grind Good?
Taking the time to reflect and reset is also critical
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The off-season: We’ve hit that point in the year where parents start to rip their hair out. They’ve survived the longest month of the year- May! Where every day is another final party, dance, paper or performance. Just as we start to crave some family time to decompress from a busy spring, we get slapped up the side of the head with one season winding down and another one starting.
I was speaking with one of my multi-sport high school athletes last week. He’s a passionate football and baseball player. When I ask which sport he loves more he replies, “Which ever one I’m playing at the time.”
When I asked about his summer schedule, it was just as busy as his school season, just now he didn’t have the eight hours of school in the middle of the day.
In fact, another client, who is a top ranked and drafted high school ice hockey player told me on our last call that he had moved to school completely online. When I asked why he said, “Because I can get more ice time in the morning.”
The dedication sounds amazing. These athletes LOVE what they do, but they are also now living the lives of pro athletes. I won’t even get into Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) deals here, but obviously this is driving a lot of the pressure to perform as well.
I watched this video of former NBA star JJ Reddick's Off season speaking about what he did on a daily basis to prepare to compete. You could argue that he was getting paid millions of dollars to do it, so it makes sense. But what about these kids who may or may not have a life playing college and or pro sports?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. What about those athletes who LOVE what they do at the age of 15? It is too young to not take the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended 30 days off in between sports? I get asked my opinion about this all the time and if you’ve listened to my podcast, you’ll know where I stand, but I’d love to hear your point of view.
So on that note of burn out. It’s a real thing and not only for athletes— but for adults as well.
I had a chat with friend this morning and his words punched me in the gut…
“What if we’re burned out not because we’re doing too much, but because we’re doing too little of what lights us up.”
I’m excited to see my two basketball obsessed sons branching out this summer: golfing, surfing, playing guitar and today the three of us went to the Inside Out 2 Matinee. I HIGHLY recommend it! My 20year old Parker, said as we walked out of the theater, “I felt like crying a couple times and I’m not sure why except that it ALL really resonated.” The main character, Riley, is hockey player who has turned 13 and hit puberty- she’s experiencing all the feels. Both my boys agreed that they ran the gamut emotionally as teens (and sometimes still do!)
I’d love to hear what adventures you are planning with your family this summer away from competitive sports.
One of the biggest perks of traveling and speaking this past year is all the COOL people I’ve gotten a change to meet. I love promoting the work of my amazing friends. 🥰
My friend, Katie Steele, who I met while speaking in Bend, Oregon, this past January, has a new book out now, The Price She Pays: Confronting the Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Women's Sports―from the Schoolyard to the Stadium. It’s a best-seller on Amazon already!
And BONUS: she joins me THIS WEEK on the #RaisingAthletes podcast. Click here for her episode (or wherever you find your podcasts!)
Wanna connect? Contact me here! I am booking for Fall 2024 speaking events.
Let’s do this!
Thanks for supporting me on my journey. It is such a gift and I so appreciate you being here
Xxx
Kir