During these trying and troubling times, we must express our sympathies and prayers for everyone affected by the spread of COVID-19. Now more than ever, we must come together and give strength, comfort, and compassion to get through this. With most areas being in some type of quarantine, many are left with extended amounts of time indoors at home. While one can “perceive” this time through a negative lens, there are many positives that can be taken from our situation. This time can be taken as an opportunity. An opportunity to get stronger, smarter, and work on your “why” - your motivation. “Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out” - John Wooden.
A Heart of a Champion Player is built on 3 core pillars: Hard work, Persistence, and Confidence. During these volatile times, it is important to remain persistent and put in the hard work to improve. Those take time to do so during this quarantine will emerge much more confident than those who chose to avoid the hard work. For those who have, keep going! Get ahead! For those who are just getting started do not be discouraged, now is a great time to start! Remember, it only takes one shot, one rep, one page read, to get started. All it takes to get started is one!
Whether you set out to obtain and develop new skills, such as a dangerous crossover followed by a nothing but net jumper, achieve a certain grade point average in school, or save up enough money to buy those awesome new pair of sneakers you’ve been eyeing, a process is involved. Everyone has to start somewhere when embarking on a new journey. All journeys start with one. One step, one jump shot, one layup, one dollar saved, one math problem solved, one page read, one pushup. Before you can get to two, you have to go through one.
Starting with one is an important concept to understand and remember. We all want something out of life - to achieve a goal, to become someone or something more than we are now, to reach a destination, to enjoy the journey. In order to do something significant for ourselves, there is a lot of focus, planning, execution, and hard work required. The journey can be overwhelming. When we are standing at the base of our personal mountain, staring up the path to the summit, we all have that voice in the back of our head that says something along the lines of, “Are you crazy? Look how far you have to go, how will you ever reach the top, how will you even begin?” That’s when we all have to remember “Start With One”. We must learn to quiet that negative voice in our minds with the action of starting with one.
All there is in life is the present moment. Right here, right now. There is always only one step to take. After the first step, what is next? Another step. Just one step at a time will get you to where you need to go. We can take slow steps or fast steps, but the important thing is to keep stepping.
To be a great shooter in basketball, one must put up at least 500 shots a day. 500 shots can sound like a lot of shots! The key is to not focus on all 500 shots at once, but focus on 1 shot at a time. Then the next 1 shot, then the next. Focusing on one shot at a time will remove overwhelming feelings. Do not worry about the last shot or the next shot, as that will steal from your focus on the current shot.
In life we are all faced with challenges and situations that can be scary, overwhelming, or unpleasant. To get to the other side of these situations, we must go through them one step at a time. At HOC we help players not only develop their technical basketball skills, but also mental frameworks that can be used on the court of basketball and on the court of life. Check out the HOC website and social media platforms for at-home workout ideas and inspiration!
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