Athletes come in all shapes and sizes. At Sport Pux we view an athlete as someone who exercises regularly, tracks fitness-related goals, and considers physical activity a necessary tool to improve mental and physical well-being. We believe physical fitness is the key to a healthier future for everyone and we want to help you be successful. To help you define success, we’ve compiled this list of the top seven secrets for being a successful athlete.
Self-Leadership - All athletes must be able to lead themselves. Identifying goals and training to conquer them is how we usually think of self-leadership in sports or physical fitness. However, depending on what kind of athlete you are, this can be a challenge. For athletes in competition, it should be easy. Training for an external competition often means the goals are provided for you. Casual athletes must set personal goals that are challenging enough to legitimately drive improvements in strength, endurance, flexibility, nutrition, and recovery. Being able to lead yourself means no cutting corners, needless days off, or quitting when you encounter setbacks and injuries. This is why self-leadership is our number one secret to success.
Appreciating Minor Victories - Success in anything is a process. Recognizing small steps forward takes maturity. When seeking out success, we are trained to brush off minor victories as inconsequential, but they provide positive reinforcement and a sense of accomplishment. They might be small steps, but they are critical in reinforcing the benefits of a job well done. Small victories make the big ones easier to accomplish. This is especially true for young people who may not have the experience to appreciate that the journey to success can be long and even boring. Yes, one step at a time is boring, but it works. So whether you’re a teenage power-lifter or a retired yoga enthusiast, take a moment to congratulate yourself when you notice small improvements. That’s one victory down and many more to come.
Focus - Hands up if you thought “being goal-oriented” was going to be on this list. We prefer to think of it as “focus”. Yes, goal setting is important, but merely setting goals isn’t enough. You must be able to focus on your goals within the context of the big picture. Each day’s training requires dedication because it’s one more step toward the larger goal. Every moment matters when you’re training - rest, hydration, and nutrition. Everything requires intentional behavior. Your athletic level will determine the intensity of your focus.
Motivation - What motivates you has to be personal. The deeper that motivation runs, the better. Professional athletes who “want to be the best” have a reason for that desire and it pushes them harder than most of us can imagine. If that’s the level of intensity you’re looking for, then you might want to spend some time understanding what you’re searching for and why it’s important to you. On the other hand, even casual athletes need to understand why they train. If you don’t know why you’re going to the gym, it’s a lot easier to quit going.
Patient Determination - Once you start appreciating minor victories, it will be easier to remain determined. However, we all reach plateaus. When forward progress stalls, it can test your patience. Having the determination to keep putting in the work even though you know the next big success could be a long way off takes sacrifice and self-discipline. These are often the hardest moments for athletes at any level. Staying patient and determined with your training and nutrition while you focus on the next achievement is important to overall success.
Coachability - Even the best athletes in the world recognize the need for great coaching. However, coaching is meaningless if you aren‘t coachable. Nobody improves at anything if they aren’t willing to accept constructive criticism. Every athlete must possess the capacity to listen and learn. Being able to recognize and learn from mistakes, take cues from your body, and incorporate advice from coaches and other athletes will reduce the time it takes you to reach goals and attain success.
Positive Outlook - Any level of athlete who has a passion for their sport or fitness routine will have some success. How much success they enjoy will be shaped by their ability to stay positive. Setbacks will occur. Successful athletes use those setbacks to learn, grow and develop resiliency. Successful people are typically optimists. This doesn't mean you can't and shouldn't be realistic, but successful people are usually able to stay positive despite challenges. Visualizing your success can be a fundamental component of actualizing it, so optimism is an important trait to have.
Considering yourself an athlete or athletic means different things to different people. There are countless traits that athletes consider valuable in their pursuit of fitness. There is no one clear path to success. The traits we have listed are the ones we consider to be the most valuable in your pursuit of athletic success.