You are what you do
Alright, so here’s the thing, everything we do today determines what we will end up doing tomorrow and how much further we will be able to go the next day. The actions here and now are our habits. Our habits shape how we live and what we will be able to do next.
No matter what you are doing you have two choices, I will start now or I will start later. It is very easy to say I will start later, the question becomes when will you start? The issue here tends to be that those that put off do not have a plan or have an excuse. Think of a paper you had to write in school, it is very easy for people to look at the paper and say it isn’t due for another week so I will start tomorrow. Inevitably what ends up happening is tomorrow becomes the next day and then the next day and then before you know it the paper that was due next week is now due tomorrow and you haven’t even started. These people will also usually say something like, “I do my best work under pressure” to help justify their procrastination. What is the usual outcome of this work? A lower grade and a poorly written paper. Unfortunately, those that do this tend to continually do this turning it into a habit.
Okay, so now, the question is how does this relate to sports? Imagine if you will two players with similar skill levels trying to get the final spot on a team. Player A works every day to get better and continually challenges themselves. Player B looks and says the tryout isn’t for another month so I’ll start working tomorrow. The player that will inevitably get the final roster spot will be Player A for a couple reasons. First, because they started working earlier than Player B, their physical capabilities will be significantly higher than that of Player B (remember, they started with similar physical capabilities and skill levels). The other factor will be their mental state, Player A will show that they are willing to work and push themselves to become better while Player B is showing their lack of motivation.
It is very easy to put off working out and not work, but those that are willing to push themselves will end up accomplishing more. One of my favorite quotes is “Do today what others won’t, so tomorrow you can do what others can’t”.
You can make a million excuses for why you can’t start today or why you shouldn’t start today. But the person that chooses not to make an excuse will inevitably end up being more successful. The choice is yours and yours alone, start today or start tomorrow?