In baseball and business, there are three types of people. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” – Tommy Lasorda, Hall of Fame baseball player and manager (1954-1956, player; 1976-1996, manager)
There is a lot to be said for committing the time and energy it takes to be an athlete. Many people grow up engaging in athletics at various levels. Whether or not they reach the highest levels of athletic competition is irrelevant because there are essential life lessons to be gained from participating in athletics.
While there is a multitude of arenas one can acquire essential life lessons, athletics serve to challenge the physical and mental psyche of its participants. This doesn’t infer that only athletes understand physical and mental obstacles, but that athletes have the unique test of overseeing both, often simultaneously, and amidst other teammates and competitors.
Athletes undergo a lot of strenuous demands on the mind and body. This stress level, assuming it is healthy, aids in benefiting the athlete in other areas outside the sphere of competition. Essentially, what an athlete acquires in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities coupled with what is amassed intangibly arms the individual with “life” qualities that have the potential of contributing to enduring success in any field.
It’s important to remember that this list isn’t an attempt to generalize all athletes. It is merely a personal belief that athletics positively affects participants who take full advantage of them.
1. Athletes are disciplined and have strong work ethics.
Unless a particular athlete is blessed with raw athleticism and talent, which equates to complete domination over the competition, athletes have to dedicate themselves to honing their crafts. It is also noteworthy that many of the greatest athletes possess immense natural ability, complemented by an intense work ethic. And as the motivational quote states, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Employers desire disciplined employees who know what it takes to work hard. Athletes possess these necessary qualities, or they probably wouldn’t have become athletes in the first place.
2. Athletes know what it means to fail, persevere, and overcome adversity.
Anyone who participates in athletics will, at some point, encounter obstacles. Athletics are an excellent metaphor for life. There are ebbs and flows to an athlete’s performances and experiences on the field or court. This is similar to life.
An athlete will fail at one time or another during the scope of competition. At this point, the athlete has only two options: give up or persevere. Most athletes will choose to work through and conquer the impediments before them so they can achieve the goals they have set for themselves. Athletics offer a unique opportunity for athletes to learn how to fail gracefully and persist patiently.
3. Athletes are goal-oriented.
While many athletes are involved in their sports simply for the “love of the sport,” there is often something else that motivates and inspires them. Athletes excel at setting goals, pursuing them through training and nutrition mediums, and eventually accomplishing their objectives. This skill is instrumental in the workforce, where setting goals is critical for any successful business.
4. Athletes usually know how to work as team members.
I usually write here because not all athletes are involved in team sports. While the majority of athletes participate as members of a team, some perform individual sports.
Given the large proportion of athletes involved in team sports, it would behoove any employer seeking willing and influential “team players” to hire athletes. Teamwork and learning to be a competent teammate are ingrained into athletes’ psyches from the time they first engage in athletics.
5. Athletes know how to lead.
During the athletic competition, an athlete has to be a leader. Whether this is vocally or through action, athletes acquire the necessary skills to lead.
Leading doesn’t merely occur during the heat of competitions; athletes lead by the way they train and take care of their bodies; they lead by the way they treat their teammates and coaches; and perhaps most importantly, they show by the way they represent themselves, their team, and their sports on and off the arena.
Not all athletes are charismatic or desirable leaders, but they have acquired the capabilities to lead somewhere inside. Working with others daily in pursuit of a common goal forces you to learn how to teach. In the end, it is a matter of whether or not they are willing to use those abilities to the fullest.
6. Athletes know how to accept criticism.
At one point or another, any athlete will receive criticism, constructive or otherwise, from a coach. If an athlete is unwilling to accept this criticism, they will probably not last long in athletics.
Just like athletes learn to accept failures and work through them, they must also learn to accept criticism. Realizing that their coaches are looking out for their best interests makes accepting criticism more manageable.
Employers want employees who aren’t going to shut down every instance they are criticized. Athletes are often “thick-skinned” and able to handle critiques more fluidly.
7. Athletes know how to learn a new skill and utilize it.
One of the most critical components of being a competent employee is learning and utilizing a new skill. All athletes must undergo some skill development to sustain their athletic performances.
Athletes strive strenuously to hone their skills to make themselves the total asset for their specific sport. Equipped with voracious work ethics and the desire to master their skills, many athletes ultimately breed themselves for success on and off the playing field. And many of the skills athletes whet will pale compared to the skills they learn in the workforce.
