Worry adds nothing to your life. Lessons we can take from the NFL Draft. Part One

With the NFL draft rapidly approaching, many hopeful NFL players are likely to be playing the “what if” game; wondering when they be selected, who their new coach will be, what new city they will be moving to, if they will have the chance to play right away…The list could go on and on! Instead of playing the “what if game” what if these athletes played the “what on” game, choosing to be mindful of their own thought selection. The rules of the game are simple: focus on the things that we as humans have control over such as Attitude, Effort and Preparation.

There is an old phrase used in football, “the hay is in the barn.” I am not sure how the phrase originated but have been told it means: All of the possible preparations have been completed and there is nothing else to do besides wait until kickoff. At this point a player can do nothing to improve his draft stock and ultimately doesn’t control what new jersey he will be wear. Worrying about things outside of ones control only wastes precious time and energy. Research suggests that most things we worry about don’t actually happen and that when we worry, it has a negative effect on our well-being. Instead of thinking about all of the hypotheticals, LEADers win the “what on” by only thinking about things that are within ones control.

Coach Nelson serves as a high school football coach who is pursuing his doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology. He has worked for division 1 athletic departments, professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities. Most recently coach Nelson was hired as a trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and as a mental performance coach for Mindurance.

His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!

PCA: https://www.positivecoach.org/team/nelson-levi/

Mindurance: https://mindurance.com/viewAdvisor.asp?ic=51819&catID=