Desire, Preparation, Confidence, Execution

Desire and execution: How badly do you want it and will you perform when given the opportunity?

There is no consistent performance without desire. It is possible to rise up unexpectedly and make a play by being in the right place at the right time. A player might even have a great day, in “the zone,” and perform well for a couple of hours. But nobody makes it to the Hall of Fame without desire. Nobody has won a season or series MVP award without desire.

Only through desire can an athlete wake up each day and find ways to become a better player. Only through desire can a player constantly study the game (his game) looking for ways to improve. Only desire makes a competitor think about his food, his sleep, his mental health and his responsibilities against the backdrop of his sport. Desire focuses our daily activities.

It may sound obsessive, and perhaps it is. Should I stay up late even though it may hurt my performance? Should I eat those french fries even though there is no nutritional value in them? Should I blow off my homework even though I may get a bad grade and get cut from the team? Should I hang out on the street corner and risk getting in trouble with the law? Should I play four hours of video games even though it may damage my eyesight? Should I not practice today because I can practice tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the next?

Without desire, there is no preparation. There is no studying. There is no practicing. There is no analyzing or consideration or understanding. Desire drives work. Desire fuels the repetition needed to become comfortable in competition.

It’s the last inning. There are two outs. The tying run is at third. The winning run is at second. A batter stands at the plate, waiting for a pitch. The pitcher toes the rubber, considering what to throw. The fielder looks around the infield at the runners and thinks about his options. Why is the hitter calm? How does the pitcher methodically review his pitch sequence and draw the nerve to throw an off-speed pitch? How can the fielder move smoothly to the ball, scoop it and throw it routinely to record the final out? The answers all rest in the hours of work, study, practice and preparation that each of these athletes pressed through on their roads to this moment.

Desire enables athletes to walk that road. Desire enables the preparation. The preparation builds confidence. The confident athlete is then free to perform. He can execute the play he knows without thinking.

Desire. Preparation. Confidence. Execution. All linked to success. How badly do you want it and will you perform when given the opportunity?