Human > Hooper

January 26, 2018

Who are you? Are you a basketball player?

Know Yourself

You are a human being choosing to play a sport, basketball is what you choose to do but it is not who you are. When you make the switch in your identity to knowing you are an athlete and that is what you are choosing to do, then you can go all in, trust your skills, and play free.

You are free to fail because you know your identity is not tied to playing hoops. There is true freedom in separating yourself from the sport you play and there is a major difference in playing to play great versus playing to not make mistakes. When you know who you truly are you can play to play great at all times. Play to play safe and you will never be satisfied.

Victory to the Vulnerable

This is where you go all in and trust your skills without knowing what the results may be. Vulnerable is not putting yourself in danger, it’s just going into the unknown, it’s putting yourself out there and seeing what’s up.

At times it may feel like you’re in danger but know your feeling’s aren’t facts. A true competitor will allow themselves to be vulnerable, that may mean you take the game winning shot even if you’ve missed them before, or staying in the present moment with a great attitude and effort even when results aren’t going your way, it takes a TON of mental strength to be vulnerable.

It is a complete trap to think our identity is what we do. There are constant distractions that pull us back into thinking we are valuable only due to results or what others think and say about us. Know you are a human being choosing to play a sport and you are free to go all in, play to play great because the real victory goes to the vulnerable.

Learn More about the Mental Game every Sunday with our Mental Game Masterclass presented by myself (Mike Franco) and NBA mental skills coach Graham Betchart!