The Lessons My Grandpa Taught Me

:: LESSONS FROM MY GRANDPA ::

By: Shaun Smith- Performance Mental Coach

This past Saturday, I spent the day celebrating and honouring my Grandpa’s life after an eight year battle with cancer. Growing up I thought there was nothing that my Grandpa couldn’t do. He excelled in everything that he did from farming to playing sports such as golf, curling and baseball. My Grandpa was my role model and taught me many valuable lessons about life; I thought I would share some of those lessons with you.

To Be Successful You Need to Work Hard – My Grandpa was an incredible athlete and farmer. He experienced a ton of success throughout his life whether he was in a field working or at a sporting arena. The secret to all my Grandpas successes laid firmly on his devotion and commitment to working hard regardless of what he decided he would do. Athletes all talk about how hard they work but the problem with many athletes is they only work hard when others are watching or work as hard as they have to. To achieve success in sports and life you need to work hard even when no one is watching.

Work Hard but Play Harder – My Grandpa was the hardest worker I have yet to meet yet he also took time to recharge through his leisure activities. Many of my earliest memories of my Grandpa are outings that were held at my Grandpas home with many of his closest friends and family. Later when in school I began to realize that these outings were more than just an enjoyable time. They allowed my Grandpa to continue to work hard without getting burnt out. I see many athletes who are experiencing burnout and the number one reason why they are experiencing burnout is because they fail to mix their hard work with periods of time where they are able to recharge.

Young Children NEED To Play More Then One Sport – As stated earlier my Grandpa excelled at golf, baseball and curling but he also played many other sports. My Grandpa was very athletic yet he excelled at three sports not one. Today parents and children spend all of their time and money on one sport which often leads to frustrations and/or burnout from this sport. In my opinion athletes need to find more than one sport that they enjoy so that they can enjoy their offseason from one sport and continue to improve their overall athletic abilities. One thing that I remember growing up was the excitement and nervous feeling that I used to get when I knew that the start of one of the many sports that I played growing up was nearing. Too many athletes these days don’t get the chance to experience this feeling as they play their one sport all year.

Learn How to Laugh and Get over Your Mistakes - I remember one year my Grandpa showed up at a Curling Bonspiel that I was competing in. I was the skip for my team and in the final end I missed a shot that I should have made but I pushed the rock slightly on my release. I had blown an opportunity to win my first bonspiel as a skip and was very angry with myself for making the mistake. I remember seeing my Grandpa afterwards and he immediately began giving me a hard time about missing the shot. I was furious at my Grandpa for making a joke about my mistake but soon after realized he was helping me to release and get reset. As athletes we are all going to make mistakes but the key to all mistakes is to learn from your mistake and learn to laugh at the mistake you made. Too many athletes get caught up on worrying about a past mistake and how it will be perceived by others or making the same mistake again. We’re all human and will make mistakes those who excel are often able to laugh about the mistake they have made, move on from their mistakes and get refocused.

Have Fun Doing What You Are Doing – My Grandpa spent some time in Long Term Care and on one instance a nurse approached my Grandpa and asked him what he did for work? My Grandpa replied “I’m a farmer.” The nurse then asked if my Grandpa enjoyed what he did. Without my hesitation my Grandpa said yes. My Grandpa farmed up until he was no longer able to not because he had to but because he loved to. Too many athletes play their sport because of money or because someone they love wants them to play their sport. The truth is if you yourself don’t love your sport you need to determine if you can love the sport and recreate your love for the sport.

I hope that you have enjoyed some of the life lessons that my Grandpa has passed onto me and that I have done my Grandpa justice as to explain my Grandpa fully would take too many pages. Remember to take a few minutes to look at the special people in your life and the life lessons that you have learnt from them. You may be surprised at what lessons they can bring to your game.

 If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to email me at ssmith@absolutementaltraining.com
Copyright 2009 by Absolute Mental Training, LTD
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