Knowing Your Potential
August 31, 2011
Elite Minds with Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals and Stevan Ridley of the Patriots
As an athlete your character is on display at all times in your sport. It is as simple as pointing to the sky or kneeling down to give homage to God. People are always assessing the player’s character and intent. In light of the recent violations in college football the players that are involved are having their character questioned. While we are told to not throw stones at a glass house we must remember what character really means… “the set of qualities that make somebody or something distinctive, especially somebody's qualities of mind and feeling…” Many of the players in question have never truly learned how to deal with people who seem to have their best interest in mind, but I wouldn’t expect them to. These are young adults who like all young adults make poor and impulsive decisions that simply serve themselves in the moment. Recognize the brain is still not fully developed at the age of 17-23 for males so inhibition is truly compromised. That is the science of it and that is what we forget to think about at times.
These players do serve as examples that others can learn from if they are in fact watching what is going on. In the work that Elite Minds (www.elitemindsllc.com) performs we work with not only the player but the family. This comprehensive approach allows for the player’s buy in and develops a support network that is effective. We use Dr. Jack Lesyk’s 9 Mental Skills of Successful Athletes to create unique profiles for the athlete and build around their strengths. By working with their strengths first we are able to improve the player’s underlying character issues that the athlete may be working through.
