If it is Important to You

How do we prioritize what we do each day? All of us have things we are forced to do, and all of us have things we want to do. With limited amount of time in a day and so many things to do, it is impossible to do everything. I came across a quote by Dan Gable which I think helps put things in perspective on how to prioritize:

“If it is important, do it every day. If it is not, do not do it at all.” – Dan Gable

I am sure we all have something we tried for a little while and then stopped doing. We told ourselves, “I am going to do this every day.” It was probably something we thought we would enjoy, make us feel better, be healthier, or improve our lives in some small or large way. When we stopped, normally the excuse is that there is just not enough time. There are too many other things that need to get done. In truth, that is not the reason.

When something is truly important to you, you will do it every day (or most days). If it is not important, then there is no way you will stick to it. Honestly, if it is not important, than why waste your precious time doing it?

Applying this to soccer, this is an honest question all players must ask themselves. If soccer is something that is very important to you, then you should practice it every day (in one way or another). If it is not that important, than that is ok, but that has to be something you are honest with yourself about. You play the game, but you cannot overly concern yourself with your level of play, which team you play for, or your overall success on the field. Why? It is really not that important to you, or it is at least not important enough to take up that much of your time. That might sound like a bad thing, but it is not. It is just how you have decided to prioritize your interests.

Yes, I am sure everyone is concerned about their performance and obviously want to do their best, and any player can give their best each time they step on the field. How important that is to you will determine if you do what is necessary to actually impact your level of play and chance to be more successful on the field. Soccer is a sport, a great sport, that is fun and helps keep you healthy and fit. It challenges the mind and allows kids to be part of a team. These are all awesome reasons to play the game, and frankly, the only reason any kid (or adult for that matter) needs to play the game. This is the main reason why most kids will play the game.

But some kids may have dreams and aspirations to play soccer at a more competitive level or be the next “Messi” when they grow up. For those kids, the game is more important to them. It is not more important to the parents or their coach. It is more important to the player. The player wants to do more and wants to see themselves get better. Maybe the game becomes important enough that they play or do something in regards to soccer every day. This is usually true about the people we read books about and watch movie portrayals of their lives, not just in sports, but all aspects of life (business, art, science, music, etc..). These people had a slight obsession with something and it became something important enough that they would do it every day devoting a large portion of their lives in pursuit of their dream. Many more people who we do not know about do the same thing, but never reach their dream or get to that desired level. Despite falling short, I like to believe that they still enjoyed the journey and spending the time doing what they loved.

As an adult, with so many responsibilities, it gets harder to stick with things that are not very important. For example, I really want to learn a second language. I bought Rosetta Stone and made a promise I would spend an hour a day working at it. Not a long time, but I lasted for about two weeks, and at this time, I have not spent anymore time on it. Frankly, I have to make a decision if learning a second language is that important to me or not. If it is, there are no excuses and I need to find an hour a day and stick to my plan. Or perhaps my goal of an hour a day was too lofty, and I set myself up to not reach it. Maybe I should have started with a more moderate goal. Spending 15 minutes a day may have been more manageable and perhaps I would have stuck to it.

One thing nice about being a kid is the average kid does not have as many responsibilities as an adult and probably a little more free time. With this free time, a child can have many “important” things they do every day to explore new ideas, develop new skills, and stretch their ability in any area desired. I am the last one who would advocate for a child only playing one sport at an early age. I think kids should play many sports, try different hobbies, and explore many interests when they have the time to do it. What is important to them will change with age and will change a lot, but that experience allows them to have a better idea of what will be important to them later on. As they get older, their time will become more and more limited and they will need to begin to choose which activities are the most important. What will they later in life that makes up a part of who they are? There will not be enough time to do it all, and if they try to do it all, how well will they do any one thing? Normally, when stretched too thin and there is too much on our plate, something will suffer and not get the needed attention.

In the end, we all need to find the important things we do that makes us happy and help us grow as people. We do it because it makes us feel better and we do it because we want to be better at it. It can be anything. For players who aspire to play soccer at a high level or just play because it is fun, soccer may be one of those things. Soccer is something they want to do as it makes them happy, not only when they are successful, but simply because they get to do it and like how it makes them feel.