the tuesday transition - issue 45
March 14, 2023: Authentic motivation and drive comes from learning to love challenge. It comes from a constant desire to self-improve. It comes from truly understanding that the fun part of soccer is actually the growing and expanding part. The part where you push yourself to the edge of your ability, try new things, mess up, reassess, problem solve, and then try again. Yes, winning and scoring goals, also fun, totally agree. But true, deep enthusiasm, love and joy for the game come from a healthy striving mentality via a constant pursuit of self-improvement and growth.
True authentic motivation and drive comes from having passion for what you are doing – and what helps stir up that passion are curiosity, courageousness and creativity, the three C’s that every soccer player should live by.
If you are currently feeling stuck, assuming an attitude of being curious, courageous and creative can be a way to break you out of your rut and inspire that passion that you are looking for. Here are some ideas to self-reflect on in each of these areas and advice about how to bring them into your game more.
Curious: a constant desire to learn & understand
Let’s start here, how curious of a soccer player are you? Like, for real? How much of a student of the game are you? Do you ever just CRAVE information about the small nuances of the game and get really excited when you figure something out that helps you almost immediately and improves the quality of your play?
Curiosity is a constant desire to learn and understand. It is one of the main pillars of authentic motivation because truly WANTING to learn and figure out better ways of doing things is what inspires drive, dedication and perseverance. Learning also helps you prepare better, and preparedness is a foundational piece of building your confidence and belief in yourself.
How can you get more curious? This week, spend some time thinking about what pieces of soccer are the most fun for you and then figure out small details of that piece of the game that would be interesting to you to learn more about. For example, shooting is fun, so maybe researching and learning how to curve your shot would be something cool to know? Once you find something that interests you, look it up online. Find some videos that explain how to do it. Try it out. Break down the steps, focus on the first thing that comes up for you that is hard. Problem solve, work it out and then get it down good before moving onto the next step.
Courageous: operating outside of your comfort zone
Has there ever been something that you wanted to try but you didn’t because it scared you? If you are a human then the answer is probably yes.
One of the biggest things standing in our way and holding us back is ourselves. We keep ourselves small because small is comfortable. Trying things that are new and challenging can be really, really difficult to do – but taking the plunge and choosing an attitude of courageousness can cultivate true motivation, drive and passion because when you choose to be brave and operate outside of your comfort zone, you come to realize that the sky really is the limit.
So my challenge to you this week is “be brave enough to be bad at something new” (Jon Acuff, Your New Playlist). This is such a great quote because here’s the truth: any new thing you want to add to your game? You are going to be bad at it at first. You just are. BUT THAT’S OK! It’s okay because you’ll eventually move past being bad. In fact, you’ll even get good and maybe even great at it! But you can’t get great at something that you never start doing.
Creative: out-of-the box thinking
Our last C is creativity. Creativity is interesting because it is something that most every soccer player wants to have, yet it eludes them time and time again. Most players are not able to play creatively because they are holding themselves (consciously or unconsciously) to standards of perfection. You cannot play creatively if you are playing with the sole purpose of not making mistakes. This is because, with creativity, inherently comes the possibility of mistakes. When you push yourself to try new things more, you make more mistakes. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE MORE SUCCESS.
Creativity is an important element of creating authentic motivation and drive because creativity is a huge part of what makes playing the beautiful game SO FUN! When you get to try new things, manipulate the game environment and create things out of nothing – you are being an artist! Soccer is like a dance, all the pieces ebbing and flowing together, and getting to contribute to that dance is a piece of self-expression that can really light a fire for players.
This week, commit to making creativity a priority during a team training session. Have a pep-talk and tell yourself that you are going to allow yourself the space to make mistakes today and let go and play freely. Your brain will fight this, so come up with a plan beforehand for what you will do when the mistakes inevitably happen. Will you hustle back with intensity and urgency? Will you pressure the ball immediately? What’s your plan? Preparing beforehand for mistakes, and accepting that they will happen today, allows you more grace and gives you the freedom you need to unleash your creativity.
The three C’s that every soccer player should live by- curiosity, courageousness and creativity. Which one are you going to spend some time leaning into this week?
💎 What I’m digging: The Utah Royals are re-joining the NWSL next year as the newest expansion team, with two more teams to follow the year after.
👩🏽💻 What I’m reading: Bounce by Matthew Syed, “A cutting edge dissection—and ultimate destruction—of the myth of innate talent in the pursuit of excellence.”
🎧 What I’m listening to: My NBC SportsEngine podcast episode! In January I was interviewed for ‘The Love of Sport’ – a sports podcast by NBC covering the world of youth sports. The episode went live this week. Check it out! ⬇️
Grow your confidence through preparedness.
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Hi everyone! I’m Jenn and I create content to help female soccer players and coaches maximize individual and team potential by developing healthy mindset skills. Join other subscribers and sign up for the newsletter for all my best tips and advice!
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