To All My Ex-Athletes

5 am workouts, breakfast on the go, class til' 1, practice @ 2, extra reps til 6, training room, shower, dinner @ 8, homework, sleep.... repeat.

The. Life. Of. An. Athlete. 

Best 4(+) years of your life.
And then you graduate. 
Now what? 

To all my ex- athletes- I get it. What the hell do you do now?

Before we get into that, I want to assure you- that your confusion is ok. That your temporary loss of direction- is understandable. That your life suddenly going from one extreme (of which you spent about 18 years of your life living), to the other.... is a huge CHANGE. One that should absolutely leave you saying..... "now what!?"

To all my ex-athletes- I feel you. 
But I also want to assure you that there's more. Not only that there's more for you out in the world-- but that you are more, and always have been more... than just an athlete. You, as an athlete, were probably some of the proudest moments you have of yourself. 

Question for you...
Who were you being? 
What part of you, during that time, made you proud? 
Was it your work ethic? Was it your perseverance through hard times? Was it the leader you were to your teammates? The relationships you made? Your love for the game? 

If you're in the space of "what now?" I want to encourage you to realize... that your answers are already inside of you. That the you you were proud of on the field/court/track/gym- is also who you are right now. The hard times you got through on the field- they prepared you for this hard time. I want to encourage you to realize that you were more than the jersey you wore. And you took yourself with you when you left.

While playing may be over, the game is really only beginning. 
And you actually already know the strategies.
You've already studied the film.
You've put in the extra reps.

So what the hell do you do now? 

You play the game.
You find new coaches.
You continue to wake up with purpose...
and dedication…
to being the best you can be.
You find a team (or create one).
You get through it together- just like you did the first time.
You give back.
You share what you’ve been given.
You get your butt up and keep going.
Because the game never let you have the easy way out before.... so why would it be any different now?
You keep living.
You keep moving.
And laughing.
And appreciating the opportunity to get up and play another day. 

To all my ex-athletes- I hear you. I feel you. I promise you… I get it.
But you are far from done.
The game is only beginning.