Life is about choices, it goes without saying.
To be successful as an athlete also relies on the choices you make.
You can choose to make huge sacrifices and make progress, and you can as well choose to be stagnant and maintain being average.
Greatness has a cost, its so expensive. To be great you have to make exceptional choices, do you want to sleep until 10am or you wanna wake up at 4am and put in some work? Sleep is sweet, but they also say sleep is for those who are broke. It all comes down to how bad you want it or how you want to be remembered. Is it as a failure or a success story, you decide you got the power.
Greatness is painful. To be great you have to endure, you go through painful situations, hours of practice, moulding yourself to achieve bigger objectives that you set for yourself. Choose between going out and party or you want to rest and wake up early for workout sessions. If you work extremely hard everyday, there is absolutely no doubt that you will be better than what you aspire to be. It’s painful to be away from family, it is also painful to be away from friends, but you have to choose between fun and pain. Suffer now, and enjoy for the rest of your life. Pain should be your best friend. Embrace it, persevere and overcome it because on the other side, greatness awaits.
Choose to eat right; Respect your body and nourish it, hydrate as much as possible, and keep it clean because it is the temple of the God. Be positive in everything you do, it’s all in the mind if you can visualize it, then it is already real, you just need to make it happen. If you can dream it, then it’s possible, go ahead and do it. Keep in mind that, when you do it, the world will definitely remember who you are. There is no greater feeling than accomplishing your dreams. It is self fulfilling.
Choose to be in the company of good people, speak well about others, it does not matter what they say about you. Words are contagious use them wisely. Choose to spread love, not hate. Its your responsibility to do good, its your responsibility to set a perfect example, its your responsibility to set the tone, set the right tone for your peers and the younger generation. Choose to be a good example.
The choices we make have impacts. They touch those around us either positively or negatively. Make the right choices and when you do that I guarantee you that you will have done good to the world. Be satisfied, at peace, and have no regrets. You made the right choices.
Doctor Ariel Okall
AOK