I read a book recently entitled, “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon (2007). A student in the sport psychology course I teach at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, MO recommended it to me last semester. It’s a great read with a worthy message about how much positive energy can make a difference in personal happiness, productivity, and leadership.
Last week I developed a new exercise using some of Jon’s concepts, along with some of my beliefs, for team members to reflect upon near the start of the boys’ tennis season. The objective is for team members to reflect upon why they are on this team and what is their vision for the season ahead? Reflect on the steps below to create an understanding of why you choose to do what you do and what you want to get out of it.
Step 1:
What is your purpose?
Here are some sub-questions to help you answer this question:
What do you want to get out of this experience beyond winning and losing?
Why have you chosen this activity?
How do you want to grow as a person from this experience?
Then develop a Personal Purpose Statement from your responses to some or all of the questions above.
Step 2:
Create Your Vision
Answer one or both of the following questions to better understand your vision of where you want to go on this journey:
What do you want to accomplish?
What are your goals?
Step 3:
Take Action!
Identify the action steps necessary to achieve what you want to accomplish/your goals?
Step 4:
List one or two words to describe your purpose and vision on this journey (i. e. passion; resiliency; competitive fight; self-discovery).
__________________________________________
Discuss your responses with someone else.
Review your personal action plan periodically.
Then the most important part is to live it.