How Motivated Are You: Soccer Lessons

"You choose how much you give on the field. Be motivated to give your best to make the team better."

   I have coached at many different levels for soccer. One time I was coaching a JV team. This JV team had many different level of players. I had some players who had never played. Others had played for years. Looking at my team's ability I knew I'd have to go back to basics.

One of the players on my team came to me about halfway through the season. She said that she doesn't feel motivated or challenged in practice. I asked her why she felt that way. She said she'd been doing Brazilians and passing her whole life. She felt she was ready for the next level, varsity. She also said she was having a hard time staying motivated during practice.

   Those things that she said didn't concern me as much as the fact that she said she was having a hard time staying motivated. There are certain things you cannot teach as a coach. One of those things is motivation. I can't give my players a cup of motivation and it's taken care of. I can encourage and I do. But, that doesn't always work for every player.

   I talked to this player about what I was seeing and where she needed to improve. Then I talked with her about motivation. If she's not motivated in practice she needs to find a way to stay motivated on her own. She needs to challenge herself. She needs to say I'm going to get at least 7 out of 10 touches back to my partner in this drill. Because, if she's not motivated, she's not only not helping herself but the team as well.

   In life it's the same way. Many of us go through our days stuck in the same routine. We wake up, maybe eat breakfast, go to work or school, come home, eat, do some things around the house, relax, go to bed, and then get up and do it all over again. Doing that day after day may make it hard to stay motivated. That's when you need to find a way to stay motivated. You could help someone, encourage someone, or challenge yourself with something new each day.

   Another reason we should stay motivated is because we aren't just doing the things we do for ourselves or others. We are doing them for God. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says: "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." We are doing everything we do for God. That should make us motivated to do our best every day.

   So, are you stuck in a rut? How can you help someone today? How motivated are you?

   Image from here.