Habits are essential, building good sustainable habits will lead you to a happy and free life. Bad habits can create exhaustion, turmoil and discontent.

Frank Outlaw writes that we all get to choose which of the paths are ours. "I personally have walked {or played – pun intended} on both sides of the discussion. What I learned is that by creating the good habits my mind is then more free to explore improving my game or life as the ‘habit’ {such as good exercise or eating healthy} is performed without conscious thought {translation: without taking additional brain power}."

Create good habits to free your mind

Mindset

Self-belief is one of the most powerful aspects of any profession but I found it to be especially powerful when I had to contend not only with my own opinion or those of my family and teammates but with a city or large group’s opinions.

Health

When you run every day for your ‘job’ {& yes to college players – this is your JOB} you may think you are healthy enough. Health is a lifestyle and is comprised of many things, including rest. 

Nutrition

Nutrition is a popular word and yet many people don’t know what it means for their lifestyle choices. For some in my family, nutrition and its benefits is a career. For others its a lifeline. Many athletes have special dietary considerations beyond the ‘healthy foods’ {e.g., gluten-free eaters}. Nutrition means listening to your body in times of health and sickness for its needs.   

Snacking or grazing, is either a very good habit or a very bad one. Not everyone needs to snack, but if you are a busy person, trying to fit in exercise or and athlete at the top of your game on the go all day, regular 'top-ups' can be a very healthy habit for you. Take a look at the snacking habits that will you a winner.

Consistency

Pushing to be the best and fastest during pre-season and on is typical – and expected – and but does not equate good leadership. Consistency is a concept that must be applied to all areas of your game – on and off the field.   

Development {of Skill / Athleticism}

These two traits don’t always go in the same person. Some players are only skillful; others more athletic. Still – you can develop at least one of the two.

So to create good game habits in these areas, consider the following:

Stay positive & focused. This might mean you must find music or a podcast or a friend that encourages or motivates you.

Engage in other activities that promote psychological and emotional health. Yoga is a great example. This exercise allows players to protect their muscles through self-resistance training, stretching and more while focusing on positive things.

Listen to your body. Some players perform best on a carb-heavy diet while others need more protein. We all need to eat more clean {by clean I mean less processed, more in a natural state – which I truly don’t always enjoy – my wife calls me the cookie monster for a reason :-)}. If all soccer players were the same the game would be boring in more ways than one.

Be consistent. People {parents, coaches, teammates, friends} want to know what they can expect from you. Teachers, colleges and recruiters also want to know. What kind of grades do you carry out of season? Do you stay fit year-round? Are you known to act crazy on the field and calm off of it? Have a spirit of excellence at all times and in all you do.

Get skills. Soccer is a fast and tough game. The more technical and skilled on the ball, the more control you have over your game. WHY? Because your touch on the ball becomes more like a habit! This control will free your mind to become more focused on the ‘reading’ and emotion of the game and will give you the competitive advantage.

Break your bad habits and build great new ones with TheLifeHabit.

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