I just got back from Justin Kavanaugh’s Mastermind on Sunday night and there’s something he said at the beginning of the event that stuck with me.
“Environment always wins.”
This quote stuck with me and I thought about it during the four-hour ride back home. It’s a simple quote, but it’s powerful and there’s so much truth behind it.
I could write another post on all the things I’ve learned, but, instead, I wanted to take that simple quote and show how it applies to the athletes I work with.
You see, every time I leave one of these events, it’s like I leave a different person than the one I came in as. I always leave more motivated, ready to better myself as a coach and work even harder.
The things I’ve learned certainly help, but it’s the people and conversations I’m surrounded by. I’m surrounded by successful coaches and practitioners and just being in the same room as them makes me a better coach. On top of that, they are also great people.
A lesson I learned early on in life is that not everybody wants you to win. You see it all the time, you lay out your goals to someone who isn’t a part of your world or isn’t really motivated by much, and they are ready to shut you down and tell you why it’s not possible. It’s almost like they get satisfaction telling you that you can’t do it.
What you have to understand is, when I’m in these rooms, I’m surrounded by people that are far more successful and well-known than I am. I’m surrounded by practitioners that know way more than I do and professional bodybuilders and powerlifters that are great coaches and are way more jacked and strong than I am. If anybody could swat my goals down like a fly, it’s them.
But, they don’t. Successful and driven people don’t do that. I tell them my goals and aspirations and they listen. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t just tell me dream it and it will come true. But, they give me action steps on what I need to do if I truly want to get to where I say I want to. And then they hold me accountable. When you’re around quality people that are great at what they do, it’s a combination that can’t be beat.
Now, for where this comes into play for my athletes. If you compete that means you have goals. You might have goals that seem out of the ordinary. It might be to make a certain team, reach certain accolades or metrics or play at the college level and beyond. Not only do you need to work hard every day, but you need to put yourself in the right environment that’s going to help facilitate that growth.
Being in the right environment reminds me of a conversation I had with Josh Diaz while we were training at Owl Hollow Park. I was telling him a story about a game I saw and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’s played with high-level ball players for so long that he doesn’t even understand that there’s a world where not every pitcher throws in the mid 80s and that not every hitter can rip a ball 300-plus feet in the opposite-field gap. I joked that he’s been playing high-level baseball for so long that he doesn’t even know what average looks like.
But that’s why he’s one of the best players in the state for his age group and works like an animal every session. He’s constantly in an environment where he’s coached hard and surrounded by the best ball players in the country.
You’re going to hear that your goal is unrealistic and not achievable. If you let that get into your head and not work hard, then it will become true. Put yourself in environments where you’re around players that are disciplined, on the same track and even around those that are better than you. It will push you to become the best version of yourself.
Average is the enemy of great. Put in the work and surround yourself with people that want to do the same and you’ll get to where you want to be.