Create the Culture

By Dana Cavalea
This article is being written due to some common trends I am seeing as I work with athletes at both the youth and professional levels. More often than not, especially in the game of baseball, athletes will spend all day working on their swing and fielding and developing arm strength, but when it comes to working on their bodies from a physical standpoint, the desire and work ethic is virtually non-existent.

It is at this point where you start to look beyond the athlete, and more towards the people he surrounds himself with, or is surrounded by. Work ethic and the desire for high achievement is often a product of the athletes environment and upbringing. This isn't saying that in order to have great work ethic your parents have had to work 15 hrs. per day during your upbringing, but what it does show is the type of environment and culture was created for you during your youth.

The premise behind this article is the fact that athletes need to be immersed in this type of no-nonsense, desire to be great atmosphere. Parents and coaches should create this atmosphere if they truly aspire for their athletes to reach the next level of competition both on and off the field.
This lack of work ethic isn't solely apparent in sport, but in the real world as well. There is a reason why there are so few entrepreneurs in our society; it takes work, diligence, and a burning desire for success.

When working with my athletes I often see that some of them are distracted or make excuses on why they can't workout, or put in a pre batting practice warm-up, but this is where the leader needs to step in and get inside their minds and teach them the importance, but most importantly show them the benefit to their career and long term goals by doing these little things. As we all know, life is a game of inches, and its each one of these little inches that creates the whole. Athletes and coaches alike need to start thinking in this regard, and watch those inches add up over time, which will create an amazing end result that was build upon progression and growth over time.

As a coach, if you are able to inspire your athlete for greatness and accept nothing less from them, you are doing your part in helping to Create the Culture. As a coach, it is up to you what you want your culture to be. This culture could be one of laziness, or of a burning desire to succeed and accept nothing less. Often times, athletes are a reflection on their previous coaching, so as a coach, if you think about this, your athletes are reflection of you.

From the athlete standpoint, it is imperative that you wake up each day and ask yourself what you could do today to get better. If your coach hasn't created the culture for you, a true champion will create it on his own, and inspire those around him.

When entering the business world, those that are able to work diligently, meet and exceed goals, and most importantly inspire other around them to achieve greatness often are blessed with many riches both from a positional standpoint and from a financial standpoint.

Work ethic is not entirely something you are born with, but rather a trait that is developed form within by your family, coaches, and environment. The cliché you are who your friends are is entirely true. If you surround yourself with bad, it is easier for your mind to move in that direction, but when you surround yourself with success, the end result is usually success.
From this point on, in whatever you are doing in life, you have 2 choices; Join the current Culture, or Create the Culture. The choice is yours. But just remember, should you choose to be a sculptor and create, the complacent and lazy never went anywhere fast!
Train Hard, Train Smart, Get Good.

Dana Cavalea is a Sports Performance Consultant specializing in baseball performance training. In addition he works with many professional sports teams, athletes, and colleges' educating on the importance of training, nutrition, and lifestyle for sport.In addition he is the owner of Major League Strength, http://www.mlstrength.com, a sports performance consulting company designed to educate and create awareness on advancements in the field of sports performance training for coaches and athletes.

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