The Way of the Athlete: The Role of Sports in Building Character for Academic, Business, and Personal Success by Rob Pate is the seventh book I read in the Digest 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge.
If you’re not a joiner and don't want to participate in my Digest 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge, buy my e-book, Digest 30 Books in 30 Days: Reading Makeover Challenge instead?
The Way of the Athlete
Digest 30 Books in 30 Days
Book Bite: Show dedication to the task at hand. Success lies in the hand of discipline. You can only reap what you sow. Pay attention to what needs to be done. You’re accountable for your actions. Outwork and out-read others.
Participating in the digest 30 books in 30 day reading challenge has been an interesting experience for me. It’s often been said that everything is connected and I’m experiencing that right now. As I read the books, I experience deja vu because so many books are connected to each other. Is there anything new under the sun?
I’m excited and wondering how the newfound knowledge will change me and my business. I’ve read some excellent books, but I have to diversify the kinds of books that I’m reading.
If you used some of your isolation time to read books that can help you in your career and business, what difference would it make to/for you?
What is The Way of the Athlete by Rob Pate About?
Let me start off by saying that this book will not be everyone’s cup of tea. There are a lot of biblical references in it. Perhaps a bit of an overkill. I like the book though. It draws parallels between athletic achievement and others areas of achievement in life. The Way of the Athlete is essentially a guide to learning lessons from sports.
The most successful athletes have a strong work ethic. Here are a few of the lessons that you can learn from them.
- Be coachable.
- Develop the habit of working hard.
- Sports is a training ground for leadership.
- Values in athletics transfers to other areas of life.
- Be teachable.
- Make a commitment to grow.
- Develop mental toughness.
- Strong body, strong mind.
- Outread, outwork others.
- Push yourself beyond your comfort zone.
- Maximize the gifts and talents you’ve been given.
- Become disciplined and have a structure to follow.
- Show dedication to the task at hand.
- Have a tunnel vision approach.
- Go the extra mile.
- No one is more important than the team.
There are many more lessons than the ones mentioned above. And any of us can apply them to our careers and businesses. Something I really appreciated in the book is the importance of learning and mastering the fundamentals. When you have a strong foundation, you can always build on it. Learn to grow and appreciate others while on the journey. And this is so important today.
Make sure that you have aspirations that you can move towards. This is necessary even in times such as what the world is experiencing right now. Think about this for a second. Are your expectations reasonable? Dealing with expectations is a part of life. Are you expecting too much from yourself and others? You have to push through during periods of adversity, pushing through the pain.
How you respond during tough times shows your character. Tough times will come, will you stand up and fight? Learn the art of losing well. To win you have to become disciplined. Therefore, you have to learn how to control your emotions. Sounds familiar? If you’ve been reading these articles about the books I’ve been reading during the Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge you’ll notice a familiar thread.
Losing provides significant lessons. Learn the lessons. Everyone experiences failure, how will you respond or how are you responding to failure now? When you develop mental toughness, you develop the ability to perform through difficult circumstances. We’re all vulnerable. You can’t do everything at once, so stop trying. Prioritize and focus on the most important things.
The Way of the Athlete reminds you that hard work and preparation are requirements for success. Accomplishing your goals requires hard work and discipline. Discipline is a powerful force. Pitfalls are an important part of success. So don’t allow them to prevent you from achieving your goals in life. Another important point in the book is that we’ve all been given gifts and talents. Maximize your talents and gifts.
And the things you choose to do as a service to others, make sure that you’re capable of doing them. Don’t take shortcuts. Or if you do, make sure that you’ve mastered the fundamentals and are now taking smartcuts instead of shortcuts. Always have a desire to improve yourself. Learn how to adapt and problem solve.
Books The Way of the Athlete Reminds Me Of
Many of the most successful athletes had to overcome unimaginable situations. It may have taken great effort, but they were able to push themselves beyond limits. These athletes use mental fortitude. And they’re resilient, stubborn, and hard-headed. Do your best to succeed. Realize though that failure helps you to grow. Never be afraid to fail. Realize that perfectionism doesn’t exist, so pick yourself up when you fall down. It’s always better if you try and fail than fail to try.
The book had some important things to say about relationships. All relationships require work. The key to enduring relationships is communication. Failure to communicate can result in disaster. Additionally verbal and nonverbal communication are important. Connect with those around you.
No book covering the topic of the way of the athlete would be worth its weight if it didn’t talk about mindset. This book delivered and emphasized that mindset is important. But it also stressed that tomorrow is promised to no one. Therefore, you need to approach life with determination and grit. Strength and energy condition are also critical elements of success. Have values that allow you to persevere. As I was reading The Way of the Athlete
, I was reminded of the Kon Tiki Expedition
.
Have you read?
Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl – Book Review
Final Thoughts: The Way of the Athlete: Learn the Art of Focus, Discipline and Achievement from Professional Athletes by Rob Pate
Don’t be offended by the religious references. Think of The Way of the Athlete
as a tool you’ll use to learn. That way you can digest the many lessons that will allow you to use them in your business and career.
Have you read?
Confident Career Woman Book 1: Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge
Why Not You Book 2: Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge
Own a Business? You Don’t Need Everyone, You Need 1000 True Fans
You’re Unstoppable: Learn How to Be a No-Limit Person
Start Taking Steps Now to Crush It Post Isolation
Go Suck a Lemon: How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?
How You Can Support Avil
Digest 30 Books in 30 DaysI have two products that will help you to be smarter than your peers. One is a book that you can purchase on Amazon. And the other is the MoreReads: Blueprint to Change the World program I created to help you learn the skills the World Economic Forum says you need to thrive up to 2025. You can buy the program on my website.MoreReads: Blueprint to Change the World
For the MoreReads program, you'll go through the process of picking out the big ideas from the books you read. And you'll also learn how to combine ideas to make them bigger and better.
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