Okay … You’re A Few Games Into The Season And My Question Is … How’s It Going?
now you might answer that question by looking at your win-loss record …
or maybe you’ll look at your stats … are you getting points? … are you stopping pucks?
and these are normal responses … I hear these kinds of answers just about every time I ask someone how things are going …
one of these days I am going to run into a player or coach or parent and they’re going to look me in the eye and they’re going to answer my question like this …
ME: “hey … good to see you … how’s it going?”
YOU: “it’s going great, I am having so much fun this season!”
okay, what just happened here? … why do I love this answer so much?
well here’s why …
when you’re having fun, you’re more likely to be winning games, scoring points, and stopping pucks, and all those other things that people often associate with having a good season …
when you’re having fun, you’re more likely to be developing your game, persevering through adversity, and performing under pressure …
when you’re having fun, everything you do is better … everything!
so let me ask you directly … how’s your season so far, are you having fun?
and I mean it … I’m really asking you this question … are you having fun so far this season?
if not, I strongly recommend that you figure out why and fix it …
I can promise you until you have fun, you can’t be your best … until you have fun, you can’t develop to your potential … until you have fun, you cannot stand out and move up in hockey …
fun is essential for hockey success
okay, so about now half of you are saying “okay wait a minute Kevin … hockey is hard … our team is still trying to find our rhythm, I’m still trying to secure my spot on the first line, we’re playing in a tough league, the coach is a real task-master, we have a tough schedule … blah blah blah
let me tell you this .. the non-fun approach to hockey doesn’t work
if you’re having fun, then awesome … thanks for reading this post but you’re good, keep moving, nothing to see here
if you’re not having fun then you must find out why…
and you might need to do some work … hockey is hard … elite hockey is really hard, and it’s not always fun … so that’s when it’s your job to make it fun … sometimes you need to be proactive to look for ways to make the things you want but that is hard, to make them fun so you can continue to move towards them …
you owe it to yourself … to your future hockey self to get to a place where your hockey journey is fun … not easy, but fun .. and worth it.
okay, so now you might be asking … “how do I make it fun if it isn’t right now?” … well, that’s a great question and I’m glad you asked …
the way you make it fun when something is hard is to remember why you’re doing it in the first place … what do you want out of it? … what are your goals?? … what are the things you do each day to move you closer to those goals? …
if you don’t know, shame on you, you risk wasting your time and money chasing something hard that you don’t even know what the end result you’re looking for … come on! .. you’re better than that …
but I know most of you do have goals … you do know what you want and where you’re going … so then remind yourself of these reasons and get creative on ways to make it fun …
one way is to reward yourself if you reach a goal … give yourself something or do something fun when you reach one of your goals or even a milestone towards your goals … get a new stick, go to a movie, eat a whole pizza yourself … everyone has something that makes them happy … find one of those happys and put it in the front of your mind while you’re doing the unfun thing … pretty soon you’ll transform that thing that you thought was unfun into a means to an end and the happy you’ll get makes the task worthwhile …
bottom line, if you want to move forward and stand out, you need to be having fun along the way … if you’re like most players I work with, your goals are tough .. they hurt sometimes, but the prize is worth the work and that in and of itself makes it fun
so hopefully next time I see you at the rink and ask you “how’s it going”, you’ll smile and say “fun”
Kevin L. Willis, PhD
Sport Psychologist
Level 5 USA Hockey Coach