As a professional basketball player turned coach, business owner and public speaker I am constantly helping people improve their skills in sports and in life. Thought and planning in life is required if you hope to be successful and happy. A danger that all young athletes face is a peril I call “Pedestal Disorder or PD.”
PD is the feeling of being put on a pedestal because you have excelled in some sports activity or any talent where you are honored and encouraged. People suggest that you could be in the Olympics or play professionally; a great dream. It feels good but it can cloud your judgment. The danger of PD is that you then spend 100 percent of your time on achieving this single dream, skipping your education and not learning skills which might have allowed you to make a living outside of the dream.
Let’s be realistic, less than 3 percent of the 11,000 athletes that compete in the Olympics will win a gold medal. How many more never make it? Your chances of becoming a professional sports player are heavily weighted against you. Nowadays, you are competing against athletes from all over the world. If one-thousandth of the world’s population are athletes, that is over 7 million people. Narrow this down to a specific sport and position and your odds are probably better at winning “Mega-Millions.”
Even with natural talent, finely honed skills and a squeaky clean personal life, luck has a huge influence on who actually makes it. While playing professional sports is a great dream, it is not something to bet your life and happiness on achieving, at least not without a good backup plan.
Smart athletes make realistic life decisions. While they work toward the dream, they use their educational opportunities to also build a career. This career can replace the dream if necessary: in case of injury, being cut from the team, or deciding it wasn’t all that much fun anyway.
Smart athletes prepare for life without the dream. Smart athletes can see that the fall off a pedestal can be a long, painful one if you have not already built a trampoline for yourself at the bottom. It is fun feeling like you are on a pedestal, but don’t let it sabotage your life. Build a backup plan.
At ATTACK Basketball Academy, I spend as much time coaching life readiness as I do basketball and wellness skills. I believe life skills are equally as important as court skills for success. Balancing my business, public speaking and personal life allows me to enjoy time with my lovely wife and two adorable children and be active in my community. And I always have a Plan B.
Charlie Miller is an entrepreneur, public speaker, and master basketball trainer. He has owned his business, ATTACK Basketball Academy for 6 years and is passionate about mentoring the youth of today. You can contact him by email at charlie@attackbball.com.
