The Importance of “Purpose” to Parents Raising Athletes
Raising children is one of the most rewarding aspects of a life well spent. First of all, seeing a little person grow into a big person while nurturing, providing, mentoring, and loving along this journey is simply an amazing experience.
Then on top of this, imagine raising a child who is also an athlete. Unquestionably, this amazement multiplies exponentially. So much so that many parents lose themselves when raising athletes.
How I Lost Myself Raising My Sons
I’m a good example of this happening. For the first several years when my oldest son began playing competitive sports, his wins were my wins and his losses were my losses. This became a problem for me.
Unfortunately, when I ended my sports career in college, there was a bitter taste in my mouth. Not only did my college football career end unceremoniously, my last wrestling match in high school was a complete and utter disappointment.
So when my son started playing sports I was determined for him to be better than me. I saw him as my opportunity to rewrite history and overcome my regrets. In short, my purpose in life became my son’s athletic career. I was making the all too common mistake of living vicariously through my son.
How to Not Live Vicariously Through Your Kids
I don’t have to explain why living vicariously through your children is a problem. It’s pretty obvious. What’s not so obvious is how to overcome the powerful gravitational pull to vicarious living that former athletes raising athletes experience.
I don’t have a secret formula to answer this question. However, I do have a solution that is working for me and that is also working for many others like me. That answer is the Finding Your Forte program.
The Finding Your Forte program is a process that helps people like you and me define their purpose. It’s a program that was developed by my mentor Reggie Hammond through his company Your Crescendo.
When I began working with Your Crescendo, and found my “forte” (my purpose), my life changed. I stopped living vicariously through my son and started living my life. Reggie helped me develop my purpose statement, which is to help young athletes and their parents unlock their hidden genius.
I know for a fact that every parent who is living vicariously through their children’s athletic career is missing out on living up to their own true potential. This is a scary thought for many. I know it was for me. The first time I read my purpose statement out loud shivers ran through my body. I was afraid, and this fear almost paralyzed me. But I knew following my purpose was the best thing I could do both for myself and my two sons. Furthermore, Reggie wouldn’t let me off the hook. His encouragement kept me moving forward.
Your Path to a Purpose Driven Life
The reality is that following a purpose outside of raising your kids is a must. It’s the only way to reach your true potential. In addition, it’s the best way to take the pressure off your kids and put the fun back into their youth sports journey. I can’t stress this enough.
If you want to change your life like me by participating in the Finding Your Forte program, I would love to show you how. What’s more, helping you would be helping me fulfill my purpose. Please contact me here so we can start you on your path to a purpose driven life.