We are all called to serve in some form or fashion and for me it’s grown since moving to Dallas. This is not to be confused with the idea that you sacrifice your own physical and mental health to serve others. It does not mean that you are meant to help everyone, actually I do not believe that you can help everyone. It’s the same reason you do not feel a need to give to every charity in the world…
Maybe you found a meaningful charity or two that touches your heart and soul. The same idea can be applied to a person or a group of people.
This is what I have been able to uncover at deeper layers since moving out to Dallas. I knew nearly a decade ago when creating my first sports training and performance center that it was going to be something much bigger.
I just did not know what that would like or how it would be meaningful to the world. Most importantly though that it had to be meaningful to me. Because when you have been called to serve a critical factor is that it serves you as well. That’s what keeps us moving forward because love creates those powerful emotions and feelings inside ourselves.
We Hear It All The Time
The phrases “We are more than a gym” and “It’s bigger than sports” at sports performance gyms are tossed around commonly now. Honestly they have become almost meaningless because everyone is saying them…
You have to continue to ask questions like what my mentor, Deberah Bringelson, FAVORITE question is. That question is “What’s under that”…
I have continued to ask myself that same question in order to serve young athletes, parents and families at the highest level. At the beginning is whenever I started to understand the idea that I was not just coaching but empowering people. I was not just a coach but rather a guide or mentor.
The more I look at coaches within the industry they pour their knowledge into athletes that no doubt will help them improve performance in the short term. But the problem lies down the road. How will these same young athletes and kids adapt to life after sports?
What’s Next For Dallas Sports
Those same coaches are serving their audience in terms of sports but sadly missing the boat when it comes to life after sports and more specifically their mental health. Young kids walk through gym doors every single day talking about goals that do not really excite them…
They talk about their goals they feel will make their parents happy. They follow up discussing a life that they feel will be appealing to their friends and society. Living countless years with imposter syndrome…
It’s no wonder that kids today are more worried, stressed and anxious than ever before. Just take a look at the stats below:
A study done by the American College Health Association found:
21% of male athletes felt depressed
27% of female athletes felt depressed
32% of male athletes felt anxiety
49% of female athletes felt anxiety
They found even more alarming stats
9.8% of students seriously considered harming themselves
6.7% reported intentional self-harm
81.7% felt exhausted (not from physical activity)
A Fresh Perspective Is Needed
In the thousands of student-athletes we have worked with we found one common denominator is finding someone they can trust and connect with. They report that being sent to team therapist’s oftentimes makes them feel as if something is wrong with them and fear coaches learning what they say.
This means that there is a need for an outside voice, which improves overall student wellness, increases academic and athletic performance and takes pressure and stress away from themselves.
I Found The Next Level
I thought I had it all figured out prior to moving to Dallas. Then you realize as Deberah preaches the journey of uncovering never truly ends…
It appeared my calling was through empowering and mentoring others. Helping young adults design the life they desire and helping parents reduce stress about their kids. It’s why I became obsessed with reading everything I could get my hands on. I poured time, energy and money into events and interviewing others that were empowering people at a higher level than me.
The last six or seven months I began to take an audit on what I was doing compared to others who were serving hundreds of thousands, even millions. One of the common denominators was their ability to empower through stories…
That was the next level for me. It was about being able to language my framework of mentorship through stories that would give both parents and children the same AHA moment that I had. Instead they would have their moment at a much younger age to skyrocket their lives quickly. It would be able to take years or even decades of stress and headaches away.
Argyle Texas Mentorship
Consider this, if you tell a child and honestly many parents how important a mentor or guide is for their life. It really gets blown off and pushed to the side. Maybe they have “heard” it before but they do not understand yet what it would do for their life.
The other side of the coin most coaches especially in the sports world do not feel comfortable enough to talk about things like mental health.
Even for me it’s always a risk to stand in front of a crowd of athletes and parents and talk about things like suicide. I have given presentations, then had parents and coaches call me afterwards to tell me how inappropriate that topic is…
Inappropriate? That’s the problem right there, no one wants to bring it up. How do you think that makes kids feel? I will answer for you, it makes them feel trapped! It makes them feel like they have to burrow those emotions and feelings or they are weak.
Isn’t that the exact opposite of empowerment?
What If Your Child Was Set For Life
What would that mean to you as a parent or athlete? Can you put a price tag on that? A price on saving you from years and decades of stress or depression? What if it saved your child’s life?
It’s the reason most parents try to price a sports training program like a commodity. When things get labeled as a commodity the natural inclination is to use price as the determining factor…
And that’s why most gyms are competing with each other on price. They look around to see what competitors are charging and base their services from that.
The underlying factor on that is because those same gyms are unable to provide added value. As I have preached non stop about when you go into a gym they immediately begin talking about their service or fancy equipment. Maybe even their super scientific program…
Alert! Your child is going through WAY more than sports!
Built Different
It made me realize that I needed to share my story more. I needed to get LOUD! It’s time to engage in even more conversations to listen and share my story when appropriate because it’s not about me; it’s about the kids, parents and families.
Something like this can be the greatest investment in your child.
I’m in a new town, new city and new state. That’s where the “build” in the title comes from. I have been called to serve the young adults of this town.
Before I moved to Dallas I bumped into someone asking me what I did for a living. I have my two sentence speal and I could tell from his facial expressions he was basically telling me “that’ll never work”…
And in a very arrogant way I said “This town and Dallas doesn’t know what they don’t know yet”
Yes, you read that right. I said it arrogantly because I knew I was coming here to serve them at a higher purpose than they had ever seen or experienced. By the way if you have not ever dropped some arrogant statements in your life, you gotta try one. It’ll really make you feel good because you walk away knowing you stood for what you believed in!
Dallas Sports Mentorship
Guess what…I have had the doors open in Dallas for almost exactly 2 months and the word is spreading. There are more kids from sports that had been preached to that “sports performance centers” are not needed walking through the doors…
Parents are calling and talking less about sports and more about having a mentor or guide in their child’s life. Trust me the sports performance will take care of itself.
I have been sitting on a book I wrote and getting that revised and published. Writing for larger publications. Invited to speak with teams, universities and corporations across the country…
Like I said I am ready to get LOUD! A wave of empowerment, confidence and love is starting to flood the area!