What it takes to get to the next level. 4 things you might want to consider.

In this blog post I want to focus my attention to the younger athlete's in the youth sports association who are developing and trying to make it to the next level with their own personal sport that they pursue

Who wants to be great? You need to ask yourself this question and have daily meditation time to lock in and focus on what you're doing to become great. Are you doing enough? Daily meditation is good for players to take sometime to relax and evaluate their work ethic and the time they are putting in for their sports. Ask yourself these questions and revisit these often to make sure your answers are what you want them to be every single time. If you don't like your answer then you have time the next week to sit down and revisit and make sure your answers are different. 

This is a great quote, "You have to vision yourself being great in order to achieve what YOU want."

Do you have goals? Goals are something every kid should have growing up. If you don't have goals what are you working for? In order to achieve success in anything you do in life you need goals. What is the purpose to working hard and putting all the time in if you're not after any reward? You're essentially wasting time because no matter how hard you work if you don't have a purpose or something you're working towards or trying to achieve it will get very discouraging if you're not ever seeing results that you want. So make a planner. Make a goal worksheet and write them down and ponder them often so you can evaluate yourself on how you're doing and track the progress you're making. 

Do you have a role model? Do you have an individual that you rely on? That you watch in sports? If it's not an athlete that is totally fine, but make sure you have someone you want to be like or find someone who will motivate you like no tomorrow. For me, I have many. I had many role models in my life growing up, I had many players I wanted to be like and even family figures I strived to take after my older siblings for sure, along with my parents. I looked up to them athletically and as a person as well. These figures in your life that you choose to look to strive to be like don't always have to be for athletics, who you define yourself as a person is far greater to importance then just being a big time athlete. So find yourself someone to be like or that will motivate you to a higher level and challenge you in many ways. That's what it takes to stay motivated and on course.

Are you holding yourself accountable? This question is very hard for many to answer but it's for sure the most important one to be asking yourself if you truly want to get to the next level. When you're not pushing yourself to the max or making yourself work hard you need to have punishments for yourself to get you back on track. If you never fail yourself how can you rise to the top? Holding yourself accountable for the times you skip workouts or cut the day short or take a couple days off is when you need to make a punishment for yourself and get back on track. All athlete's have cheat days where they just aren't feeling good or feeling motivated. It happens. But when you have these days and cheat yourself make it hurt. Make it uncomfortable and make yourself always taste success of some sort. Don't just let yourself off easy without paying your dues to get back on track and get yourself motivated again.

A little about myself and why I wrote this blog to you. I write this blog to you kids who have dreams you are chasing. I write this blog to the whole youth sports recreational association for all youth to be able to hear my story and be able to gain some knowledge in these regards. I chose the youth because when I was a young boy if I read something like this I would of done things different and pushed myself harder and been more grateful for the opportunity I have had and still have. My name is Brantzen Blackner I am from Cedar City Utah and am 20 years old and i'm married to the love of my life Josie Anna. 

When I was a youth I had many goals and aspirations to play college basketball and make it to the next level for basketball. I had my goals written down and I even told my family, friends, coaches etc about them. I now am in my 3rd year playing college basketball and currently play for Westminster College in Salt Lake City Utah. I achieved my goals thanks to these steps and I chose this 4 questions to discuss and put on my blog post because they are the most important ones in my opinion. Following these 4 steps I have put myself in a situation to have all my college paid for and a chance to play college basketball for 4 years after high school. Not many kids get to grow up and be able to do this. If I did it I believe so can YOU! Follow these steps and believe in yourself even when you don't feel like anyone else does. Don't ever quit the course and always focus on these steps and believe. I hope I hear about this method working for you as it did for me. Go get what you want with athletics. The power within you is what you're built with. Go Get It.