There’s always something special about the beginning of a New Year. There’s an excitement and anticipation that comes with new beginnings, fresh starts, and new perspectives. Many of you probably made New Years resolutions, or maybe you just joked around about not being able to keep them. Nevertheless, I’m sure a few thoughts have crossed your mind about what you are hoping to do better this year than you did last year. You may have a few regrets about the friendships you did (or didn’t) invest in. You may be wishing you made better decisions and surrounded yourself with more positive influences than negative. Or, maybe you realize that you could have put a little more effort into the organization of your school work and staying on track with the forever-long list of requirements you need to meet to be ready for high school graduation. I’ve been there.
I want to challenge you to not think of this new year as a year to run away from your past mistakes, but rather look at this new year as an opportunity to intentionally run toward the future you desire. There’s a difference between running from something and being intentional in pursuit of the goals you want to reach. Here are some tips for beginning your year with the end in mind and making 2016 one of your most memorable (and productive) years yet.
1. Determine Your End Zone.
I just finished my seventh year in the National Football League as a Running back. Since I was a little boy, one thing has stayed consistent in my training – my end zone. As a kid, I trained to have tunnel vision to get to a certain destination on the field. Throughout the years, the training in how I played may have been tweaked, but my vision for where I was going never changed. It always remained constant. When you have a destination that you’re focused on arriving at, and in this case an “end zone,” it’s much easier to stay on track and not get diverted off the field. If I did not have a destination that I was trying to reach, I’d never put points on the board or achieve what I set out to. This applies to our lives as well.
Without having a vision for where you want to go in life, without having a vision for the type of young man or woman that you want to be, you’ll always get distracted and pulled in a million different directions – often taking paths that won’t land you at the destination you want to reach.
So I ask you, what does your end zone look like? What do you want to be known for when you leave this earth? What are your values? What will you stand up for, and what will you not? Try to answer these questions for yourself. You can even jot them down somewhere. Having a general idea of where you want to go in 2016 is the first step to starting this year off right, and it will also help keep you on the track to getting where you want to go after high school.
2. Be where your feet are until you get them where you want them to go.
During last year’s New York Giants training camp, the media asked me a question about the upcoming season. I simply answered, “I am excited about this upcoming season, but right now I am just focused on being where my feet are.”
All too frequently we daydream about where we want to go instead of doing something NOW to get there. I encourage you to take an adequate assessment of where you are now and challenge you to maximize doing the very best that you can in your current situations instead of complaining about them or wishing you were further along in your dream. Let’s think of football for a second. It sounds simple, but to succeed in anything in life it’s important to re-visit the basics. If I am trying to advance down the football field and get in the end zone, I have to run one yard before I can run two. As a matter of fact, I have to line up on the line of scrimmage before I even have the opportunity to advance one yard. I say that to say this: There’s order in everything we do. Without order and taking full advantage of being where your feet are and doing what you can NOW, you’ll never get to where you want to be later. Fall in love with the process instead of the outcome. Trust me, the vision you have set for your end zone is worth it.
3. In 2016, be the change you want to see.
It sounds like a cliché quote, I know. But hear me out. There are so many of you who will change the world. In fact, every single one of you is capable of doing so in whichever sphere of influence you have. The problem comes when you fall for this “out of touch,” media-driven world that tells you the only people who can influence others and make a difference in the world are the “influencers” and celebrities. Don’t get me wrong. I am very thankful for the platform I have been given as a professional athlete, but I want to see everyone using their platform to create change. Right now, your platform is in your classrooms, on your sports teams, and in your communities; it’s the kids that you babysit and your co-workers. This year, recognize that you have purpose to use your platform. I challenge you to pioneer change. You all have passions. All of ours are different in some way. Those passions will lay dormant and will never be tapped into if you don’t start exploring them and utilizing them for good. Don’t sit around waiting for the next person to do it for you. Use your feet to take a step in the direction that you want to go. Realize you can change the world in 2016, then go do it. Be that guy and be that girl that makes a difference.
Well, there you have it. It’s not enough to run away from 2015. Let’s intentionally run towards all that 2016 has to offer.
I will be cheering you on as you make your way down the field to your end zone.
-Rashad
