Contentment in Sports: What Are You Defined By?

I just received a text from a coach who recently lost one of his players to suicide.

Allison was barely a teenager. She played competitive soccer. I do not know what she was carrying or what led to this tragedy, but I do know that many athletes are struggling silently right now.

I want to use this moment to teach an incredibly powerful concept: contentment.

Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire is an Oscar-winning movie that tells the story of two runners who were part of the 1924 British Olympic team:

Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams.

These two men shared a lot in common—running was a very important part of their lives.

But there was one thing that made them very, very different: the way they measured success.

There’s a scene in the film where Abrahams is talking to another runner, Aubrey. Abrahams says to him, “You, Aubrey, are my most complete man. You’re brave, compassionate, kind: a content man. That is your secret, contentment; I am 24 and I’ve never known it. I’m forever in pursuit and I don’t even know what I am chasing.”

Abrahams continues: “I'm scared. And now in one hour's time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor—four feet wide with ten lonely seconds to justify my whole existence.”

In the words of Jordan Raynor, “Even the prospect of winning terrified the Olympian. ‘I've known the fear of losing, but now I'm almost too frightened to win,’ said Abrahams. If he lost the race, he also lost his sense of self.”

What about Eric Liddell?

“When I run, I feel God's pleasure.”

Notice Eric Liddell did not say, “When I win, I feel pleasure.”

Simply, “When I run”...

Liddell won gold. The difference? He didn't need it.

It reminds me of Scottie Scheffler, the number-one-ranked golfer in the world. He doesn't need to win. From what I have gathered, Tiger Woods needed to win to feel valuable, worthy, fulfilled...

What does this have to do with you, athlete?

This is an opportunity to pause and reflect. Are you more like Eric Liddell right now, or are you more like Harold Abrahams? Do you need to win, or do you just want to win?

Step one is admitting where you are.

Step two is sharing that with a trusted coach or mentor.

Step three is beginning to do the work to rediscover who you are and why you matter outside of athletics.

Interestingly enough, when you get the order right, you feel better and play better.

What’s the secret?

Eric Liddell's secret, just like Scottie Scheffler's, was that he knew that before he was a runner, he was a beloved child of God.

Both Scheffler and Liddell knew at their core that God was pleased with them and just loved watching them compete in the sport He had gifted them the ability to play.

The same is true for you, athlete.

Imagine what it would be like to know you don’t need the scholarship, the win, the accolades, or the approval of any person in order to be full.

When you play from victory—knowing that you are already chosen, already loved, already worthy—rather than striving toward victory, everything changes for the better.

Do you need to have Liddell’s or Scheffler’s worldview in order to be content and fulfilled even when you fall short by the world's standards of success?

I’m not sure I can answer that.

But what I do know is that knowing who you are in Christ is a proven path to the peace, contentment, and joy in sports and life that you desire.

Dedicated to your athlete’s success in sports and life,

Coach Andrew

P.S. If you are new to my mindset coaching community or this email list, this is not a typical email from me. I am a dedicated follower of Jesus. He is the most important thing in my life, and that is the foundation from which I teach and coach.

However, if you choose to stay on this list, you and your athlete will get plenty of valuable emails from me that do not talk about faith explicitly—unless, of course, I deem it necessary.

In this case, it 100% was.

Please pray for Allison’s family—the young lady whom I mentioned at the top of this message. I can only imagine the heartbreak they are experiencing right now.