Injury as a jumping off point...

Injuries can be an opportunity for growth or a vessel of self destruction. The deciding factor? Willingness to overcome.

Far too often we see athletes at all levels sustain an injury that changes the very dynamic of their life, for some, the dynamic of the sport itself!

Even more so than the shock and aw of the undeniably painful outcome of a sports injury is the triumph and rally of a competitor returning to the battle field iron clad with new found strength, speed, and understanding of his/her body. For some, an injury is an invitation to a life of cessation. For others, it's the opportunity of a lifetime.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all live in moderate fear of getting injured, I surely hope at least most are conscientious of the plausibility. So when that day comes and you're lying on your back in agony as you watch your teammates / friends / family gather around to see if you're alright, just know that this isn't the end, but the beginning of a new journey.

Usually I write about current and applicable topics, not something that foresights pain ahah. But if we are to visualize our successes in sports & fitness, why not visualize our down falls and prepare equally for our comeback as we do for our conquest for success. Preparation lives on both sides of the fence, and you're the landlord.

From personal experience, sustaining a clavicular dislocation and AC joint tear in grade 10 was undeniably one of the best things to happen to me. It lit a fire in me that has yet to die out. The very thought of missing out on the rugby season, a start date of some 6 months away, left me determined and hell bent on doing anything and everything to get through that injury fitter then i'd ever been before. That injury was a vessel for my physical transformation, mental maturation, and deep seeded passion for sport & fitness.

Long story short, I put in the work so consistently that I not only was ready for rugby, I was able to return to play some months earlier and finish out the whole basketball season. I was fitter, stronger, and more understanding of my mind and body. What at the time seemed like a season ending injury was the tree in which i'd pick my fruit of passion.

Don't look at your downfalls as failures, look at them as a step towards a better you!

"Progression is built through consistency and tested by Passion"

JB