The Top 3 Lessons Athletes Should Take Away From This Coronavirus Pandemic

It's day whatever of the coronavirus quarantine and truth be told, I'm trying my best not to go stir crazy.

There are no sports on TV.

Social media is more crowded than it's ever been before.

Even leaving the house to take a quick walk is a struggle because every time I get outside I have to run back in to grab my mask.

I think everyone can agree that we're all over this shit, but hey, we have to do what's necessary to get past it right?

And I'm not trying to be cynical here. Obviously, it's easy to look at this situation in a negative light.

But I'd rather take the "glass half full" approach and recognize the crisis at hand as something we can all learn from. And more specifically, what athletes can learn from it.

I once read a quote that said, "There are no good or bad things in life. There are only events and the ways you choose to look at them."

So here are 3 key lessons that I believe athletes should take away from experiencing this coronavirus pandemic:

Nothing in life is guaranteed, including your career.

I think this crisis has proven to us all that your career, let alone your life, is extremely fragile and can be taken away in second.

It shouldn't take something like this for us to remember that, but sometimes it does.

For athletes, this means that every time you step out on the field or on the court, give it everything you got.

It sounds so cliche, but damn it's so true. I look back on how fast my basketball career went by and literally can't believe it. There were many practices and days I took for granted because my mindset was, "There's always tomorrow," and "I'll just chill today."

But, no. One day, tomorrow won't come – so live your fullest life today.

Take advantage of every opportunity. Explore all that you can. And don't ever do things when your heart isn't in them.

Preparation should never be undervalued.

You prepare for practice. You prepare for games. You even prepare for the draft. But athletes almost never prepare for life after sports.

Why should preparation end where the game does? The truth is that it shouldn't and preparing for life is arguably the most important preparation you could do.

And you don't have to look at it as "life after sports." Dual careers are common internationally when it comes to athletes so you could take that approach and pursue other things while you're still playing.

Coronavirus has upended athletic careers worldwide, but I'm sure the athletes who have developed their identity outside of sports are the ones who are handling it better than the ones who didn't.

You have to take your life as seriously as you do your game.

Going back to point one, you never know what you got until it's gone. And one day that will happen to every athlete.

Opportunities come to those who build a brand and are genuine about it.

I've been seeing a lot of athletes be more active on social.

They're engaging with their audience. They're talking to the people. They're spreading love and positivity, ensuring people that we will arise stronger and better when this is over.

This, right here. This is brand-building.

The athletes who take full advantage of this "free" time will reap the benefits later down the line.

Especially the athletes who utilize LinkedIn. Landon Wolf is a student-athlete at Oklahoma State, and since the pandemic started, I've literally seen him pop up on my LinkedIn feed every single day.

He's not the only athlete, but that kind of activity impresses me because he's definitely one that gets it. I wish I would have had the foresight to do the same when I was in school.

I know you've probably heard me say this before so you know that brand building doesn't happen in just a few months. It's about consistent, authentic and engagement over a very long time period.

The student-athletes and pro athletes that realize this and strike while they have the down-time, will be the athletes that will take off in the next several years to come.

Mark my words.

Lastly...

Understand that this crisis is a small bump in the road.

Sports will recover. Athletes will have their careers and jobs back. Life will relatively go back to normal.

But the lessons that you're able to learn from this experience will last you a lifetime so that when the next major pandemic or life-altering event happens you'll know what to do.

They say that true wealth is built in times of peril. I like to believe that the hardest life lessons are found their too. Don't let this moment slip away because you choose to look at it the wrong way.

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