Life Beyond the Sport
At some point, every athlete faces a version of this question.
Do I try to take this further? Is there a next level for me? Should I pursue it, and if so, at what cost?
This is one of the most significant decisions an athlete makes. And it deserves more than just ambition or fear as a basis.
Read this passage slowly.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5–6 — NIVLet that sit for a second before you move.
Lean not on your own understanding. That’s a difficult instruction for a decision that seems like it should be entirely yours. But the instruction points to something important: the factors that determine whether pursuing the next level is the right choice are larger and more complex than any single perspective can capture. Seek input from people who know you and know the landscape. Pray about it. Hold the decision with more humility than ambition alone produces.
What are the right questions for this decision? Not “do I want to?” — that’s usually yes, and it’s not sufficient. The better questions:
What would I be giving up to pursue this, and is what I’m pursuing worth that cost? The next level always costs something — time, money, relationships, alternative opportunities. The cost is real and deserves honest accounting.
What do people who have watched me compete at the highest level think is realistic? Not the people who love you most — the coaches and scouts and evaluators who have a calibrated view of the level you’re at and the level required.
If the answer is no — if the next level doesn’t work out — who am I and what do I have? The answer to this question should be robust before you stake everything on the next level decision.
The decision is yours. Make it with more information than ambition alone provides.
The right questions for the next level decision: What am I giving up? What do honest evaluators think is realistic? Who am I if the answer is no?
What are the honest answers to those three questions for your specific situation? Take them one at a time.
This is a multi-part honest assessment. Give it real time. The questions are more important than the eventual decision.
Make the decision with more information than ambition alone. Lean not on your own understanding.
This devotional works best as an individual conversation or small group of athletes facing a similar decision. The specificity of the questions requires personalized application.