Success is rarely built from one giant moment. It comes from stacking small decisions every single day.
Choosing to train when you do not feel like it. Choosing to eat foods that fuel performance. Choosing sleep instead of staying up all night gaming. Choosing recovery instead of laziness. Choosing to protect your mindset from negativity and distractions.
These decisions may seem small in the moment, but over an entire summer they create massive separation.
By August, disciplined athletes look different. They move differently. They think differently. They compete differently.
Take Care of Your Body
Your body is your foundation as an athlete. If you neglect it, performance eventually suffers.
Summer is the perfect time to:
Build strength and power
Improve speed and conditioning
Focus on mobility and injury prevention
Establish better nutrition habits
Prioritize sleep and recovery
High performers understand recovery is not weakness — it is preparation. Proper hydration, sleep, stretching, mobility work, and nutrition are part of training, not separate from it.
For high school student-athletes, summer can become one of two things:
A season of growth… or a season of excuses.
There are no school bells. No teachers checking attendance. No mandatory team workouts every day. No structured routine forcing accountability. Summer gives athletes freedom — and freedom reveals discipline.
The athletes who continue to improve during the summer are usually the same athletes who eventually separate themselves during the season. Why? Because high performers understand something many athletes miss:
Discipline is not something you turn on when coaches are watching. It is a lifestyle.
High performers take care of their body, mind, and spirit. They plan and execute good self-care habits and have the discipline to maintain those habits even when nobody is checking on them.
That is what makes them different.
Your Competition Is Training
While some athletes are sleeping until noon, skipping workouts, eating poorly, and spending hours scrolling social media, others are building habits that will change their future.
Someone is getting stronger. Someone is improving their speed. Someone is studying film. Someone is recovering properly. Someone is becoming mentally tougher.
The reality is simple: college coaches recruit athletes who are dependable, disciplined, and consistent. Talent matters, but discipline often determines who reaches their potential.
Over the course of this series, we’ve talked about goal setting, raising your standard, recovery as a year-round priority, and the characteristics of high-performing athletes. This final piece brings everything together by focusing on one defining difference between average athletes and elite ones:
High-performing athletes don’t just set goals—they map the process to reach them.
Talent alone doesn’t create success. Neither does motivation. What separates high performers is clarity, confidence, and a detailed plan they commit to executing every day.
High-Performing Athletes Have a Clear Vision—and Confidence in That Vision
High-performing athletes (HPAs) know exactly what they want. They can see it. They believe in it. And they are intentional about mapping out what it will take to make it happen.
In all my years of coaching, I have never known an athlete who was born great. But I have known many athletes who became great—because they had a clear vision, understood what they wanted to achieve, and were confident they could get there.
That confidence doesn’t come from hype or ego. It comes from preparation. When an athlete knows the path, trusts the process, and commits to the work, confidence follows naturally.
The Elite Mindset: There Is Always Another Level
Inside the mind of a high-performing athlete is a constant drive to improve. They are never satisfied with where they are, even when they are performing at a high level.
For HPAs, the ceiling is glass—it exists to be broken.
Elite athletes believe improvement is always possible. They actively look for ways to get better, sharper, faster, and more consistent. Even at the top of their game, they understand that better coaching, better habits, and better execution provide the edge needed to break through to the next level.
This is why high performers seek feedback instead of avoiding it. They don’t fear coaching—they pursue it. Growth lives on the other side of discomfort.
Vision Without a Plan Is Just a Wish
High-performing athletes don’t stop at vision. They are intentional about mapping out a plan to reach their goals.
They ask the hard questions:
What skills must I develop?
What physical standards do I need to reach?
What habits must I build daily?
Who do I need coaching from?
How will I measure progress?
Once the plan is clear, execution becomes the priority. HPAs know exactly what it takes to achieve their goals—and they commit to doing those things consistently.
They don’t rely on hope. They rely on structure.
The Process Is the Advantage
The difference between athletes who dream and athletes who achieve is the willingness to plan, prepare, and execute relentlessly.
High-performing athletes:
Clarify their vision
Believe they can reach it
Map the process step by step
Seek coaching and feedback
Execute daily, even when it’s hard
That process—done consistently over time—is what creates breakthroughs.
Final Challenge
As you close this series and move forward, challenge yourself with this question:
Do I have a clear vision—and have I mapped the process to get there?
Goals are powerful. Standards are necessary. Recovery and habits matter. But it’s the plan—and your commitment to executing it—that ultimately determines success.
High-performing athletes don’t wait to be great. They build greatness—one intentional day at a time.
At the start of the new year, I began as series focused on 6 major characteristics of high performing athletes. Often, I am asked about the what it takes for an athlete to reach a a high performance level beyond natural ability. So, after making a long list, researching top athletes, and persistent review I came up with 6 common characteristics. Obviously, these six characteristics is not an exhaustive list, however, I am certain that some form of these characteristics are prevalent in the life, mind and practices of anyone that is considered to be a high performing athletes.
Any athlete who desires to perform at the highest level must exercise a extra-ordinary amount of disciple. (Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash)
The summary of the 6 characteristics are:
High performing athletes are able to clarify the vision and path to reach their goals.
High performance athletes measure results repeatedly. They do this to discover areas of progress as well as weaknesses.
High-performing athletes take full responsibility. They take complete ownership of their actions, their plans, and their purpose.
High performing athletes possess “want to”. They willfully want to practice and put in the extra reps. This characteristic is often partnered with words like passion, desire, drive and determination.
High performing athletes take care of their body, mind and spirit. They plan and execute good self care habits and have the discipline to maintain those habits.
High performing athletes seek out great coaching. They intentionally look for and listen to coaches who can help them break through to the next level.
Now that you are aware of these six characteristics, the next question to consider is what is the common denominator ties them together? In my opinion that denominator is discipline. Any athlete who desires to perform at the highest level must exercise a extra-ordinary amount of disciple. Almost to a level that seems obsessive when compared to those around him/her. High performing athletes know that to make their goals into reality uncompromising discipline is a must.
This week I continue to outline major characteristics of high performing athletes (HPAs). For this week, the characteristics is one of those easily identifiable traits. It’s one that is so obvious that it makes other athletes (and often their parents) envious. I would further go on to say that this characteristic is one that can be learned. Its is like a match struck and put to a fire, smoldering then suddenly bursting into flame.
This week I want to outline a characteristic in high performing athletes that is best described as “want to”. This characteristic is often partnered with words like passion, desire, drive and determination. HPAs with this characteristic understand that “want to” means willing desire. It’s as if the putting in the work is a privilege and the pain of pushing the limits is actually enjoyable. In contrast, to “want to” is “have to”. Athletes who “have to” require an amount of compromise and external motivation to put in the work.
High performing athletes with “want to” are uncompromising. They put in the time for work outs. The do it because they love it, not because coach says to, or because their parents say so. Instead, HPA’s with “want to” put in the work because of the passion for the game. Further, they love to compete against others and against their personal personal records. HPAs with “want to” don’t have to be dragged out of bed. And they don’t have to rely on motivational hype to get started. No, instead they are self-motivated and self-driven.
HPA’s with “want to” passion also realize that the externals of the game matter. The externals of the game make a difference so they put in the work in the gym, in training, in practice, outside of practice and in the film room. In their free time, they study the game to improve their sport IQ. With a critical eye, HPAs study themselves looking to evaluate and critique personal preparation, practice and performance. They also pay attention to what they eat, how they sleep, and who they hang out with. Because HPAs with “want to “ recognizes that all of these things impact passion and performance.
But as mentioned earlier, the “want to” characteristic can be learn. It is not exclusive only for a small group. No, with encouragement, confidence and focus new habits and routines can be develop that change “have to” athletes into “want to” high performing athletes.
What does it take to be at the top of your game? Have you ever wondered what is the daily regime for those capable of performing at high level consistently. To kick off 2020 I want to outline some of the characteristics of high performing athletes (HPAs). After all, the name of this blog has the words Elite Athletes, and assuming most of the audience are athletes, why not share helpful tips for elite athletes seeking strategies to improve.
This week, the topic is responsibility. In a culture where blame is the game, people who take personal responsibility for their actions are rare. Sadly, its easier to blame someone else than to own up to our own mistakes. But this is not how HPA’s work.
Instead, high-performing athletes take full responsibility. They would never let someone take the blame. HPAs take complete ownership of their actions, their plans and their purpose. High performing athletes want the ball in their hand when the clock is ticking down.
So, HPAs assume full responsibly by being fully accountable. It means that no matter what the outcome, the only person to blame is yourself. In no situation will excuses be acceptable! High performing athletes do not sit around hoping to rise to success on the back of someone else. No, high performing athletes understand that in every situation they are both 100% responsible and 100% accountable.
Helping athletes perform at the highest level possible is what Elite Athletes Recruiting is all about. So, to kick off 2020 I will be sharing about several common characteristics that I have found in high performing athletes (HPA).
This year I want to help my readers to perform at the highest level possible in 2020. Last week, I outlined how high performing athletes (HPA) are able to clarify the vision and path to reach their goals.
This week I want to impress a second common characteristic. High performance athletes measure results repeatedly. They do this to discover areas of progress as well as weaknesses. Because, results can only become obvious over a period of time it is necessary to make it a priority to measure results.
For most of us progressing towards our goals takes time. Days, months, years. Rarely, does success happen overnight. Thats why it is important to measure or track progress. The danger of not keep measurements is discouragement. Unless you are paying close attention, incremental progress can be easily overlooked. Likewise, neglecting to measure results can lead to plateaus where not progress is being made whatsoever.
In a tangible way, this is the reason why stats are so important in sports. It is also the reason why score is kept in athletic competitions. Stats and scores highlight who wins and who loses.
So to avoid stagnation, high performance athletes measure the results of both successes and failure so that they can form new strategies to help them reach new levels of achievement. What areas of your athletic performance, business, or physical health have you set goals for in 2020? How do you intent to measure measure progress to assure that you reach those goal
Elite Athletes Recruiting 