Close the Loops

One thing every young athlete needs to understand is that your mind can only carry so much at one time.

Recently, I realized this in my own life. I had several loops open: videos I needed to edit, conversations I needed to have, and tasks I kept putting off. None of them seemed impossible on their own, but because I left them unfinished, they kept running in the background of my mind.

Once I finally closed those loops, I felt lighter.

The same thing happens to young athletes.

Sometimes, without even realizing it, you have too many “tabs” open in your life. You are thinking about practice, schoolwork, homework, your performance, your playing time, your next game, what your coach thinks, what your parents expect, and what your teammates are doing.

Some of those things are real responsibilities. Others are things you cannot fully control.

And when too many of those loops stay open, they start to weigh on you.

You may feel more tired. You may feel more stressed. You may have trouble focusing. You may even start to lose some joy for the game because your mind is constantly running in the background.

That is why it is important to learn the difference between what you can control and what you need to let go of.

You can control your effort.

You can control your attitude.

You can control how prepared you are.

You can control whether you do your homework, pack your bag, get enough rest, respond to a message, or show up ready to compete.

Those are loops you can close.

But you cannot always control the lineup. You cannot control every opinion people have about you. You cannot control whether you get a hit every game. You cannot control how fast your journey moves compared to someone else’s.

Those things should not become open tabs that drain you all day.

A young athlete grows when they learn to take care of the responsibilities in front of them and stop carrying things that were never fully in their control.

If you have schoolwork to finish, finish it.

If you need to practice, practice with purpose.

If you made a mistake, learn from it and move forward.

If you need to have a conversation with a coach, parent, or teammate, handle it with maturity.

Do not keep delaying the things you know you need to do. The longer you leave those loops open, the heavier they become.

Closing loops gives you peace. It clears your mind. It helps you focus on the next pitch, the next play, the next rep, and the next right decision.

The best athletes are not just physically prepared. They are mentally disciplined. They do not waste all their energy worrying about things they cannot control. They focus on what is in front of them, do it well, and trust the process.

So close the loops you can close.

Take care of your responsibilities.

Stop letting small unfinished tasks pile up in your mind.

And for the things you cannot control, learn to release them.

Your job is not to figure everything out at once.

Your job is to be faithful with the next step, the next practice, the next opportunity, and the next decision in front of you.

Thank you for checking out this edition of the Big League Perspective Newsletter! Be sure to share with a friend, teammate, or kid who may benefit! In the meantime, be sure to connect on social media @billythebatboy. 🙌