Always Reaching, Already Enough

Got this quote from James Clear, and it reminded me to see myself through the right lens.

I have never met an athlete or coach who wasn’t always reaching. If we win one game, we want two… ten wins, and we want twenty. Runner-up and we want the championship. Top 20 and we want top 10.

Coaches are typically lifelong learners, working to communicate with their athletes in ways that help them become better than they were — always reaching. The moment a coach stops learning, or stops helping their athletes reach for the next thing, complacency — which is always waiting in the wings — creeps in and takes the reaching away. Being a top athlete is a lifestyle — development never stops until the career is over. Always reaching.

It’s what we signed up for as coaches and athletes. You really can’t enjoy a win for too long because the next game is already coming. If you rest, you go backwards. Maybe at the end of the season you can enjoy the results — if they met your expectations! — but even if it was a banner year, we always want it again. ALWAYS REACHING.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:13-14

This is something that is both a challenge and a threat. Always reaching keeps you moving forward and challenges you to keep improving — it allows you to strive daily, to listen, learn, and achieve things you never thought you were capable of. But when we don’t meet our expectations, the threat may come.

The threat of your identity being wrapped up in your performance. Fear, guilt, or shame over an outcome or how you performed can not only steal your joy from the thing you love most — it may ultimately decrease your performance as well.

Always reaching while knowing you are already enough is the key to sports becoming a challenge instead of a threat.

Already enough can only be found in knowing your identity is rooted in who God made you to be — and in the joy He takes in His creation. This is what allows us to operate with an even if instead of a what if mindset — seeing obstacles as a challenge, not a threat to our identity, self-worth, or value.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” — Psalm 139:14

Even if you fail… even if you are nervous before the big game, or not sure you’ve done enough, or worry the other team may be better than yours — you show up. And you can show up fully, because of where your strength comes from.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13

Already enough allows you to compete from a place of: “Even if this may not go how I want, or we may not win the championship — I am showing up. I will give everything. I won’t hide. I won’t point fingers. I want to achieve this (always reaching), but it won’t define me (already enough).” Even when the season does go our way — we win the league, personal performance earns accolades, praise, and recognition — I will not let it define me! Achieving success in the pursuit of excellence is a goal, but not my purpose or identity… I am already enough.

Understanding that your identity is not in what you have, what you do, or what people say about you — that is what allows you to know you are already enough.

To live in the even if mentality and see life as a set of challenges laid out for you to overcome, as you reach toward who you were created to be. God never looks at you the way you look at yourself after a mistake — or the way a coach or teammate might when you underperform. He is unchanged by your performance. He is filled with joy over who He made you to be.

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17

ALREADY ENOUGH — nothing to add, nothing to take away. Just ENOUGH.

So step into the fray this season. Even if you aren’t sure — “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Enjoy the challenge that lies ahead. Always reaching. Already enough.