You have to own it.

It is your activity, right? No matter what level you participate on, it is YOURS. Not Mom and Dad's, not boyfriend or girlfriend's, not husband's or wives.

The first step to personal greatness is to create a sense of personal responsibility for your success.

I get in trouble as a coach often because of this believe. I say to parents that I don't want to talk to them about their kids swimming when the child is past the age of 14 or so because I want the swimmer to be the one who is in charge. I want the swimmer to get themselves out of bed at 4:30 or on Saturday because then it is theirs. They are not doing because of coach or Mom, its because to them the results are worth the sacrifices and the strains. Without this connection, it is too easy to say, I don't want to or this is too hard. Without this personal responsibility and ownership, most teenagers walk away from the sport at the worst or loose their passion and mail it in at the best. Parents have spent years telling me that that isn't the case with their kid. Maybe they are right, but 90% of the time they are not. Is it worth that risk.

For adults, if the personal ownership is not fully there, the manifests are different. Instead of a feeling of obligation there is feelings of guilt or proving. Many of the adult athletes I know or work with spend a good bit of time trying to prove something to the people close to them. Whether it is that they are good enough, that it is a viable career choice or even that they won't kill themselves. The sport then becomes work. Also, adult athletes may spend time feeling guilty for the time that they are away from loved ones. It is a tough way to train. Stress, truncated workouts and resentment can rear their head. Each of which can undercut an otherwise sturdy training plan.

Create some personal goals and before and after mapping out how to get there, look at how it will affect your life. Slow down and make an informed, logical decision on the path that you will take. Inform those around you what it is and then stick to it. Ask for their support and use that support. It will create the best possible environment for success.