The Journey of a Springbok player (apply this to your own life too!)
1 – Desperation
2 – Honour
3 – Satisfaction / Reward
4 – Entitlement
5 – Ownership
South African Rugby has been fortunate to be under the reign of a tactical mastermind for the last two Rugby World Cups.
In this video, https://youtu.be/6SSUych6qh0?si=SCCvztmprOdZ9xwb Rassie Erasmus provides grounding and important advice for any pro-athlete. However, this is actually life advice we can all apply to our own journeys.
Building strong character is important, but even more important is carrying a sense of humility no matter what level you’re at.
From the way the Springboks behave as a team and unit, you can see that the entitlement part is quickly quashed, and that’s why they operate so well.
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The Cycle of Honour and Sacrifice
1 – You are desperate to become a Springbok
*So you sacrifice a lot. You will sacrifice at all costs to become a Springbok*
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2 – You now become one and it’s an Honour.
- Everyone is proud of you
- You still get goose bumps at the thought of making the team
- You’re bursting with pride and never want this opportunity taken away from you
*So you sacrifice a lot. And you sacrifice and sacrifice and sacrifice*
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3 – You start getting rewarded and feel a sense of satisfaction
- You have a good contract
- People start to become more interested in you
- You have brands wanting to sponsor you
- People are saying great things about you
*You still sacrifice because you want all of this. You are desperate to be there. It’s an honour to be there*
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4 – Unfortunately you become entitled
- This is a normal part of the cycle
- It doesn’t mean you are a dick
- How long you stay in this part of the cycle is crucial
- The guys that quickly understand, know they need to keep on SACRIFICING
- The guys that don’t understand, end up having a short career
- Your entitlement can become a virus to yourself, and ESPECIALLY within the team environment
*You stop sacrificing. You lose humility. You think are bigger than the game / team*
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5 – Understanding you need to ALWAYS take OWNERSHIP
- You need to check in on yourself always so that the honour you now have does not go to your head and ego.
- Ownership is not only about keeping yourself in check, it’s about having the courage to speak up to your team mates if they are stepping out of line and upsetting the team dynamics
*You understand that taking ownership means you need to keep sacrificing*
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