Having a Bad Day? Bummer for you.

I've written and re-written this a few times.  I'm not really sure the right tack to take to get this point across, so I'll make it short.

There is a harsh reality of athletics: There is a direct relationship between work and reward.  With that said, and don't just read these next words, understand them - your competition and the clock don't care about your excuses.

The next time you sit back and feel sorry for yourself because you have too much work, or you're too tired, or you're sore from practice the day before... thank God that you have such problems and not real ones.

The athletic life is short lived.  Before you know it, you'll have a real job and be wishing your biggest problems were if you were going to get your math homework done.  I've adopted a new motto this year when talking to swimmers:  You have two choices in your career.  You can start working on your excuses, or you can start working on your solutions.

Now, sit back for 10 minutes and watch the following video (if it's not showing up, hit refresh).  The next time you feel sorry for yourself, think about people who would LOVE to be in your shoes, with such simple problems.

Visit Sean's Website and follow him on twitter.  Keep reminding yourself that most of us have choices.  Typically the best ones, are the hardest ones.