Alex Swenson explains how to stand out on a team when you're not the top player. Don't copy others or change who you are. Instead focus on your strengths, measure yourself against yesterday, and show up with consistent effort every day. Coaches notice the guy who works hard.
Chapters
How do you stand out when you're not the top prospect on your team? And for me, I was never the best player for any team that I ever played for. High school, Division 1 and professionally. And I fell into traps when I tried to be, like, the top prospect, okay? I tried to match their strengths, even though those were not my strengths. So basically, I was trying to change my identity as a player to be somebody that I wasn't. And where I really thrived was when I started focusing on my strengths. And I wasn't comparing myself to the top athletes. I. I was comparing myself to me every single day. How was I showing up? Was I focused on my strengths and what did I need to do at my position and what my strengths were during the game? When I focused on that, I thrived. When I got away from that, I struggled, all right? And then what really helped me because, again, I wasn't the most talented player, was just my effort, okay? I could compete with anybody on effort. I would show up every day and just work my tail off. And coaches really do notice that, all right? They will give you extra chances, like, hey, this kid, man, just puts out, he works, and he's just a good for overall the team. And they call them locker room guys, right? Locker room guys. People thrive off of, like, hey, that effort. Because when you see somebody really working, you better not be the guy that's not working, all right? Because that's in a bad spot. So focus on what you can control. Your strengths and your effort. Good luck.
