The Questions Explained:

DAY 1: WHY DO I PLAY MY SPORT?
What is your REAL reason for playing? What motivates you to keep going? On the worst days, what about it makes you not give up? I love this question because you can go so many ways with it, and sometimes it shows you, you don’t know why you play. You aren’t playing for anything. Play for somebody else and I promise you, you will find more motivation!!

DAY 2: HOW HAS BEING A FEMALE ATHLETE SHAPED WHO I AM?
What has being a female athlete taught you about yourself and who you are as a person? Sports can teach us show much us and show us just how strong and resilient we are or how much we do things just to please other people...

Day 3: HOW DO I BALANCE WHO I AM AS AN ATHLETE AND WHO I AM AS A PERSON?
There are so many ways to "fill our cup" and be good humans to other people. What is that for you? What are you doing to not let softball overtake who God intended for you to be?

Day 4: WHAT MOTIVATES ME BEYOND WINNING?
Playing to win is very challenging. Because when that doesn’t happen, we are left feeling empty, disappointed, and angry. Find something that motivates you beyond the wins and successes!

Day 5: WHAT LEGACY DO I WANT TO LEAVE IN MY SPORT?
What do you want to be remembered for? What can you do to change the sport for the better? I love this question because there are so many different possible answers, and i guarantee no ones will be the exact same. This sport is so fun because it is a TEAM sport. Yes, the personal accolades are honoring and rewarding, BUT the team ones are so much greater. Create your own legacy

DAY 6: HOW DO I RECHARGE MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY AFTER A TOUGH WEEK?
I will forever be your biggest advocate on mental health and taking breaks. Our mind is our most powerful tool. We can be one of the most elite athletes physically but not have the mentality to perform at that level. Find something OUTSIDE OF SOFTBALL that allows you to recharge and reset. For example, I LOVE to color. That is my biggest recharge. Spend time with friends, shopping, pets, there’s so much. Find what you enjoy!

Day 7: WHAT STRESSORS ARE AFFECTING ME RIGHT NOW, AND HOW CAN I MANAGE THEM?
What is going on that is causing stress or high levels of emotions? This can affect your play, school, life. Identifying stressors is a key way to learning how to manage them and control what you can control.
Day 8: WHAT EMOTIONS SHOW UP MOST DURING COMPETITION? ARE THEY GOOD ORBAD EMOTIONS?
Some people "play with emotions", some do not. Some people "show their emotions", some do not. There is no right way to handle emotions during games or practice. However, there is a correct way for YOU to handle your own emotions in a way that benefits you as a player, person, AND teammate.

Day 9: WHAT TOOLS HELP ME TO STAY CALM UNDER PRESSURE?
When the game feels heavy, identify what you do (or can do) to relieve that feeling and get back to a neutral mode of thinking. For me, intentional breathing helps.
Day 10: WHAT IS ONE MOMENT WHEN I FELT STRONGEST OR MOST CONFIDENT AS ANATHLETE?
What is time that you can describe in as much detail as possible that you felt your strongest, most confident, empowered self? it can be during a game or outside of the game but tie it back into you as an athlete

Day 11: HOW DO I SPEAK TO MYSELF AFTER A MISTAKE? AND HOW DO I WANT TO?
It is so important to remember that softball is a game of failure. Be kind to yourself after a mistake and attack the next play. We can't change the past but we can determine how we handle the future.

DAY 12: WHAT MAKES ME FEEL MENTALLY PREPARED BEFORE A COMPETITION?
Write down the routine that sets you up for success the most mentally

Day 13: WHAT LIMITING BELIEF DO I WANT TO LET GO OF? WHAT CAN REPLACE IT?
When playing, practicing, or just going through life, we naturally have so many "limiting beliefs." These are things we tell ourselves that limit what we can do as a person, player, and child of God. When we limit ourselves, we will never be able to reach our full potential or even find out if there is more... What is yours?

Day 14: HOW CAN I BE A BETTER TEAMMATE?

What can I do to be someone that my teammates enjoy to be around? How can I make others better? A good teammate is defined in so many different ways. What do you want to be known for?

Day 15: WHAT IS MY BIGGEST DREAM AS AN ATHLETE?
I preach all the time that we are not our sport, and I truly pray your child believes that. However, setting athletic goals is such a fun thing to do. Shoot for the stars. No dream or goal is too big... but are you going to put in the work physically and mentally to get there?

Day 16: WHAT IS MY BIGGEST DREAM AS A PERSON?
outside of softball - or sports in general - what do I want for myself in life? What career do I want? Do I want to give back to people? Put softball aside and think about where you want to be as a person when its all over.

Day 17: WHAT AM I GRATEFUL FOR IN MY ATHLETIC JOURNEY RIGHT NOW?
There is always something to be grateful for - no matter how big or small. What is something you are grateful for right now? You can most definitely do more than one think. I challenge you to find something “negative” that has happened and turn it into a positive and something you are grateful for

Day 18: HOW CAN I SPEAK MORE KINDLY TO MYSELF?
When failure happens, it is SO easy to speak down on ourselves. And most of the time, that is because we have a standard and expectations for ourselves. However, talking negative or tearing ourselves down does not help anything. In fact, it gets us in our head for the next situation we have to deal with and then we struggle with that situation, too. It becomes a domino effect. I want you to find ways that you can be nicer to yourself. Maybe its changing how we say something (for instance, instead of "omg you should of had that ball" we can say "I know I can make that play... give it to me again"), or we take time to be grateful for the body God blessed us with (deep breaths, yoga, etc.). There are so many ways. Find where you are most negative and start there!

Day 19: WHAT IS ONE STRENGTH OF MINE I WANT TO LEAN INTO MORE?
It is very much easier to say negatives about ourselves than positives. HOWEVER, I only want positives to be talked about. What is a strength of yours and how can you use it as your "superpower"?

Day 20: WHAT NEGATIVE THOUGHT CAN I CHALLENGE TODAY?

What is a negative thought that you have about yourself or about life that you can defeat today? Turn negative thoughts into positive ones. Find the TRUTH, and not what you have convinced yourself. See that thought from a different point of view and see if it changes anything

Day 21: DO I TRUST MY TRAINING? WHAT WOULD MAKE ME TRUST IT MORE?

All the hours of work you put in… do you second guess that when it comes time for a game or a “pressure” moment? Confidence comes from preparation – not results. Be so confident in your training and in yourself that even on your worst days, you know you will get back out there the next day and kill it.

Day 22: AM I COACHABLE? A TIME I WAS AND A TIME I WASN’T WAS WHEN…

Being coachable is an important aspect for an athlete to have. We will never be able to “master” anything in our sport. There is always something to learn or an area to improve in. Being coachable is being able to take in instruction, feedback, and advice. Being rude, or giving attitude, to those that help (not just in sports) defines who we are as people.

Day 23: WHAT LIGHTS ME UP ABOUT MY SPORT?

What makes you so excited to be able to play this sport? What is fun? What gives you purpose? What does this game teach you? How can you use it to help others?

DAY 24: HOW CAN I STAY CONNECTED TO JOY WHILE COMPETING?
It is so easy to get caught up in frustration sometimes… what is something we can revert back to and remember how blessed we are for our bodies to be able to move in a way to play this game?

Day 25: WHAT’S A RECENT WIN, BIG OR SMALL? HOW CAN I BUILD ON THAT WIN?

It is so important to find the positives in thinks. Small wins are important. Big wins are important. Celebrate it all. Wins can also be found in losses. What lesson did you learn from that loss?

Day 26: WHAT STRATEGY HELPS ME REGAIN CONTROL OF MY EMOTIONS?

What can I do to reset my mind and lock back in? This game is built on failure. You are going to fail. You are going to mess up. You are going to get frustrated. But the most important thing you can do for yourself is find a way to reset your emotions and lock back into the moment. Everything happens for a reason. It is only failing if you aren’t learning anything from it.

Day 27: HOW HAVE MY PRIORITIES SHIFTED THIS SEASON?

Are you seeing things differently now? How have you changed? What is important to you every time you step on the field?

Day 28: WHAT IS ONE THING I’M LEARNING ABOUT MYSELF?

Through this process, what are you learning about yourself? What are your strengths and weaknesses? It is so important to get to know ourselves to the fullest potential. When we know what we are good at, we can capitalize that. When we know what we aren’t the best at, we can have enough confidence to lean on others to help us in those areas.

Day 29: HOW CAN I BUILD TRUST IN MYSELF?

What can I do to gain confidence? What can I do to  trust myself and my training when challenges or conflict arise?

Day 30: WHAT AM I MOST PROUD OF FROM THESE PAST 30 DAYS? HOW HAS MY MINDSET EVOLVED?

How has this workbook changed how you see things or how you are going to attack challenges? What are you going to do to keep reinforcing what you have been working on the past month?