Don’t Plan from Where You Are — Plan from Who You’re Becoming

Most young athletes plan their future based on how they feel right now.

They look at:

• Their current confidence

• Their current skill level

• Their current role on the team

• Their current struggles

And then they ask, “What’s realistic for me this season?”

That question feels responsible.
But it’s also the reason many athletes never break through.

Because elite athletes don’t plan forward from who they are today.
They plan backward from who they want to become.

A High School Example I See All the Time

I once worked with a high school basketball player who desperately wanted to become a varsity starter by his junior year.

But every plan he made sounded like this:
“I’m not strong enough yet.”
“I’m not confident enough yet.”
“I’m probably not there yet.”

So, his goals stayed small. His effort stayed safe.

Then we flipped the conversation.

Instead of asking, “What can I realistically do right now?”
We asked, “What does a varsity starter look like?”

• How do they move?

• How do they communicate?

• How do they handle mistakes?

• How do they prepare when no one is watching?

Once we defined that version of him, the plan changed completely.

Every workout had purpose.
Every practice had intention.
Every choice either moved him closer to that version, or away from it.

That’s when growth accelerated.

Why Planning from the Present Holds Athletes Back

When athletes plan only from where they are:

• Today’s stress limits tomorrow’s goals

• Current confidence defines future belief

• Short-term discomfort feels like a stop sign

It’s like a sprinter only training at the speed they can run today, instead of the speed they need to win.

They’ll improve a little…
But they’ll never separate.

Parents, this is important too.

When we constantly ask kids to “be realistic,” we often mean “don’t stretch too far.”
But growth requires stretch.

How Elite Athletes Think Differently

Elite performers start with the end in mind.

Think about a championship-level athlete.

They don’t say:
“What can I achieve based on how tired I feel today?”

They say:
“If I’m the athlete I want to be at the end of the season, what does that require from me now?”

Then they work backward.

• What habits does that athlete have?

• How do they respond to adversity?

• How do they train when motivation dips?

• How do they handle pressure?

That future version of you has clarity you don’t have yet.

They already know:

• What mattered

• What was a distraction

• What habits moved the needle

• What excuses had to go

For Athletes: Try This

Instead of asking:
“What’s realistic for me this season?”

Ask:
“If I’m the best version of myself by the end of the year, what would I be doing differently this week?”

That question changes everything.

For Parents: A Helpful Reframe

Instead of focusing only on outcomes:

• Playing time

• Stats

• Results

Help your athlete focus on who they are becoming:

• Their habits

• Their preparation

• Their response to setbacks

Those are the things that actually create breakthroughs.

Final Thought

If you plan your future based only on who you are today, you bring today’s limits with you.

But when you plan from who you want to become, your actions start pulling you forward instead of holding you back.

Great athletes aren’t built by accident.
They’re built on purpose.

And purpose starts with vision.

— Coach Dave

www.coachdave.me