Sports blog: Warrior Nation
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In last month's article I discussed the complexities of identifying talent and how important a person's mindset is as opposed to just the physical traits one might possess.

Much of what I was discussing relates to what is intrinsic within us: that which drives us to succeed. The three common deep core motivations of successful people I touched upon from Daniel Coyle's book, "The Talent Code," were obsession in their interest, a vivid vision of future self, and a keen eye for making small improvements.

But what motivates us from within? Where does it all start? I'm going to relate back to much of what I have been reading and learning from Daniel Coyle's book. I believe it is something that we can all relate to at one time or another in our lives that spurned us on to take action and do something. Behind every talented, successful person lies an ignition story.

What is ignition and how does it relate to success on the field or in any endeavor? A simple definition is the process of initiating combustion or catching fire. Take a moment to reflect back on your life about the career path you took to get to where you are presently. Was there an initial defining moment that you knew right then in there that this is what you wanted to do? Daniel Coyle describes ignition as a "famously potent moment when a young person falls helplessly in love with their future passion."

What happens during moments of inspiration, and how can we make them happen? These moments of inspiration of course take years of work, practice and passion to come to fruition. I was talking to one of our young athletes about being in the moment and he related that when he just focused on the task at hand and being in the moment, that usually took care of the desired result he was looking for. At the same time, he had to take a step back and enjoy the moment as well. It made me step back and ask myself, what things in life do I do for just the sheer joy of it and not worrying about the outcome?

How many of us do something just for the sheer joy of it? Finding that ignition is like falling in love, you cannot force it. No matter how hard you chase after something, it always seems to get farther away. These moments of ignition are deeply individualized for each and every one of us, but what are some basic things we can all do to help find this ignition, especially in our youth?

Well, I do think first and foremost for any kid to succeed in life or athletics they have to have that inner joy. Once it just becomes work and outcome-based, then the joy goes away. Be in the moment, and enjoy the process, the good and the challenging.

Dan Coyle offers up a few more that I will paraphrase: Create lots of encounters and approach each one with an open mind. Don't think too much. Moments are not about being logical, they are about immersion, rapture and feeling and my favorite is let it be a secret.

For parents this means backing off and giving space. Just like a planted flower needs nurturing, time, and space, so do our youth. Would you stand over the newly planted flower and hover and say come on, grow!

I hope that each and every one of you will experience your ignition moment that leads to your future success and will be able to share it with the ones you love.

-- Anthony Scire is a fitness consultant.

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