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104 - Earn Your Joy
120 Plays1 month ago
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This week Nathan is on his own to discuss the concept of "earning your joy." This helps reframe the mindset of our approach to make the daily grind of development easier and to help alleviate the external pressures goalies face.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Background
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome to the DIY Goalie Podcast, where hosts and goalie coaches Nathan Park and Connor Munday share their insights on how to become a better goalie.
00:00:19
Speaker
Goalies, how are we doing today? Welcome back to another episode of the DIY Goalie podcast presented by True North Goaltending. Today, i guess, is a bit of a special episode. This is officially the two year anniversary of the podcast. um I started it two years ago this week, I guess, from ah from our basement as I was recovering from a hip surgery and figured it was a good way to start building some content um for, at the time, our DIY goalie brand.
Merging and Growth Reflections
00:00:58
Speaker
um We have since merged that brand under our in-person coaching brand, True North Goaltending, and have kind of made it all one entity to make things a little easier.
00:01:09
Speaker
um But taking the time to reflect on it, it's been a crazy last two years and just how far things have come.
00:01:20
Speaker
um I appreciate all of you guys that tune in um and that stick with us and kind of keep coming back. We try and push some fresh and quality content to you guys as much as we can. And I know we obviously haven't been doing that quite nearly as well as we should be. But some unfortunately, too, just with me, this is still ah still a side thing on top of the day job and then the family life and all that stuff. so I've been trying to build build the business so I can you know put my full attention into it and i think we'll get there sooner rather than later but so sometimes it is hard to find the time. um It is just me again today and that's kind of part of the reason
Podcast Beginnings and Scheduling Challenges
00:02:09
Speaker
too. It's Easter weekend, it's been hard to find time that Connor and I have but both been available so we just decided that I would solo this week. Um, but I guess in a way it is kind of fitting cause that's, uh, that's how all this started was just, just me at the, uh, at the start before Connor hopped on board. But, uh, he's, he's definitely been, um a blessing in disguise cause you know, it takes a lot off my plate having him help out with the podcast and stuff too. Um, I don't expect any sympathy for it. I do it to myself, all the stuff that I, uh, I have on my plate. It's all because of me, but that's okay. It's ah it's a lot of fun. um And the cool thing is, is we do have a lot of fun, cool stuff in the works on the back end. That's going to really help. I think, you know, really build what we have to offer for you guys as goalies for resources.
Critique of Goalie Support Systems
00:03:09
Speaker
Cause as you guys know, who have been listening to the show for a while, we We do criticize a lot of times what is out there for goalies in the support system.
00:03:18
Speaker
um And so we really want to kind of put our foot where our mouth is or whatever the saying is to to really kind of offer ah offer a lot more for you guys on that front. um Cause yeah, we, we just think in general, there's, there's not as much out there as there should be for goalies. And I know there's a lot of good people doing a lot of good things, but, uh, we need to do a little bit more on our end too, to build that up a bit. So, um, but yeah, before we really dive into it, I just want to say thank you guys. Um, it's been an awesome two years. The business has grown a ton over the last two years and a lot has changed. I didn't really expect, uh,
00:04:02
Speaker
expect things to still be going on a weekly basis two years later, but here we are somehow we found and made a made way to make it work with a new episode every week for 104 weeks now. So um we couldn't do it without you guys. We have a pretty, you know, consistent listenership now. i'm Obviously still looking to always grow that, but we, we do see you guys out there and the numbers coming in each week. So, Um, we know that there's people behind each of those numbers on the analytics. So thank you guys. Um, it does mean a lot to us and it helps us kind of keep wanting to put the work in for this as well too. So, um, for today's episode, I thought it was kind of fitting, um with a little bit of this reflection mindset, having, uh, having been doing this for two seasons.
00:04:55
Speaker
Um, There was one of the coaches when I was um participating in the Alberta Cup tryouts, I guess two weekends now or last weekend. um There was a coach there that was talking about something he had heard from somebody else. So this is, you know, a friend of a friend of a friend kind of thing. um But the message of it, I thought was,
00:05:24
Speaker
something that we need to incorporate more just with hockey and with sports in general, especially on the youth side of things.
Youth Hockey Over-professionalization
00:05:33
Speaker
And it was this concept of earning your joy.
00:05:38
Speaker
And I'll kind of explain that in a little bit. But before that, just to kind of give a little bit of context, we kind of are really seeing an over professionalization in my opinion of youth sports more so we see it in youth hockey there are some sports out there that aren't as bad in north america um but especially here in canada with how you know i guess how much of an identity that we as canadians have around hockey people can take it way too seriously and what happens is a lot of times
00:06:21
Speaker
we push our kids too far too soon and they end up burning out, they end up developing a resentment for the game and also for their parents and all that stuff. We've kind of gone over this a lot um throughout previous previous podcast episodes, but I think what gets lost is what the actual intent of hockey is and what the actual intent of sport is.
00:06:51
Speaker
Too many times we start to think of it as okay, well, we want to have an outcome from this. We want to make a certain level so we can get paid X amount of dollars or, you know, we want to get a scholarship so we don't have to pay for our schooling or whatever the case is. And those are obviously great goals to have. And there should be things that you want to strive for and that you want to put in the work to aim for and all that stuff. But
00:07:26
Speaker
When we swing too far to the other side, that's when we end up getting into situations where, you know, you have kids crying on the ice um because, you know, they made a mistake or, you know, you have kids scared to get off the ice because of what their parents might say in the car because the game they had or, you know, X, Y, is Z, the list goes on and on.
00:07:53
Speaker
and we lose the fact that the sport of hockey and just sports in general are really designed for fun. Like the reason that sports came to be was a way to have some fun and a way to kind of, you know, fuel our competitive side as well as, you know, kind of stick with some some of the physical, um i don't want to say development, but you know, just being able to have a way to expel some of that that pent-up energy that we get, right? A way to kind of be active, be physical, stay healthy, all of that good stuff.
00:08:33
Speaker
That's kind of the core of what sport is all about. And we've gotten away from it a little bit. um Especially in recent years, it's really gotten to the point that you know, a lot of kids are losing the ability to be kids.
00:08:55
Speaker
And, you know, like we've got six year olds going to the rink in suits and, you know, we've got seven, six, seven, eight year olds that are sitting there and, you know, they're six days a week on the ice in, in the gym, whatever the case is, they don't have time to go out and play with their buddies or, you know, do whatever it is that kids want to do.
00:09:22
Speaker
um And a lot of times that creates a lot of issues during the development of our children, right? um So just going back to this saying of earn your joy.
Pursuing Personal Joy in Sports
00:09:39
Speaker
and There's a couple ways of looking at this, but if we kind of go back to that um that kind of root of sport being a game and being fun and kind of a way to be competitive and all of that, that to me is very well summed up in the earn your joy statement.
00:10:02
Speaker
So yes, if you want to go out and succeed and all that, there is some work that you need to put in. Obviously, if it is something that you want to do at a high level and be serious about, that is totally okay and you can drive and put in the work and all that stuff.
00:10:20
Speaker
um But it it's also kind of saying that there's a reason why we are putting that work in. And it's not to win, it's not to be successful, and to get to the highest level that we can at any cost possible.
00:10:37
Speaker
The point is to put in the work to earn that joy, right? And everybody's joy is going to look a little bit different.
00:10:49
Speaker
And that's kind of why i like this saying a lot, because your joy may be getting to that high level, getting to the and NHL at any means possible or the PWHL by any means possible. And if that's what drives you and if that's what's going to get you out of bed and motivated and want to you know pursue the sport. And if if that's your your driving factor and your end goal, then I guess, great, go for it, do that.
00:11:17
Speaker
If you're one of those people that you like the sport of hockey and you just want to do something that gets you you know out of head and gets you doing something physical and hanging out with with your friends, then great.
00:11:35
Speaker
Go put in the work to do that. Right. um Same thing if you want to win a championship. And if that's, you know, part of what is going to create that joy for you, well, put in the work that you need to do to go earn that joy, go earn that championship. Right.
00:11:53
Speaker
And so this is why I kind of like this this saying of earn your joy, really, really like I like it a lot. um It's going to change for everybody. And it's really good to kind of have that that reflection, that self reflection, that kind of internal, ah you know, recognition, that internal recognition of what drives you and why we're doing what we're doing.
00:12:21
Speaker
um Having that little bit of introspection and being able to to develop a little bit of an internal driving factor, I think, is really important, um especially for those athletes that are trying to get to the elite levels.
00:12:39
Speaker
Ask yourself why. Right. Like, what is it? that motivates you to do that? And what are you aiming for? Like, what is that joy that is going to kind of be that pinnacle of yes, this is what all my hard work has been geared towards?
00:12:57
Speaker
and i think that also kind of helps alleviate a lot of the external pressures especially us as goalies when we're talking specifically about goalies um we tend to have a lot of pressure on us both external and internal now usually internally we kind of magnify the external pressures but they definitely are there like if you think about coaches parents fans stuff like that like goalies bear a big burden on their shoulders in terms of, you know, what is expected of them versus the support that they get.
00:13:34
Speaker
So it's really important to be able to kind of have that reflection and just be like, okay, well, what am I actually doing this for? I'm not doing this for, you know, the fans out there, if you're playing at a high level, right? I'm not doing this for,
00:13:53
Speaker
you know, the armchair GM that's criticizing me every week. I'm not doing this for my dad that's driving me to the ground or whatever the case is, right? I mean, maybe you are doing it for those reasons and that's fine too. But if you think about what you're doing it for and I'm doing it for me and I want to prove to myself that I can play at this level and that's what's going to give me joy,
00:14:17
Speaker
that kind of helps to alleviate those pressures too, right? Like it might help you be a little bit more relaxed and a little less nervous because you have a guiding point. You have that purpose. You have that internal goal, I guess, or that internal kind of path of where you want to go to earn that joy.
00:14:39
Speaker
um So I think this kind of concept of being less outcome based and saying, i need to get a 920 save percentage, i need to get 75% win percentage, I need to win a provincial championship or state championship or whatever.
00:15:01
Speaker
i think instead of being so outcome focused, if we can start tailoring it towards what can I do in my hockey career to get to the point that's going to help me be happy like and feel accomplished?
00:15:19
Speaker
I think that's a lot more of a motivating factor than just kind of an arbitrary number or or whatever the case is. um Because a lot of times too, like we get so caught up in these outcomes that if they don't happen,
00:15:38
Speaker
it's so disappointing and we feel like a failure. And a lot of times, especially in the hockey side and the goaltending side of things, a lot of times there's so many variables that we don't have control over that these outcome based goals can really fall apart, even if we did everything we could.
00:16:00
Speaker
And that can be that can lead us to kind of a little bit of a spiral, right? Where we're trying to fix things that we can't control and we're trying to base our success on things we can't control.
00:16:19
Speaker
So if you kind of, again, spin that to have a little bit of a motivating factor based around what you want to accomplish to feel fulfilled in your career, to feel that joy, i think that really kind of helps to frame the mind and keep you focused on the process and on the task at hand, right? So like I said before, that's going to look different for everybody.
Self-Appreciation in Sports and Life
00:16:47
Speaker
But for me, looking back at when I played, if I had kind of had this during my playing career and if I kind of framed my mindset a little bit more around,
00:16:58
Speaker
um earning my joy, i probably would have appreciated what i accomplished in my career a little bit more.
00:17:08
Speaker
And that's kind of the second part about this, this earning your joy thing that I kind of wanted to touch on too. And we've talked about this on the podcast, but that I guess self appreciation,
00:17:22
Speaker
um I think that there's a lot of us, and this isn't just in the hockey or the goalie world, but I think a lot of athletes and just people in life in general don't take enough time to actually appreciate what they've accomplished and don't take enough time to kind of pat themselves on the back for where they've gotten to.
00:17:46
Speaker
um That, I think... changes if we frame our approach more so around earning that joy, we get a little bit more.
00:18:01
Speaker
you know, we feel a little bit more accomplished, we get more fulfillment out of it because the the actual outcome we are aiming for is that self fulfillment, that happiness right between what we're getting out of what we're putting in.
00:18:17
Speaker
um So for example, like just kind of tying into the situation with our podcasts and just generally with with our business and stuff like that, like as much as you know, we might not have always the best content out there, the best episodes out there, production value sometimes isn't the most professional and whatever the case is, but At the end of the day, we have put out 104 straight weekly episodes and we have built a following of listeners based on that.
00:18:54
Speaker
And also at the same time, we're coming up to year four since I started True North Goaltending. and so may will mark four years so basically we're like three years and 11 months into this and the difference in where we're at now as opposed to where we were in may 2022 when it was literally just me posting in random facebook groups that hey i'm starting some goalie sessions if anyone's interested um
00:19:25
Speaker
it's really crazy to see how much has changed and how much has grown and how it's gone from it just being me. and now we're at upwards of about 30 coaches. Now, a lot of them are not always with us. Like there's a handful that are still playing that are, you know, out of province for the most of the winter season. But so even still, like we still have probably a group of like six to eight consistent head instructors that are working at a time.
00:19:58
Speaker
And it's kind of crazy to see how that's been built. And a lot of that is in the pursuit of getting information into goalies hands that I wish I had when I played. And that's kind of what is my current, you know earn my joy. like I wanna put the work in to give you guys the resources to help you guys be better goalies because I felt like there was a lot of things that had I known when I was playing or had somebody taking the time to teach me or to show me those things, I think I would have had a drastically better career because a lot of it I had to figure out on my own.
00:20:43
Speaker
And i I know that still to this day, a lot of goalies still face that same issue. So because of that, even though sometimes it is hard, there's a lot sometimes that I take on and I know sometimes I probably take on more than I actually should.
00:21:00
Speaker
But that drive to earn that joy and feel fulfilled about hopefully changing some goalies careers for the better. That's kind of what that motivating factor is. And that's significantly easier to get behind and to motivate myself to get stuff done as opposed to just being like, oh, I'm just doing this because I want to make, you know, two million dollars one or whatever the case is. Right.
00:21:30
Speaker
There's a lot more drive behind when something is personal to you, when it's something that is fulfilling, when you're trying to kind of seek that out and get that that joy, that fulfillment, that happiness out of what you are doing.
00:21:48
Speaker
And I think taking a bit more of an angle of that when it comes to our our playing careers, like the work that we put in honestly, i know playing at a high level, I know just how much sacrifice that you guys make and that we all kind of make as high end athletes or even just, you know, your regular Joe athletes, like The beer league guys that are taking time away from their family and taking time to go to late hockey games and be up early the next morning.
00:22:20
Speaker
They're not doing that just, you know, because they're getting a paycheck or whatever, because they're not. They're doing it because they love the game and they want to get better. And it's something that to them is important. They want to see themselves develop more and to succeed more because it's fulfilling to them. Right.
00:22:41
Speaker
So when you think about it that way and when that's kind of your motivating factor, it's so much easier to put in the work even when the work isn't fun. Because most of the time the work isn't fun. Like it's not fun going to the gym. It's not fun doing sprints. It's not, well, I shouldn't say that. There are people out there that really enjoy that stuff. But for the majority of people, including myself, going for a run is not fun or, you know,
00:23:10
Speaker
Trying to push yourself to the point of exhaustion is not fun a lot of times. But if you frame it around, what am I trying to earn?
00:23:20
Speaker
what ah What is fulfilling me? What do I want to, what outcome do I want to get that is going to bring me that joy? And that really helps motivate you a lot more.
00:23:33
Speaker
It's lot easier to get out of bed in the morning and put in the work when you have that kind of fulfilled outcome to chase, right? As opposed to just arbitrary numbers and all that stuff.
00:23:46
Speaker
um So that's pretty much all that I have to say on the topic. um But I think just that frame mind...
00:24:01
Speaker
frame of mind and that mindset of why are we actually doing this? And it's gonna change from individual to individual. But if you take some time to really sit down and think, why am I doing this? And what is gonna help me feel fulfilled?
00:24:22
Speaker
And from there, it really makes things a lot easier. It takes a lot of the external pressures off It makes it a lot easier to get through the days that are a grind.
00:24:35
Speaker
It makes it a lot easier to look back and see where or how far you've come. And it also makes it a lot easier to just understand that, hey, it is just a game.
00:24:50
Speaker
What happens doesn't really matter. And I don't need to get so worked up about it. And at the same time, now I can kind of have a little bit more fun with it and just enjoy it, right? Take the time to appreciate everything you do along the way.
00:25:07
Speaker
Pat yourself on the back when it's due and recognize the development that you have had because that comes from your hard work and that comes from you pushing yourself to get better.
00:25:23
Speaker
And I think a lot of us don't actually appreciate our own hard work and don't appreciate the work that we put in because we're in it day to day, right? It's really hard to see those incremental gains when you are living that life day to day.
00:25:46
Speaker
But somebody you don't see, except for every couple months, they'll be like, wow, you look significantly better in whatever facet we're talking about. So in this instance, we'll stick to goaltending. But wow, you look like you've come a long way since I saw you you know three months ago. And you're just like, oh, well, thanks. Yeah, I haven't really thought about it because you know I'm focused on the here and now. And you know compared to yesterday, I'm not really that much better. but um I think that if you guys really take some time and identify to yourself what that joy is that you want to go out and earn and what kind of that outcome is that, you know, helps that fulfillment, that internal fulfillment, I think that will go a long way in kind of helping shape that mindset into how you approach the game and to how you
00:26:44
Speaker
you know, put in the work and what sort of development you seek and all that stuff. I think it'll really help shift that mindset in a positive way. And so I think it was just a good thing to kind of put out there and get you guys thinking about, um,
00:27:00
Speaker
I do think that we we maybe sometimes are too caught up in the day to day and the grind and the process and putting in the work. And a lot of times, you know, that can kind of lead us to be like, well, why am I even doing this? And I think having that that kind of, you know, north point on the compass, that's like, this is why I'm doing this. And this is my motivating factor. And this is the joy I want to go earn.
00:27:28
Speaker
that I think is going to really help you guys, um, as you progress, not only in your careers, but also kind of just in life in general. Um, with that being said, i want to wish all you guys a happy Easter. Um, this will be coming right up right after Easter weekend. So I hope you guys had lots of good family time, um, lots of good meals, celebrated well.
00:27:54
Speaker
And, uh, I just want to also take the time to really say thank you to you guys. um Myself, I am very appreciative of you guys. I know Connor is too.
00:28:08
Speaker
um You guys are the reason why we do this stuff. And, you know, we get lots of good feedback from what we're doing. So I know that we're on the right track. I also know there's lots of room for improvement, but we're working on it.
00:28:22
Speaker
um But this wouldn't happen without you guys. And so appreciate you guys a lot.
Closing Remarks and Audience Gratitude
00:28:29
Speaker
um We will keep trying to to help you guys get better in the crease.
00:28:37
Speaker
um But outside of that, just keep doing what you guys are doing. Keep developing. You guys can always reach out with any questions that you have. Our email is goalies at truenorthgoaltending.com.
00:28:49
Speaker
um Aside from that, you can also follow us on our social media platforms. So we're on tiktok TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, all at True North Goaltending. And then Instagram, we're at YEG Goalie Coach. You can also make sure to share the show. That's a big one to help us grow. um leaving a like and a review or a subscribe, whatever it is on the platform that you are listening slash watching on, that helps a lot too.
00:29:18
Speaker
um But the biggest thing is, you know, just passing the message along, sharing us with other goalies that you're around. That goes a long way in helping us too. If you want to check us out in person with any sort of goalie sessions or goalie camps, you can head to truenorthgoaltending.com.
00:29:38
Speaker
We also have some drills and some articles there. We are getting a revamped website and we are getting some new fun stuff happening on the back end that's in the works that we'll announce pretty soon here um that we're pretty excited about. That's going to help improve what we have to offer for you guys. So stay tuned for that. But outside of that, that's all we got for the second anniversary of the DIY Goalie podcast.
00:30:05
Speaker
have done it without you guys. Thank you so much. Make some saves, bullies. Take care.