Lehigh University Athletics
From The Future: Dear First-Year Ryan
6/11/2020 2:10:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track and Field, Student Athlete, Flight 45, Intellectual Development
Dear First-Year Ryan,
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Dude, there's a lot of things that you need to hear. While I can say for sure that you are about to embark on some of the best years of your life so far, you must know that there will certainly be some low times and some highs mixed in there. I'm not going to tell you to live your college life differently because ultimately, the mistakes you make you must learn from and the successes you have you must cherish. What I will do is outline some of the important lessons I feel you will learn along the way so it is easier for you to recognize those opportunities to grow when then come.
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For starters... Read more books!
Â
C'mon. Didn't somebody tell you this in high school? Well, your college senior self still hasn't figured it out either. However, there is a lot to be learned in the pages of a book. Put aside some time for this; you won't regret it!
Â
Reflect.
Â
Hey, I'm proud to tell you that you started reflecting and journaling in the summer after your sophomore year when you go to study abroad. But… start on day one freshman year! While I still have yet to figure out the best way to journal for me, there is a lot of power in putting down some of your thoughts on paper. In addition to that, I find it fascinating to be able to go back and read where your head was at during different points of college to include failures, successes, injuries, and just any old day. Journaling can be a tool you can utilize to relive some of the experiences you want to remember, both good and bad. To reflect on the good, you can create a log of the great things to happen to you throughout college which will be a joy to read through later. When you learn how to reflect on the bad, you'll be able to take action on some of the things you want to improve about yourself or your life in general. Powerful stuff… go buy a leather-bound notebook, now!
Â
Be humble.
Â
I want you to realize that as a first-year student at Lehigh, your slate is now clean. Nobody really cares about your high school GPA, your SAT scores, your high school athletic accomplishments, or how much scholarship money you were able to muster up. Nobody cares that you were a two-year captain of your high school soccer team. You now have the once in a lifetime opportunity to define who you are to new groups of people in a completely new setting. While you can be proud of what you were able to accomplish at Emmaus, college will take you to the next level and it will not always be easy. Learn to be humble around your classmates and teammates. Swallow your pride, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Give credit where it is due and be proud of what your group can accomplish. Be humble and be willing to accept when you fail or admit when you are wrong; that is when you will learn the most about yourself.
Â
On that topic….Be prepared to fail.
Â
Right now, I'll name a few ways you'll fail in college: You'll fail a few midterms and a final exam, you'll get injured and miss too many competition seasons than you want, you'll be healthy and think you can score and won't, you'll get dropped from US Army Air Assault school on Day Zero, you'll disappoint yourself in your performance at Advanced Camp, along with many others. What I want to tell you about all of these failures is that there is something to be learned. One thing you will struggle with is complacency. You may think you have learned everything you needed to or can be comfortable with where you are. I am here to tell you that you have so much more to learn and throughout your whole life, will never learn it all. Never settle! When you fail, only allow yourself to feel bad for yourself as long as that event lasts. So for a two-minute track race, that's how long you have! It doesn't apply to everything, but you know what I mean. Don't let feeling bad about your failures make you miss the opportunities for growth. Your next step after that is to reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve next time. There is always room for improvement and your failures will help you realize that.
Â
Run every race as if it's your last.
Â
You don't even know what COVID-19 is, but it's a virus that will not only affect your spring semester of senior year but life as we know it. There will be so many horrible impacts beyond you personally, but for you, it will keep you from completing your last college outdoor track season. Don't let this weigh on you. There are so many opportunities you have to compete and you need to appreciate every single chance as if it will be your last. Throughout college, you will also experience injuries. You won't know when it's coming. It will come when you think you are in the best shape of your life. Don't let this derail you from the progress you have made. As you've heard from many other people, "trust the process." Trust in sports medicine that they are doing everything they can to get you back. Trust your coaches to give you appropriate off land workouts so you can maintain your fitness. Trust yourself to do those little things that will incrementally bring you back to competing. Once you are back on your feet, love the sport for what it is because you will not have it forever. You won't always have a group of guys to rely on and run and race with. Run every race as if it's your last because someday, you will have to hang up that Lehigh uniform and it may come sooner than you think.
Â
Set the right example.
Â
There's nothing saying you can't be a leader on your team from day one. Be the person who does the right things for the right reason. You'll work really hard to establish your reputation on the cross country and track teams, in ROTC, and in the Lehigh Athletics department. The best advice I can give you is to emulate the leaders you look up to. Follow their example because soon, you'll find yourself as the person who needs to set the right example. Leadership is not only an innate quality. You'll develop it as you go through college by watching others and learning from your own mistakes. If you can carry those lessons learned into your daily actions and practice what you preach as a leader on the team, you will be setting the best example you can.
Â
Priorities, not productivity.
Â
If you do what I did, you'll spend a lot of your time in college trying to become a master of time management. DON'T! Well… maybe a little, because good time management skills are crucial. You will definitely be busy throughout college with all the commitments you have held yourself to, but you might want to consider taking a different approach than what you are currently thinking. Your old man self read a book in a class in his last semester at Lehigh that says, "When we are busy, we naturally believe that we are achieving. But busyness does not equal productivity. Activity is not necessarily accomplishment." Just because you feel you are busy doesn't mean you are doing anything to reach your goals. Something you will come to realize very late in your Lehigh career is that you need to get better at setting your priorities straight. Realize what is important to you and invest more time into that and the menial tasks you get a dopamine rush trying to check off of your checklist. Close your laptop and go spend some time with your friends; don't pretend like you have something to do right now.
Â
And lastly, remember to have fun with it.
Â
To be honest with you, you are going to take everything you do in college very seriously. Like I mentioned before, you'll work to become a master at managing your obligations, but don't neglect the one that might be one of the most important, having fun! Your assignment can wait until tomorrow so go hang out with your friends! Learn to appreciate the times where you can just sit back and relax. Be sure to set that time aside where you can do the things you truly love. That's the only way you'll make the most out of your college experience.
Â
You're about to make some great memories as a Mountain Hawk. Go out and enjoy! Challenge yourself! Don't be afraid to fail! These four years will go by faster than you could imagine so enjoy it while you can. Make me proud.
Â
Best,
Senior-Year Ryan
Â
Â
Dude, there's a lot of things that you need to hear. While I can say for sure that you are about to embark on some of the best years of your life so far, you must know that there will certainly be some low times and some highs mixed in there. I'm not going to tell you to live your college life differently because ultimately, the mistakes you make you must learn from and the successes you have you must cherish. What I will do is outline some of the important lessons I feel you will learn along the way so it is easier for you to recognize those opportunities to grow when then come.
Â
For starters... Read more books!
Â
C'mon. Didn't somebody tell you this in high school? Well, your college senior self still hasn't figured it out either. However, there is a lot to be learned in the pages of a book. Put aside some time for this; you won't regret it!
Â
Reflect.
Â
Hey, I'm proud to tell you that you started reflecting and journaling in the summer after your sophomore year when you go to study abroad. But… start on day one freshman year! While I still have yet to figure out the best way to journal for me, there is a lot of power in putting down some of your thoughts on paper. In addition to that, I find it fascinating to be able to go back and read where your head was at during different points of college to include failures, successes, injuries, and just any old day. Journaling can be a tool you can utilize to relive some of the experiences you want to remember, both good and bad. To reflect on the good, you can create a log of the great things to happen to you throughout college which will be a joy to read through later. When you learn how to reflect on the bad, you'll be able to take action on some of the things you want to improve about yourself or your life in general. Powerful stuff… go buy a leather-bound notebook, now!
Â
Be humble.
Â
I want you to realize that as a first-year student at Lehigh, your slate is now clean. Nobody really cares about your high school GPA, your SAT scores, your high school athletic accomplishments, or how much scholarship money you were able to muster up. Nobody cares that you were a two-year captain of your high school soccer team. You now have the once in a lifetime opportunity to define who you are to new groups of people in a completely new setting. While you can be proud of what you were able to accomplish at Emmaus, college will take you to the next level and it will not always be easy. Learn to be humble around your classmates and teammates. Swallow your pride, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Give credit where it is due and be proud of what your group can accomplish. Be humble and be willing to accept when you fail or admit when you are wrong; that is when you will learn the most about yourself.
Â
On that topic….Be prepared to fail.
Â
Right now, I'll name a few ways you'll fail in college: You'll fail a few midterms and a final exam, you'll get injured and miss too many competition seasons than you want, you'll be healthy and think you can score and won't, you'll get dropped from US Army Air Assault school on Day Zero, you'll disappoint yourself in your performance at Advanced Camp, along with many others. What I want to tell you about all of these failures is that there is something to be learned. One thing you will struggle with is complacency. You may think you have learned everything you needed to or can be comfortable with where you are. I am here to tell you that you have so much more to learn and throughout your whole life, will never learn it all. Never settle! When you fail, only allow yourself to feel bad for yourself as long as that event lasts. So for a two-minute track race, that's how long you have! It doesn't apply to everything, but you know what I mean. Don't let feeling bad about your failures make you miss the opportunities for growth. Your next step after that is to reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve next time. There is always room for improvement and your failures will help you realize that.
Â
Run every race as if it's your last.
Â
You don't even know what COVID-19 is, but it's a virus that will not only affect your spring semester of senior year but life as we know it. There will be so many horrible impacts beyond you personally, but for you, it will keep you from completing your last college outdoor track season. Don't let this weigh on you. There are so many opportunities you have to compete and you need to appreciate every single chance as if it will be your last. Throughout college, you will also experience injuries. You won't know when it's coming. It will come when you think you are in the best shape of your life. Don't let this derail you from the progress you have made. As you've heard from many other people, "trust the process." Trust in sports medicine that they are doing everything they can to get you back. Trust your coaches to give you appropriate off land workouts so you can maintain your fitness. Trust yourself to do those little things that will incrementally bring you back to competing. Once you are back on your feet, love the sport for what it is because you will not have it forever. You won't always have a group of guys to rely on and run and race with. Run every race as if it's your last because someday, you will have to hang up that Lehigh uniform and it may come sooner than you think.
Â
Set the right example.
Â
There's nothing saying you can't be a leader on your team from day one. Be the person who does the right things for the right reason. You'll work really hard to establish your reputation on the cross country and track teams, in ROTC, and in the Lehigh Athletics department. The best advice I can give you is to emulate the leaders you look up to. Follow their example because soon, you'll find yourself as the person who needs to set the right example. Leadership is not only an innate quality. You'll develop it as you go through college by watching others and learning from your own mistakes. If you can carry those lessons learned into your daily actions and practice what you preach as a leader on the team, you will be setting the best example you can.
Â
Priorities, not productivity.
Â
If you do what I did, you'll spend a lot of your time in college trying to become a master of time management. DON'T! Well… maybe a little, because good time management skills are crucial. You will definitely be busy throughout college with all the commitments you have held yourself to, but you might want to consider taking a different approach than what you are currently thinking. Your old man self read a book in a class in his last semester at Lehigh that says, "When we are busy, we naturally believe that we are achieving. But busyness does not equal productivity. Activity is not necessarily accomplishment." Just because you feel you are busy doesn't mean you are doing anything to reach your goals. Something you will come to realize very late in your Lehigh career is that you need to get better at setting your priorities straight. Realize what is important to you and invest more time into that and the menial tasks you get a dopamine rush trying to check off of your checklist. Close your laptop and go spend some time with your friends; don't pretend like you have something to do right now.
Â
And lastly, remember to have fun with it.
Â
To be honest with you, you are going to take everything you do in college very seriously. Like I mentioned before, you'll work to become a master at managing your obligations, but don't neglect the one that might be one of the most important, having fun! Your assignment can wait until tomorrow so go hang out with your friends! Learn to appreciate the times where you can just sit back and relax. Be sure to set that time aside where you can do the things you truly love. That's the only way you'll make the most out of your college experience.
Â
You're about to make some great memories as a Mountain Hawk. Go out and enjoy! Challenge yourself! Don't be afraid to fail! These four years will go by faster than you could imagine so enjoy it while you can. Make me proud.
Â
Best,
Senior-Year Ryan
Â
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