Defining Boundaries

As my oldest daughter begins to transition out of youth sports and into the world of school sports, I realize that one of the special things about sports, especially youth sports, are that they help us set a foundation for who we want to be and how we are going to live our lives.

Sports help us create and establish meaningful and appropriate boundaries in our lives.

Boundaries define us. They define who are and who we are not. Boundaries help keep the good in and the bad out. Setting boundaries is taking personal responsibility for your choices. You are the one who makes decisions in your life, so you are the one who must live with the consequences of your choices.

Boundaries are guidelines. They are your way of telling yourself and others what you will tolerate and what you will allow for yourself.

Your boundaries have nothing to do with someone else’s boundaries. They are your and yours alone. No one can put up or breakdown your boundaries unless you let them.

Sports is a great way to figure out who you are and who you want to be. As you figure that out, and it is something that is constantly changing, setup appropriate boundaries in your life so that you have the right guidelines and direction for success, and so that you can keep out the distractions that keep you from being successful.