Being an Adviser can be very challenging, and very rewarding.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with two clients for breakfast. Both have been clients for multiple years, and each is taking his own path to NCAA hockey even when they play on the same team.
One player is winding up his Junior career and committing to a great NCAA program. Its an exciting time for him to be able to see a dream come true.
The other player is preparing to move on to Tier II on a full time basis next year after his first season of Junior which saw him play two NAHL games as an AP player this year.
Two players, two friends, taking two very different paths to NCAA hockey.
I stress the importance of this because players need to understand that their journey can not be compared to another players journey. No two players are so similar that they will take identical paths.
This is important because players need to stop comparing themselves with other players they know. Comparing yourself with someone else is a waste of time that will only lead to frustration and more questions.
Both of these players believed in patience. Patience and not trying to rush the development process. Patience and trusting that I, and our company would put them in the right position to achieve success allowing them to move to a new level next season.
The best part of this is that they are teammates. They are now close friends, and each has learned things from the other.
At breakfast perhaps the one thing that stood out to me the most was how calm each player was. How secure they both feel in the paths that they are on, and how there was no nervousness about the future.
The confidence each has in his ability, and their unique paths, is part of what will lift them to new heights of success.
I don’t use their names, because as a policy we do not self promote through our players. We are here to help them, not try to capitalize on their accomplishments. I am pretty sure they will read this, and know I am very proud to have been able to play a small role in their success.
The best is yet to come for you both.
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
