Passion

What is it that makes an athlete? People will give different answers to this question based on their personal experiences and observations. For me there is one or maybe a couple of qualities that are key in making it as an athlete and making it outside the world of sports aswell.

Passion. 
Sweden has produced many successful athletes throughout the years in many different sports. In tennis there is Björn Borg, boxing had Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson, cross-country skiing had Gunde Swan and the wonderful sport of ice hockey had Peter Forsberg.
I don't know much about these legends but from what I have gathered about Peter the Great there is one thing he had more than anything which was passion for the sport. He had that certain look in his eyes when he played that said he would do anything to win, and he did. When carrying the puck he would take really hard hits from other big NHL-players without losing the puck and then keep on driving the puck until he could score, regardless of how many hits he had to take or for how long he had to hold the puck. These eyes of his were widely known in the NHL.
I think many people in Sweden don't really realize how insanely great an athlete Forsberg really was, the impact he had on the NHL and how important a person he ended up being. To be honest, people and in fact athletes like Peter Forsberg are rare and I don't think that we in this day and age will get to see another player like him in a long time. Partly because everyone plays at a much higher level today and it is harder to stand out, but also because there is much more than talent behind this player. There is passion. If you haven't seen true passion in a player before, do yourself a favor and look for Peter Forsberg highlights on youtube and see the passion and determination in his eyes that borders on to madness.

What is passion?
Passion to me is a primal and exhilarating feeling. Passion is not something you can call upon when you need it - it's either there, or it isn't. We all have it, we just have to find what we are passionate about. You can come across this feeling anywhere, for instance when someone brings up a subject for discussion and you feel yourself getting caught up in it, your pulse rises and you deliver your words and message with feeling. You just can't seem to stop talking and if you do stop to let someone else talk, you just can't wait to start talking again.

When I did my mandatory military service I asked one of my lieutenants who is a self-acclaimed whisky expert what whisky I should get my dad for his birthday, and I remember leaving that discussion with less of a clue of what whisky to get than I had before. He was so passionate about whisky that when a rookie asked him the wide question "which whisky should I get?" he got so in to it about different types of barley, casking, single/double malts, high/lowland brands, ages of different whiskies, alcohol percentages relation to flavour and so on and so forth. He could easily hold a monologue about whisky for hours.

I recently, to demonstrate this principle to my childhood friend Jonatan who is a professional photographer asked him "what camera should I get?" and I instantly saw him realize my point - he could ask me a thousand follow-up questions and give a hundred different hints on which camera and equipment is optimal for different situations.

I get this way when talking about floorball goalkeepers. If I get to talk to someone with a level of interest that matches my own I can see myself getting that look into my eyes that Peter Forsberg had when he got his fire going. I could go on and on, and on, just like I am right now.

I injured my groin muscle and my knees when I was younger and since then I haven't played at full capacity and only done stand-ins at practice to coach my goalkeepers but a couple of weeks ago I did an entire practice in the net at as close to full capacity I have ever done since I stopped playing. The feeling was absolutely incredible, it was unbelievable how good I felt playing like that again. This practice is uploaded to youtube under the name "Malvaktsfokus, fun practice" and when I watch it I get almost emotional because it reminds me of how I felt many years ago when I was an active player. Since my body responded so well and allowed me to push myself so hard during that practice, I just kept at it and gave it my all and that ended up taking its toll by me pulling my groin muscle again at the end of that practice (about 10-15 minutes after the video ended), and it was definately worth it. I would and actually intend to do it again as soon as my body allows, even though there is a risk that my groin muscles won't be able to take it.

The great thing about being a coach is that I get to relive these feelings through the efforts of the goalkeepers that I work with. That is why I can't picture myself quitting coaching - it is so incredibly rewarding to watch someone else improve and progress, and ofcourse you won't get physically hurt by coaching! If you have any interest in teaching people I can recommend the role as goaltending coach! It is a very scarce resource so you will be appreciated, you get to work very closely with people and have a great connection. You work, progress, fail and succeed together and it is just an amazing feeling.


The point I'm going at is that you need to find your passion because if you love what you do, you will succeed sooner or later. You can be talented but if you don't enjoy what you do, things will naturally come to a point where you are content where you are and no longer strive to improve.


"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally." - David Frost

Thanks to all and anyone who could bother to read all of the above!
To think about - what is your passion?

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