Super U Podcast | 7 Super Tips with Alex Morgan
Alex Morgan, American professional soccer player, Olympic gold medalist, and two-time World Champion gives us insight on how she got her start in soccer, how she defines success, and why confidence is so important.
5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling.
Need a sneak peek? Below are the main takeaways from the episode.
Super U Podcast | 7 Super Tips with Alex Morgan:
[2:40] Tip #1
“I knew that I wanted to be an Olympian. That’s what I knew when I was eight years old. And then comes around the 99 World Cup and you have Kristine Lilly and Mia Hamm and all of the girls winning the World Cup and just gaining so much popularity. And of course, I was one of those little girls just loving it. So I think at that point, I was like, I want to be them I want to be in their shoes. And from that point on, I just loved the game of soccer.”
[3:56] Tip #2
“I mean, it doesn’t matter what your dream is. If your dream is not to be a professional soccer player, that’s okay. But as long as you have a passion for something you have a dream for something, you can achieve it if you have if you put in the hard work if you take on the responsibility head-on if you believe in yourself and stand up for yourself and realize that you do have a lot of support more than you think.”
[5:17] Tip #3
“My first team, like I was kind of a practice player. And obviously, I was super raw, just like fast, athletic, I had a terrible touch. So the coach was kind of like, I mean, this girl has like athleticism, but she’s like, terrible on the ball. I mean, I was but I eventually found my place on Cypress Lee, which I played with them from 14 to 18 years old, until like, I tore my ACL Senior High School, got back, and was able to start like as a freshman in college at Cal, so it was a Yeah, it was like a different path, I think than most soccer players take but for me, like that was like my normal, you know, I was playing all different sports and like, I wasn’t ready to like commit to soccer like five or six days a week when I like still really liked volleyball and I wanted to run track in high school and I like, enjoyed other things. And this my soccer coaches were like, every coach wanted their own time at you know, high school volleyball, they were like, Oh, well, you can’t play soccer, like you can’t be missing practice here. And my thought coach was like, Well, you can’t be missing for volleyball like and I was like, ah, all like pick like to miss one or the other every week. And I feel like it was too limiting for me and I still feel like today it’s kids are forced to choose once we’re way too young of an age.”
[7:15] Tip #4
“So I started with the state, which was Cal South because California is huge. So they split the state into two. And then like regional and I just loved it. You know, I like really, like I played every weekend, trained, you know, three days a week extra training, maybe twice. And I feel like I just got better and better, like so quick. So I feel like when did I feel like I had the “i”t factor? I don’t know I think like, honestly, when I was coming back from my ACL and I was like a freshman in college. And I was like starting you know, just coming back from my ACL I felt like, just really good. I felt like I already belonged. And even though I had missed out on the last like five months of games, and my last my senior soccer season and everything. That’s where I kind of felt like, okay, I have the “it” factor to like get there. And that’s when I like got called into the 20s. And after that the full team and yet our first camp together.”
[8:45] Tip #5
“The key to my preparation is consistency. I really think that every athlete is a little bit superstitious. And if an athlete tells you otherwise, I think they’re lying. So yes, I do a couple of things, I definitely put on my right sock before my left sock and I like to take a nap at the same time and eat the same things. And then right before the game, I like to do a lot of mental visualization. So I’ll go into locker pan just put on headphones and just imagine myself in the game.”
[10:11] Tip #6
“I think there’s no secret to success. I mean, I think Abby definitely hit the nail on the head. It’s all about hard work, it’s all about going out there and, and practicing more than your opponent than your teammates. It’s about mentally preparing every single day. It’s about not slacking off, putting in that time and work and you could tell from Abby that she has put in that work. And that’s, I think the reason that she has success so successful but at the end of the day, end of the day, there is no secret to why we are so successful.”
[11:11] Tip #7
“I think that when I look at myself, I tell myself every single day that I need to be confident that I need to be I need to give my best self forward, you know, I want to put myself in an uncomfortable position because I think that’s when people thrive the most. And so I have tried to live my life by that and no way do I wake up every single day feeling the most confident in the world. But I think if I continue to tell myself that and have that sort of positive mental and emotional reflection on myself, I think you start to believe it slowly, day after day. And so that is one thing that I feel like sports have taught me but I think that it can transcend to all different areas of work and I honestly I feel like the rest of the community that you know that sport and women and other fields have when they find themselves in kind of a historically male-dominated area is very strong women are very are women that you want on your team are women that you want to support women you want to lift up and, and feel empowered by and I think that it’s so rewarding to know that you truly belong in something because you put the work in because you’ve done the research because you know you belong for so many different reasons. And I think that would all start with you believing that yourself.”
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Connect with Alex Morgan:
Instagram: @alexmorgan13
Twitter: @alexmorgan13
Website: https://alexmorgansoccer.com/
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The Super U Podcast is hosted by #1 bestselling author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman.
