Leadership is a full-time job for student-athletes. Taneka Rubin shares keys that she learns over the course of her basketball career.

It’s not easy to decide to retire from the sport you love, but you must go to grow. Taneka Rubin shares her thoughts on leaving familiar comfort zones, and why athletes must all come face to face with discomfort to grow.

Your circle of influence consists of the people who have the most access to you. These are the people who you take advice from, and spend the most time with. They will either motivate you or discourage you. Focus you or distract you. Push you forward or hold you back.

Change is primetime for personal growth. A shift in perspective will take you from surviving to thriving in your life no matter what is going on around you. Growth is constant. Period. Your success may hinge on how quickly you can stop mourning the way things used to be!

Here’s the truth. Life is hard. Working towards success is hard. Mastering a skill is even harder. When adversity hits, the little voice inside us whispers, “Give up. It isn’t worth it.”

When you listen to yourself you hear how hard it is. The voice inside wants you to quit, but when you start talking to yourself you can change the game.

Student-athlete responsibilities pile on top of each other, and if you as an athlete aren’t equipped to deal with it, then you burn out. Burn out has several forms, but it usually doesn’t end well. It’s my belief that most student-athletes could be performing better overall if they were more equipped to handle these challenges.

As a youth basketball coach and trainer I’ve observed a consistent pattern amongst kids. The players who had strong support from at least one parent were more likely to be attentive, confident, and even more skilled. On the contrary, the players who lacked a parental support system usually had low confidence and were less consistent. There were rare exceptions, but the trend was apparent.

Junior college turned me into a pro. Not immediately, but absolutely. While junior colleges aren’t perfect, they provide the atmosphere for an athlete to reach their highest potential.

Here are 5 ways the junior college experience helped me become the professional athlete I am today.