Elevating Performance through Intentionality and Ownership:
Elevating Performance through Intentionality and Ownership:
The Difference Between Using Time vs. Spending Time
Over the past couple of months, I have done a lot of thinking and conversing with others on the
topic of being intentional on a day-to-day basis, as well as taking “extreme ownership” in all
circumstances you face. Throughout those conversations, I have started to create healthy
habits with the overarching goal of intentionally using the time I am given to positively impact
myself and the people around me, instead of filling my schedule and spending time to build my
personal résumé. Before explaining anything further, I would like to introduce myself and give
you all some perspective on the timeline of my athletic career and life in general.
I am currently completing my fifth year at the University of Pittsburgh as a graduate student
and athlete on the men’s diving team. While pursuing a master’s degree in business
management, I am using my final year of NCAA eligibility to pursue my dreams of competing at
the USA Diving Olympic Trial Championships. In May 2023, I experienced severe burnout where
I questioned if competing another year was even worth my time. After multiple conversations,
my coach and I decided that the best option for me would be to take the summer off practice,
lift every morning five days a week, and take the time to recover mentally. I was working forty-
hour weeks in downtown Pittsburgh for the organization Deloitte, where I was helping clients
navigate a variety of risks, embrace complexity, and accelerate performance through
specialized IT (information technology) processes and general IT controls testing.
At this point, many of you may be questioning why I am competent to talk about this topic. The
short answer is, I’m not. However, if you give me a chance, you will read three 100% true
accounts of conversations I’ve had, each paired with a small habit that I have incorporated into
my daily lifestyle. Each of these has and will continue to elevate performance in and out of the
pool while getting the most out of each step in the process, and most importantly, enjoying the
journey.
1. Intentional Reflection - Post Practice/Competition
The act of reflecting, on paper, and thinking about the things that went bad in a positive
manner as well as reflecting on the positives can really help change your outlook after bad
practices and set up the rest of the day to be productive and delightful.
For the past two years, Ryan Fagan (Indiana University Diver 2002-2006 and multi-time NCAA
All-American) has volunteer assistant coached at the University of Pittsburgh. I was fortunate to
be there for both of those years. Ryan is someone who was a role model for me when it came
to appreciating what I take part in instead of just showing up because I feel like I am required
to. He always made practice enjoyable and refreshing no matter what the workout looked like.
You could tell that he loved being there and wanted to help as much as he could, in all aspects
of our lives. After NCAA’s in 2021, hosted at Georgia Tech, Ryan was talking about the little five-
minute tasks I can do outside of the pool to take my training to the next level. Although he is
not coaching the team anymore, we have made it a point to meet about once a month and just
talk about life and little things like being intentional, trusting the process, and how to set
yourself apart through habits. After each practice for the past couple of weeks, I have been
documenting bullet points on a couple of touchpoints. The “journal entries” look like the
following example…
Wednesday: Practice (7-9, 3:30-5) 10/4/23
Initial Thoughts: First practice was terrible.
305’s 1m, four flat on back, 2 on stomach, terrible attitude during practice
Second practice: major progress on backs – dry board work
Wins – WWWW (What Went Well Why): Pushed through first practice, didn’t let morning
practice effect my day or second practice.
I’m Grateful/Thankful For: Music and its power to change mood or attitude.
Today I Learned/Improved: One step closer to enjoying the uncomfortable in the moment.
I Could’ve: let first practice affect my motivation and the rest of the day.
Tomorrow’s Resolution: Just Keep Showing Up!
You can clearly see that nothing that I write is in-depth or long, but I’ve found that this bit of
intentionality makes a world of difference in my day-to-day life. As athletes, especially divers,
we are constantly being judged and judging ourselves. Not only is it important to understand
that you are not defined by your performance or accomplishments (good or bad) it is important
to take the time and understand how far you have come in the sport, as a person, and in the
relationships around you. Life can get very challenging, especially as a collegiate athlete, and
that is why it is so important to focus on the things you can control. Being intentional about
how I am feeling and how my body is feeling has allowed me to understand that improvement
doesn’t only come from the days that I feel rested or healthy. It has allowed me to spot
progress that I have previously overlooked and my mental game during competition is one
thousand percent better than it has ever been.
I know journaling isn’t for everyone, and there are hundreds of ways to do it, I would highly
recommend just taking your phone out and writing something in notes or printing out a bunch
of papers out with the template already formed. Just write a sentence about how you are
feeling mentally, and physically, and what you’re looking forward to!
2. Taking “Extreme Ownership”
This one is also a Ryan Fagan recommendation, but there is a TED Talk called “Extreme
Ownership” by Jocko Willink in which he talks about everything ownership. As a retired Navy
Seal, he talks about how he was leading a mission where things went wrong, and people died.
Without spoiling the video, Jocko explains a mission that he oversaw leading that went wrong
and the accountability decisions that he made to go along with it. Jocko said, “Taking blame
hurts the ego and pride, but to maintain integrity you have to take fault.” In Jocko’s case, he
had to take “extreme ownership” in the sense that people’s lives were in his hands, and he
failed to lead how he should have, which is not a position that many of us will experience in our
lifetime. However, I do think there are some parts of our individual lives that we can and need
to take “Extreme Ownership” over.
With that said, each week (usually on a Sunday or Saturday evening) I have started to answer
three questions and take some time to be intentional with my answers. The questions are as
follows…
1. It’s easy for me to take ownership when ____.
2. It’s difficult for me to take ownership when ____.
3. I want to take more ownership over ____ because I know it will help with ____.
After taking a couple of minutes to answer these questions, I have found that not only does it
help me brainstorm ways I could be better in my relationships and leadership roles, but I
appreciate that I even have the opportunity to take ownership over those parts of my life.
When I was younger, I didn’t take ownership of nearly anything I did. Whether it was getting a
bad grade on an exam, doing badly in a competition, or fighting with my parents or friends, I
always found something else to blame the situation on. Not only was this toxic, but I eliminated
a lot of growth and joy that I could have experienced in my youth that I wouldn’t be able to get
back.
3. 10-Minute Shutdown
For those who may not know, I am a Christian and am involved in campus ministry for student-
athletes. (This isn’t only for people who practice Christianity or religion!) I am a student leader
in a club named “Panther Fellowship” where we meet weekly with the goal of growing
alongside each other through faith and community. Mark Steffey, one of the leaders of the
organization, and I meet once a week and talk about a different part of the bible and talk about
life in general. In one of our recent meetings, he challenged me to take ten minutes out of my
day to sit or lay in complete silence and think through whatever comes to my mind. Taking ten
minutes out of my day to just sit in silence and think about the day, the past, the future, or
whatever else comes to my mind is personally vulnerable and a good outlet from the chaos
around me.
Whether you go into the ten minutes with something on your mind or you are having a relaxing
day, you will be surprised how long the ten minutes will feel and how relieving it will be to
disconnect and be intentionally vulnerable with yourself and your thoughts or emotions.
Sometimes I’ll ask myself questions about how I’m feeling at the moment or about what’s
happening currently in my life. How have I portrayed myself around my friends and family
today? In what way have I made myself better? What is good happening in my life and why is it
happening? What am I thankful for and why?
I have come to cherish these moments as we don’t get to disconnect from society and social
media as much as we should. If ten minutes is too long, start with two. Just set an alarm and lay
on the floor, stare at the ceiling, and just think about how you are feeling at that moment. The
only rule is to confront all feelings and make this time personal. No one else needs to know
what questions you are asking yourself, what you are thinking about, or how you may be
feeling. Take the time to tap into your emotions personally and intimately with yourself.
The Bigger Picture
Each day you wake up, you will have expectations to live up to and tasks that will need to be
completed whether that’s going to class, hanging out with friends, showing up to practice,
completing homework, talking to family, and the list goes on. Throughout your day, are you
using your time to do the things you get to do or just spending your time to mark things off
your checklist and complete the daily to-do list?
I think you would be surprised how many times you underestimate the small wins and
underappreciate the daily conversations, practices, competitions, or school. Since starting to
add intentionality and ownership into my daily schedule and core values, I haven’t only found
that I am happier and more enjoyable to be around, but I have had deeper relationships with
friends and family, I have a more positive attitude when things are not going my way, and I am
starting to understand that everything will come together when the time is right.
Take ownership of your mistakes and successes and be intentional with your thoughts and
emotions in the things you are doing. Take time to listen to yourself, take the time to do the
things that your competitors aren’t doing, and elevate your performance in athletics and life.
Written and submitted by Dylan Reed