Becoming a better athlete starts with a water bottle. 

You might laugh and think that becoming a great athlete is all about training, working hard, and good coaching. This is all part of it, but it starts with you and your water bottle. Carrying your water bottle to training is the first step in taking charge of the small things that all add up over years, it's not just about the bottle hydrating you.

Successful athletes will always be able to describe every minor detail involved in the execution of their success, whether it's foot placement, visual cues, and their thoughts now, amongst others.

This is a mindset acquired over years of making sure the little unimportant processes have been completed.

Coaches will always notice the young child who has thought ahead and brought their water bottle, that the child cares about their performance, they want to work hard and re-hydrate to continue working hard.

Planning to bring a water bottle starts a process and mindset which then grows as you age and become more experienced, the child will begin to do his or her stretches, recovery exercises and plan meals to further their progress.

They will reflect on performances with precision, implement changes to improve.

Failures by these people will be acted upon instead of blaming someone else because from day one it's been their responsibility to remember their water bottle and not their parents. If they forget it, it's not Mum's or Dad's fault.

The mindset and approach whereby you care about the details and understand that everything in the process adds up to create a successful performance.

Whether you're performing daily at school or work and preparing a healthy lunch the day before, meaning you are more awake in the afternoon. Or you're an Olympian where you build up to one perfect performance every 4 years and remembering that water bottle on every one of the 1460 days between the Olympics could be the difference between gold and fourth.

The small things matter and make a difference - Have you remembered your water bottle today?

Team MVP