Today Is the First Page of a New Chapter — Write a Good One
- DPH
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Reminding you that you’re not stuck.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need a certain date to reset. Not the New Year. Not Monday. Not “after this tournament.” If you wait for the perfect start, you’ll always find a reason to push it back.
Adapting to real change happens in regular moments:
after a bad shift
after you lose your focus
after you snap at yourself
after a week where you weren’t proud of your effort
A reset isn’t dramatic. It’s simple. It’s deciding, right now, “I’m not doing that version of me again.”
The Next-Shift Reset (30 seconds)
Use this the next time you make a mistake:
Breathe twice (in 4 seconds, out 6 seconds).
Ask: “What’s one thing I can control on the next rep?”
Pick one and commit:
call for puck early
move your feet to anticipate angling player into the boards
scan before you receive
make stick on puck contact
better body position
That’s it. You don’t need a new date. You need a better next decision.
The lie we keep buying: “I’ll reset when…”
Student-athletes are some of the most motivated people on the planet… and also some of the best at making bargains with themselves:
“I’ll lock in when the season starts.”
“I’ll fix my sleep after studying for this test tomorrow.”
“I’ll stop snapping after I make a mistake… once I’m more confident.”
“I’ll get serious in the offseason.”
“I’ll train right when I have more time.”
That’s not laziness. That’s fear disguised as planning.
Because starting today means you can’t hide behind the future. Starting today means you have to be seen trying. Starting today means you might fail in public.
So we postpone. We “prepare.” We wait for the clean chapter break. A new year to begin.
But hockey doesn’t care about your preferred timeline. The team needs you to be at your best. The game shows up every shift and asks the same question:
Who are you going to be right now?
Resets don’t happen on dates. They happen in moments.
Real change isn’t fireworks. It’s not a dramatic speech in the mirror. It’s not a perfect week where everything goes right.
Change is usually smaller than that -- almost annoyingly small.
It’s the moment you:
get scored on, and instead of sulking, you take your next shift with purpose.
get corrected by a coach, and instead of taking it personally, you try to understand where they're trying to guide your learning and adjust.
feel your chest get tight after a turnover, and you breathe anyway.
want to blame the ref for offside, but you choose responsibility.
want to quit early, but you ask for one more rep.
That’s the real first page.
Not January 1st. Not your birthday. Not “next week.”
The first page is whenever you decide you’re done being the old version of you in that moment.
Why “starting over” feels so heavy
A lot of athletes avoid resets because they think it has to be dramatic.
Like resetting means:
erasing everything you did wrong
reinventing your identity
flipping a switch and becoming perfect
That’s not a reset. That’s a fantasy.
A reset is simpler. A reset is returning to your standards.
Not punishing yourself for leaving them.
At DPH, we talk a lot about performance, but the real secret is this:
Performance is a byproduct of alignment.
When your actions match who you say you want to be.
So if you’ve been off—mentally, physically, emotionally—good. That’s human.
Now the only question is: what’s your next action?
Three Tips to “turn the page”
Here are three resets you can use any day, any time, even mid-shift, mid-practice, mid-slump.
1) The 60-Second Reset (for when you’re spiraling)
This one is for right after the mistake. The bad pass. The missed assignment. The moment you feel your confidence leaking out of your gear.
Do this:
One deep inhale through the nose, slow exhale through the mouth.
Say (in your head): “Next shift.”
Pick one controllable for the next rep: stick detail, gap, scanning, first three strides, shoulder check, talk early.
That’s it.
You’re not fixing your whole life. You’re reclaiming the next 60 seconds.
2) The 10-Minute Reset (for when you’re drifting)
This one is for the days where you’re not a disaster—you’re just… not you. Low energy. Half-effort. Coasting.
Do this:
Set a timer for 10 minutes.
Pick one “identity rep” and do it with intent:
10 minutes of handling with eyes up
10 minutes of mobility
10 minutes of wall work
10 minutes of film on one theme (e.g., “scanning before receiving”)
When the timer ends, stop. Win the small battle.
This builds trust with yourself again.
And confidence is just self-trust stacked over time.
3) The 24-Hour Reset (for when you’ve been off for a while)
This is the reset for the “I’ve kind of lost it” stretch.
Not forever. Not a total transformation. Just one day of standards.
Your 24-hour checklist:
Move your body (even lightly)
Hydrate
Eat one real meal
Sleep with intention (screen down earlier)
Do one skill touch
Write one sentence: “Today, I’m the athlete who ______.”
You’re not chasing perfection.
You’re proving you’re still in control.
TL:DR
If you’re reading this as a coach or parent, remember: athletes don’t reset when they’re shamed into it.
They reset when:
standards are clear
feedback is consistent
accountability is steady, not emotional
effort is noticed
mistakes are treated like information, not identity
The goal isn’t to create fear around failure.
The goal is to create safety to respond.
Because the athlete who can respond is the athlete who can grow.
Write the chapter the hard way
A “good chapter” isn’t clean. It isn’t aesthetic. It isn’t a montage.
A good chapter is built like hockey is built:
one rep at a time
one honest choice at a time
one uncomfortable moment you don’t run from
one standard you return to
So if you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah… I’ve been off.”
Perfect.
Don’t wait for a date to save you.
Don’t wait for motivation to show up like a limo.
Pick up the pen today -- even if today is messy, even if today is tired, even if today is just you trying again.
Because the best chapters don’t start with perfect conditions.
They start with a decision:
“I’m back.”
-K
