Diaries of an Athlete: The 8 Essential Keys to Unlocking the Door to Any Dream

By Ali Vialdores Sr.

WARNING: Do Not Read This Book if accomplishing your dreams does not interest you!
Everyone has a dream. Some of us dream more than others and some dreams are smaller than others; but we all have them. The reality is that most of us will die without ever seeing them fulfilled. 98% of us to be exact.

In Diaries of an Athlete, Life Coach, National Speaker/Marketing Consultant, and former football player Ali Vialdores reveals a transformative eight-step approach to accomplishing your dreams. He delivers the common denominators most champions share and continue to utilize in every aspect of their lives.
Vialdores inspires you with the wealth of information he provides in the form of research-based strategies, career highlights from a variety of athletes, and his firsthand experience. Diaries of an Athlete equips you with the necessary tools, eight essential keys, to successfully unlock the greatness within that you’ve been holding back.

“This book has been amazing to read! Truly grabs your attention and shows the importance of resilience shown in tough situations as an athlete.”
—Essence I. Cody Forward for the University of Alabama women’s basketball team,
McDonald’s All-American

“Diaries of an Athlete captures the true human experience of chasing your dreams, getting knocked down, learning and growing, while holding the foundations of faith at its core. It captivates the idea of perseverance and pushing forward in the face of real-world problems. If you can’t get motivated after reading this book, then nothing will do it.”
—Josh Blackwell NFL Cornerback for the Chicago Bears

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading Diaries of an Athlete, as Vialdores does a great job challenging the reader to self-reflect while navigating through his guiding principles he’s paired with inspiring stories of renown athletes.”
—Dino Babers
Syracuse University Head Football Coach

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664297500

Ali Vialdores Sr.

Ali Vialdores Sr. is a business strategist/media consultant, national speaker, minister, certified life coach, author, martial artist, and former college football player at the University of Central Florida and Valdosta State University. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University. One of Ali’s greatest passions, aside from his faith and family, is the God given purpose of his life in helping others to achieve success in every aspect of their lives. He is one of the first African American media marketing consultants in the United States. He has conducted sales training and small business seminars, impacting thousands of business leaders all over the nation, for close to twenty years. Ali currently resides in California.

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Copyright © 2023 Ali Vialdores Sr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture marked (ASV) taken from the American Standard Version of the Bible.

Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9751-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9752-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9750-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023906772

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/30/2024

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

CHAPTER 1: YOUR MINDSET

• Where It All Started: Early Childhood Development

• Self-Esteem

• The Power of Choice

• Understanding Positive and Negative Self-Talk

• Six Inches

• Examples of Greatness: Roger Federer

• Examples of Greatness: Tom Brady

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 2: YOUR VISION

• The Power of Visualization: Your Secret Weapon

• The Dreamer

• Imagination Coming to Life

• Examples of Greatness: Alex Morgan

• Examples of Greatness: Serena Williams

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 3: YOUR PLAN

• The Road Map

• Mentor Power

• Life Coaching (Accountability Partner)

• Set Your Goals

• Put It in Writing

• Establish Your Plan

• Examples of Greatness: Maria Sharapova

• Examples of Greatness: Marcus Allen

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 4: YOUR KNOWLEDGE

• Knowledge Is Key

• Becoming a Student of the Game

• Create Learning Objectives

• Establish Your Learning Objectives

• Homework Matters

• Be Fully Engaged Mentally

• Learn from Others

• Learning from Failure

• Examples of Greatness: Simone Biles

• Examples of Greatness: Kobe Bryant

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 5: YOUR DESIRE

• The Tree of Desire

• Desire versus Hopes and Wishes

• Tree Branch 1: Motivation

• Determine What Drives You

• Tree Branch 2: Inspiration

• Tree Branch 3: Focus

• Tree Branch 4: Discipline

• Tree Branch 5: Determination

• Examples of Greatness: Anthony Showtime Pettis

• Examples of Greatness: Maya Moore

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 6: YOUR WORK ETHIC

• The Transferable Approach to Success

• Work Ethics Matter

• Pay the Cost

• The Voyage beyond Your Comfort Zone

• Do What Others Will Not Do

• Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

• When Nobody’s Watching

• Don’t Get in Your Own Way

• Adaptability and Perseverance

• A Tribute to a Dream Chaser

• Examples of Greatness: Allyson Felix

• Examples of Greatness: Cristiano Ronaldo

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 7: YOUR HEALTH

• Rest: The Much-Needed Break

• The Overtrainer: There Must Be Balance

• To Sleep or Not to Sleep

• The Impact on Athletic Performance

• REM and Non-REM Sleep States

• The Importance of Nutrition

• Meal Frequency and Hydration

• Examples of Greatness: Michael Phelps

• Examples of Greatness: LeBron James

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 8: YOUR CONFIDENCE

• Self-Confidence versus Self-Esteem

• A Great Place to Start

• Confidence Wreckers

• Your Mind Is Playing Tricks on You

• The Skill of Confidence

• The Effects of Confidence on Athletic Performance

• Confidence Lifters

• Examples of Greatness: Michael Air Jordan

• Examples of Greatness: Muhammad Ali

• Key Points

• Questions for Reflection

CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSION

• Now What? Take Action!

Notes

Bibliography

About the Author

WHAT SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD

OF SPORTS ARE SAYING ABOUT ALI

VIALDORES AND DIARIES OF AN ATHLETE

"This book is a guide to success! It’s inspiring for anyone

who has a goal and wants to turn their goals into

reality." —Jayla D. Cody Center and team captain for the

Alabama A & M University women’s basketball team

Diaries of an Athlete captures the true human experience of chasing your dreams, getting knocked down, learning and growing, while holding the foundations of faith at its core. It captivates the idea of perseverance and pushing forward in the face of real-world problems. If you can’t get motivated after reading this book, then nothing will do it.—Josh Blackwell NFL Cornerback for the Chicago Bears, previously played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the University of Duke

There are countless principles that can be taken from competitive sports and applied to all aspects of life. I have had the opportunity to watch Ali apply these principles firsthand. He has used these lessons as a roadmap for success and has a unique ability to motivate others to do the same.—Chris Sweeney

Former professional baseball player

with the Kansas City Royals Organization and

Frontier professional baseball league

I consider this required reading. A motivational guide for anyone striving to succeed beyond circumstances and surpass goals set at any aspect of life; from academics to business. —Xavier Oliver Alabama State University Men’s Basketball, former ABA Pro Basketball player (Mexico, Venezuela), Entrepreneur, Content Creator - XayVr Company

This book has been amazing to read! Truly grabs your attention and shows the importance of resilience shown in tough situations as an athlete. —Essence I. Cody Forward for the University of Alabama women’s basketball team, McDonald’s All-American

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading Diaries of an Athlete, as Vialdores does a great job challenging the reader to self-reflect while navigating through his guiding principles he’s paired with inspiring stories of renown athletes. " —Dino Babers Syracuse University Head Football Coach

In the competitive world that we live in, we go through a lot on the road to becoming successful, and even more to maintain and grow that success. Diaries of an Athlete not only shows you how to get to the top in your area of expertise, but it also shows you how to stay at the top. —Nakobe Dean NFL Linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, University of Georgia Unanimous All- American, FBS National Champion, and Butkus Award winner

For my mother, Carole Marie Gregoire, my

father, Lincoln Albert Vialdores, and my big

little brother, Jahmal Darren Vialdores

I can do all things through Christ

who strengthens me.

—Philippians 4:13 NKJV

Preface

Over eight years ago, in one of my many sessions with my life coach, we started talking about our old glory days in sports. There wasn’t anything unusual about this meeting at first, until I started telling my story of how much of my life I had wasted making bad decisions, procrastinating, and feeling as if the world owed me something. As a college athlete, I’d had a lot of opportunities to self-destruct, and I made the most of all of them. My irresponsible sexual behavior and near obsession with the opposite sex put me in a zombielike state, where nothing other than my sexual desires mattered. The worst part of it all was that I was content with that. A misdirected anger then began to fester in me because of the stagnant life I’d created for myself—an anger that led to depression, more bad behavior, and more stagnation.

This cycle continued for a few years until one day the light switch turned on. My constant frustration with my life and where it was headed eventually opened my eyes to see things as they really were, and it wasn’t pretty. The cycle of problems and depression that had plagued me for most of my young adult life all came back to one place: me. This discovery placed me in a truly desperate and humble place, a place for me to finally be able to hear from God, who I’m sure had been trying to get my attention the entire time.

That’s when the Lord started leading my every move, and as a result, I became hungrier than ever before for every dream that crossed my mind. Most importantly, I knew exactly how to do it. By rewiring my thinking, tapping into my imagination, putting a plan in place, doing my research, feeding my desire to be successful, and committing to working hard, all while maintaining my health and confidence levels, I was unintentionally making use of a transformative eight-key approach for every goal I set my sights on. And no matter what I applied this approach to, it worked!

As I walked my life coach through the eight keys and every phase of my story, I painted a crystal-clear picture of what I’d been feeling, what had been happening in the world at the time, and how I’d continued to gain control over my life, day after day. For a moment, I transported both of us back to a time in my life when everything started to become clearer to me: who I was, who I wasn’t, and that I was the deciding factor in whether I achieved greatness in this life. Not circumstances, timing, or the decisions of other people. Just me.

The passion with which I told this story came not from my simply reminiscing about my days of competing in college football or martial arts but from my knowing that my days of competing never really ended. The game of life goes on years after you step off the football field or basketball court, where you’re competing all the time—whether in your career or against unexpected circumstances, pressure, the odds, and even yourself. For this reason, I get filled with emotion when sharing with others about this process that allowed me to get out of my own way. It was such a great and liberating feeling to know that with every weight I lifted, every game I played in, and every time I gave it my all, I was preparing myself for future postathletic successes—successes such as opening new businesses, motivating and coaching thousands of small business owners across the nation, and partnering with the some of the largest broadcast media groups in the world.

At the end of our conversation, my life coach shared with me that the Lord had spoken to his heart and told him that I should write a book about this process and my journey. I was stunned. Of all the things I thought he was going to say that God had put on his heart for me, that was the last thing I anticipated.

First of all, I had never seen myself as a writer, or even creative, for that matter. Not to mention I had always hated reading. I struggled for most of my life putting things together as I read, even in graduate school, dealing with everything from frequently losing my place while reading, to sometimes switching words around, and even occasionally adding words that weren’t even there. I would have to read a sentence three or four times just to make sense of it.

Reading out loud was an even worse experience. Every issue I already had with reading seemed to be exacerbated by my merely opening my mouth. As I would listen to myself stumble through sentences, I would cringe at what sounded like a fourth-grade reading level. I trembled in fear at the thought of having to read out loud in class, so much so that if we were going around the classroom reading sections from a particular chapter, I would purposely go to the restroom for an extended period of time just to avoid what I felt would be absolute embarrassment. Although I was never diagnosed, as a teenager, I was convinced that I had some sort of learning disability.

With all my negative history with writing and reading, I still knew in my heart that writing this book was something I was called to do, and here’s why. Over the years, I’ve come to understand that when a calling is coming from God, it’s usually something that will stretch you beyond your own imagination, strength, and abilities. When something is stretched beyond its previous form, its capacity changes; it’s no longer the same, yet it’s still fully intact. So when my life coach shared that message with me, I was caught off guard but not at all surprised.

Although I started down this tough road merely out of obedience, I am now so grateful and excited about the changes that have taken place in me. Especially because I have come to realize that these changes weren’t just for my benefit; they are also for others to hear.

Numerous studies have shown that generation Y (millennials) and generation Z, while different in many ways, are both made up of big dreamers with tremendous amounts of talent and education. Those of both generations also lack the know-how to connect those dreams to action steps. If you have a dream but don’t know what to do with it, this eight-key approach is the answer to helping it come to fruition. Furthermore, the most wonderful aspect of this process for achieving success is that it will work for anyone who applies it, and it’s applicable to just about anything in life, including business. You can even use this process simultaneously in different areas of your life.

Are you ready for a change? Are you also ready to put in the work to make those changes happen? If your answer is yes to both questions, you’ve already taken the most important steps.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my mother, Carole Gregoire, for her love and support and for always believing in and encouraging me. There’s no aspiration or dream that I could communicate to my mother that she would think is too lofty for me. My biggest thoughts and dreams are safest with her. She also showed me what it means to be truly selfless and to have a teachable spirit no matter how much experience you have or how old you become—and that your lessons can come from anywhere and anyone. There are well over a hundred verses in the Bible that reference sacrificial love. For my entire life, my mother has demonstrated that to her family. To my father, Lincoln Vialdores, who showed me what it means to step out and take chances regardless of the possible difficulty. His adventurous spirit was contagious. He modeled a rare inner strength that brought him, with resolve and poise, through the Vietnam War and serious health issues. He also gave me a model of what chasing your dreams looks like. I remember thirty years ago like it was yesterday, watching my father write his first book.

Both of my parents had incredible journeys of success as immigrants coming to the United States in the 1960’s, at the peak of the civil rights movement and Vietnam War. My mother is from Jacmel, Haiti, and my father was from Belize city, Belize.

My wife, Jovanna Vialdores, for pushing the best out of me. My children, Aliyah, Savannah and Tyrece, Ali Jr., Alixandria, and Bell, for inspiring me to be the best I can possibly be as well as for being my greatest cheerleading section. To my grandchildren Journi, Justin, and Julian for also being an inspiration. To my nieces Brittani and Giovanni, and my nephews Brajahn, Donovyn, and Aleczander. Thank you to Elder Yul Crawford and Pastor Tifiny Johnson for your guidance, ideas, and wisdom. I would also like to thank WestBow Press, Josh Blackwell, Nakobe Dean, Essence Cody, Xavier Oliver, Dino Babers, Jayla Cody, and Chris Sweeney. My friend/mentor/brother-in-Christ, Robert Coupe de Ville Cooper and Terry Cooper, for not letting me make excuses for myself. In loving memory of my grandmother Agnes Gregoire, for also not allowing me to make any excuses for not giving my best effort, all because she believed in me.

I would also like to thank my aunt/godmother, Liliane Dure and Uncle Adrian, and Bishop Flynn and Carolyn Johnson for being the best set of spiritual parents a man could have. My pastors Frank and Ivie Gonsalves for their prayers. My sisters, Sasha Vialdores and Natasha Henderson; my brother, Jahmal Vialdores; my cousin / big sister April Fuller, Tyrone Vialdores, and Stephanie Dure. My aunts Micheline Gregoire and Marie Fleurima and Uncle Joe Fleurima, and Uncle Jean Gregoire. Thank you to Alonzo Thompson, William Martin, Ricky Taylor, Corey Pressley, Jerome Case, and Dorothy Vorise. Special thanks to my martial arts mentors, Master James Fort, Master Mitchell Church, Master Mark Webb, and Senior Master Derwin Lee. Thank you to my team/family at Gabriel Media, particularly Allen Schemmel and John Padgett.

Also, in loving memory of my Uncles Walwin Wally Vialdores and Obaja Tiba Gregoire, Jewell Angel Newsome, Rick Steele, Aunt Laura Vialdores, Ethel Matura, Grandfather Rudolph Vialdores, Grandmother Eileen Watts, Linda Jean-Paul, Antoinette Cadet-Trompetre, Carmelita Jean-Paul, Pierre Jean-Paul Sr., and Louise Cadet-Trompetre Lature.

Introduction

As a kid, I dreamed of what it would feel like to be considered the best at something. My early athletic obsession with professional sports and NCAA world and national champions is just one example of what fueled my dreams and definition of being successful. As young as I was, I already knew and appreciated the fact that once you’ve achieved a certain level of greatness, it will always be yours, whether or not you duplicate that success. Once a champion, always a champion.

These aspirations towards football stayed with me all the way through high school. With my not being heavily recruited in football out of high school, the road to one of my goals of playing for a NCA A Division I-A (now known as the FBS- Football Bowl Subdivision; the highest level of college football in the United States) team was a difficult one. However, once I successfully walked-on to the University of Central Florida’s football team, as a running back, it was one of the greatest feelings ever. So too was the day that I was crowned world champion in tae kwon do at the black belt level. I jumped into a front flip the moment my hand was raised by the referee declaring me the winner. In midair, I knew that life for me would be different from that moment on. Having competed at the national and international levels was a dream come true.

Both accomplishments were extremely tough to get to but well worth the work that it took. But the fact that a goal or dream is difficult to achieve is part of the attraction, isn’t it? If everyone could do it, would it be as special, or matter at all? The odds say that only 7 percent of high school athletes play college sports, with only 1.8 percent playing at the Division I-A level. That is one out of every fifty-seven athletes. Furthermore, in the world of martial arts, only 2–3 percent ever achieve black belt status, while significantly less ever accomplish a world title (less than .01 percent). What if I told you that I discovered an approach that beats the odds every time? What if I told you that this winning approach is transferable to anything you’re looking to accomplish? What would that mean to you?

Diaries of an Athlete is designed to unlock the code of success for any dream you set your sights on. Successfully accomplishing my dream meant everything to me. However, it wasn’t just getting to my desired destination that meant the most; it was also how the process reshaped me throughout the journey. I was never the same again. That was what being a success looked like for me.

Success is one of the most sought-after quests in life. It’s the measuring stick for everything we do. Nothing we engage in is with the purpose or hope of being unsuccessful. Well, at least I hope that’s not your aspiration. What is your perception of success? The definition isn’t as complicated as you may think—the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. However, the most popular implication of success is all about winning and losing, and that could not be any farther from the truth. The truth is, success should be measured not solely by the circumstances you create but by how your circumstances help to create something within you. Which speaks to the purpose part of the success definition.

To go back to your perception of success, do you ever think that some people are just born to be successful and the rest of us were just born to admire them? Has the thought ever crossed your mind that some people have what it takes and some just don’t? Well, that’s partially true. While it’s true that some things may come easier to others, and some people may be more physically or mentally gifted in different ways, we all still have the capacity to acquire what it takes if we don’t already have it. Unfortunately, this is the reality that has eluded so many of us, causing so many people to fall short of their dreams simply because they don’t see their own potential or know how to bring it to the surface.

I can vividly picture a person I once knew who cried themselves to sleep every night. Their tears originated from deep feelings of inadequacy and their constantly falling short in almost everything they attempted to do. It happened so often that in their mind it had become an expectation—an expectation of failure, one that led to self-sabotage, which led to more disappointment. Their confidence was at its lowest, and as a result, their performance was inconsistent. Most importantly, they couldn’t identify what was missing in their approach, so they were left with a feeling of just being stuck in this cycle of failure, followed by their falling into a deep depression. Now, picture this same person with an internal happiness that is derived not from accomplishments but from a heightened sense of their capabilities, a confidence that supersedes any challenge they might face. It is because they uncovered a process—one that allowed them to unlock the secrets behind winning and losing and that built them up in every area they struggled in, as well as in areas they thought were under control. If you can identify with