St. Paul native Matt Birk's resume is impressive, to say the least.  

The former Cretin-Derham Hall and Harvard star center spent 15 seasons in the National Football League, a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, being named the 2011 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year for work away from the field. 

Since his retirement from the NFL, Birk has held a number of influential positions, including two years as the NFL's Director of Football Development, and now focuses the bulk his time on motivational speaking within the framework of his own eponymous company.

On Wednesday, Birk addressed three groups of players from the MAP Hockey program, expounding on the ideals of leadership, how to implement leadership qualities into both the athletic and nonathletic arenas of life, and concrete examples of leadership testimonials. 

Birk said that the responsibility of developing personal talent lies within the individual and that players are in charge of themselves when it comes to rest, nutrition, and embracing the intricate details that make up the body of work of an accomplished athlete and person. 

Habit-forming was also a piece of Birk's session, as he explained that developing good habits early on the in the process of life enables people to maintain a high level of discipline as the multitude of responsibilities continue to grow with age.

In addition to habit-forming and an appreciation for the resources afforded to a lot of athletes, Birk admonished the group to focus on improving every day, even in the least measurable ways possible. Writing down goals, keeping a clean locker room, and reminding yourself that you only have today were all key components of Birk's message.