Coach Brown's Keys Thoughts For Success

I recently read a post from coach Greg Brown (the woman's basketball coach at the University of Central Florida) and saw something that I really liked. From what I can tell he wrote it himself, but I could be wrong. The post is entitled "Key Thoughts For Success."

1. There is no happiness when what you believe is not what you are. It's impossible for people to heed your advice and ignore your example.
2. You have to study the game. When two coaches are together and one is talking and one is listening, you know the one listening is the better coach.
3. Each week evaluate your players in manners, courage and language.
4. Do you have servant goals or selfish ones?
5. Build your own army wherever you are. You can't do this by taking from people, you must give. Daily acts of kindness build an army.
6. You are the sum total of your experiences.
7. Don't make decisions because they are convenient, inexpensive or popular. Make them because they are right.
8. Have the mentality of, "Count on me."
9. It's better to be content with a little rather than discontent with a lot.
10. Take nothing for granted.

Chapter 8: The Courage of Your Convictions

I know it has taken me way too long to finally finish my posts from Cal Ripken Jr.'s book "Get in the Game," but here are the Ripken Principles from the 8th and final chapter.

1. When criticized, take it with a grain of salt. People are entitled to their opinions.


2. Stubbornness can be a positive trait in helping you persevere through some tough times. It can help you overcome injuries, and it can aid you in dealing with unfair criticism.


3. When the chips are down, a good manager knows he can always count on his best people to be present.


4. When you're a little bit sick or injured, the answer is not to take time off. The answer is to keep going.


5. You can insulate yourself from physical injury by playing all out.


6. By going all out all the time, you are likely to attract the attention of your managers and teammates. That will, in turn, make you more valuable to the organization.


7. When you believe in something and you think it's right, you have to be strong enough to have the courage to stand up for it.


8. Do not let the enormity of the moment take you outside of what you know you are capable of doing.

Coach Don Meyer at the ESPY's

In case you missed it here is Coach Don Meyer receiving the Jimmy V Award at this year's ESPY Awards.

Don't Reward The Small Things

This past Christmas I got the book "No Limits" by Michael Phelps(with Alan Abrahamson). Finally, after 7 months, I have picked it up an begun to read it. I have already found a small passage that I really enjoyed. Here is the excerpt:

"We got home from Federal Way on a school day. My mom, who was at work, had put a large banner saying, 'Congratulations,' on the lawn and had trimmed it in red, white, and blue. Bob, who had brought me back to house, took down the entire display. When she got home, Mom was furious. Bob was unmoved. It was a matter, Bob said, of tempering expectations. Best to keep everything in perspective. Bob asked my mom, 'What are you going to do when he wins nationals? He got third. If he wins, are you going to but him a car? If he sets a world record, what, a house? You can't get excited about every step. There are so many steps. We're on, like, step 200 of 3,000. How are we going to keep going?'"

I think I really enjoyed this excerpt because that is the way that I grew up. When I was in elementary school I saw that many of my friends got an allowance. They explained to me that their parents let them have an allowance so that they could learn to manage money at a young age. I thought this to be a great concept so I decided to take this idea to my dad. His response was a simple, flat out NO. He went on to explain that he didn't think I should get paid for doing something I should be doing in the first place(like my chores). This is the same reason me and my brothers never got any money for good grades on our report cards like some kids did. He told us we were suppose to make good grades and again, shouldn't be rewarded for something we are suppose to do. I think this concept is lost in the world today. As Michael Phelps mother did, people want to give rewards for every small step. By doing this it keeps kids from really being pushed to new levels. If they receive a reward for every little thing that they do then what will be there to make them strive for the next level of success. They already got a reward for something so why press on? On the other hand when you do not reward every step you push them to new limits. They know and understand that rewards are only given for doing something truly great or for reaching a serious goal. By doing this it shows people that you already knew they were good enough to accomplish the small things. Therefore you didn't reward them for something that they should be doing or should have been able to do. A good lesson that I think needs to be spread around more in the world of athletics today. It pushed people to the next level and lets them tap into their full potential as an athlete and as a person.

Holdsclaw's New Purpose

Great article in The New York Times by Mike Tierney about Chamique Holdsclaw's new outlook on basketball and on life.

ATLANTA — Chamique Holdsclaw was once an A-list sports celebrity, a big shot with a big shot. The high-scoring Holdsclaw passed the first-name-only recognition test.

These days, many missives on her Facebook page are not so much about hoops as about hope. ’Mique’s Tweets, her Twitter posts, sometimes veer from playing ball and toward her personal ball and chain.

Clinical depression kept her out of the W.N.B.A. for nearly two full seasons, and even led to an overdose of antidepressants. In a strange way, it has brought her back to the league.

With her illness in check and her game in tow, Holdsclaw ended her hiatus this year, driven to show others afflicted by depression that it is beatable.

“It’s not about me anymore,” she said. “I’ve always been a player who just played. I have to use my voice a little more now, give back to young people dealing with the problems I’ve had.”

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/11/sports/basketball/11holdsclaw.html?_r=1&em

Kids Say The Darndest Things

I was doing some work for a friend of mine the other day and heard a young man say something that I thought was just great.

As we were working that afternoon out in the field my friends nephew came out to see what we were doing. This young boy is about 9 or 10 years old. I hadn't seen him in a long while and he came up to greet me. I noticed that he had a full leg brace on one of his legs and asked him what happened. He told me that he had fractured his knee cap. Immediately I was thinking about how painful that would be. I myself have never broken a bone(knock on wood), but I can't imagine what a fractured knee cap would feel like. Anyway, I went on to ask him how this injury of his had come about and he told me that it happened playing baseball. I joked with him about how at least he had a good sports injury story to tell the girls and he just laughed. Then he went on to tell me that it happened while sliding into home. Before I could say another word he said, "Well hey, at least I scored," and if I remember correctly he scored the winning run for his team. I loved his response. Here is a 9 or 10 year old kid that wanted to win. He had gotten hurt in the process and who knows maybe cried(I probably would have... it's a fractured knee cap) but looking back on his injury he was at least able to say that he layed it all on the line to help his team win. I think this is something that is truly lacking in little league sports today. The kids have no desire to win and no hatred for losing. Which is what I believe to be some basic yet vitally important lessons to be learned in little league. I just thought I would share this story with you. I enjoyed my conversation with the young man and he let me know that there is still that will and desire out there.

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.

-Lance Armstrong

"Trying is just a noisy way of not doing something."

I had to steal another post from Coach Starkey. It is something that i myself need to put into action more often for sure.

"Obsession is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated."

-Unknown

Trying is just a noisy way of not doing something.

I learned from author and consultant Art Turock that we need to make a distinction between being interested and being committed. When you are “interested” in doing something, you only do it when it’s convenient, but when you are “committed,” you follow through no matter what—no excuses!

Many people are interested rather than committed. They talk about trying to do something, rather than actually doing it. They make lots of noise, but fail to follow up. An interested exerciser wakes up in the morning to rain and says, “I think I’ll exercise tomorrow.” A committed exerciser wakes up to the rain and says, “I better exercise inside.”

When a person is committed to doing something, he or she will find ways to suppress rationalization. Even when it is inconvenient, such a person will keep his or her commitment. Persistence in life is characterized by this mental and behavioral toughness.

-Ken Blanchard (From his book "The Heart of a Leader")

Burnt Out

Guys ask me, 'Don't I get burned out?' How can you get burned out doing something you love? I ask you, have you ever got tired of kissing a pretty girl.
Tommy Lasorda