EXCELLENCE

"Going far beyond the call of duty, doing more than others expect, this is what excellence is all about!  And it comes from striving, maintaining the highest standards, looking after the smallest detail, and going the extra mile.  Excellence means doing your very best.  In everything!  In every way."

-Jack Johnson

I AM HABIT

I am your constant companion.  I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.  I will push you upward or drag you down to failure.  I am completely at your command.  Half of the things you do you might just as well turn over to me and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.  I am easily managed -- you must merely be firm with me.  Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great men, and alas, of all failures as well.  Those who are great, I have made great.  Those who are failures, I have made failures.  I am not a machine, although I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of man.  You may run me for profit or run me for ruin -- it makes no difference to me.  Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.  Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am HABIT


From "Thinking for a Change" by John Maxwell

ARE YOU PROUD OF HOW YOU LIVED TODAY?

"At night when I go to bed, I ask myself, 'If I don’t wake up tomorrow, would I be proud of how I lived today.'”

-Muhammad Ali

WHEN YOU ARE ALONE, WHAT DOES YOU ACTIONS SAY ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?

“The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.”
-Thomas McCauley

You identify yourself by what you do when no one is watching. The supervised athlete may be the hardest worker, the most selfless and responsible competitor. But how he practices when no one sees him, how he interacts with teammates when the coach is not within listening distance -- that's when he defines himself.  His character.

Theodore Roosevelt extended the definition to self-awareness and independent self-evaluation saying, “I care not of what others think I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do. That is character.”

From “Coaching The Mental Game” by H. A. Dorfman

FAITHFULNESS TO YOUR VALUES

TAMIKA CATCHINGS: "I've played all over the world in many different countries and with many different teams. When I leave those places, I don't know if I'll ever see those people again. So I want them to remember that I had a certain kind of strength about me and that I lived by my Christian principles. Whether I'm playing in Korea, Russia, Turkey or right here in the United State, my faithfulness to my values boils down to one huge question pose by Coach Wooden: Will I compromise my integrity when temptation is great?"

COACH WOODEN: "Loyalty is the foundational quality that gets us through hard times. Will we compromise our integrity when temptation is great? Or will we remain loyal to our beliefs and core values? I wanted my players to become people of integrity. When we have integrity, we are not going to do anything that will be demeaning to anybody else, either on or off the court. And with integrity, we will never consider letting our teammates down."

From "The Greatest Coach Ever" by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes

LEAVING A LASTING LEGACY

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"Be prepared and be honest."

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"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

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"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

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"What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player."

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

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"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

"It isn't what you do, but how you do it."

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

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"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

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"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."

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"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

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Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

DO IT WITH CLASS

From Coach Jim Tressel's The Winner's Manual:

Class is respect for others. It is a deep and genuine respect for every human being, regardless of his status in life.

Class is having manners. It is always saying “thank you” and “please.” It is complimenting people for any and every task done well.

Class is treating every other person as you would want them to treat you in a similar situation.

Class never makes excuses for one’s own shortcomings, but it always helps others bounce back from their mistakes.

Class never brags or boasts about one’s own accomplishments. And it never tears down or diminishes the achievements of another person.

Class does not depend on money, status, success, or ancestry. The wealthy aristocrat may not even know the meaning of the word, yet the poorest man in town may radiate class in everything he does.

If you have class, everyone will know it, and you will have self-respect. If you are without class—good luck, because no matter what you accomplish, it will never have meaning.