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

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

"If I had to choose one thing that caused me to break Lou Gehrig's record, it was the simple fact that I loved playing baseball.  It's easy to go to work day after day, month after month, year after year, when you really love what you do.  Every day is fun.  Every series is an adventure. Every game is important."

-Cal Ripken

PERFORM IN THE MOMENT

Game performances occur in the present, not in the past or future.

Although recalling positive memories of past performances and visualizing future ones can be useful, the best state of mind to be in is in the present.

George Mumford, who also work with the L.A. Lakers when Phil Jackson was coach, currently works with sports teams at Boston College. He still remembers his best student on the Bulls, none other than Michael Jordan "Michael made no distinction between practice and a game in terms of the effort he puts in," Mumford recalled. "He was the first one running sprints and doing all the other drills. He didn't have to prove anything, and yet he was always pushing himself. Not in an abusive way, but because he was truly in the moment and enjoying what he was doing."

Before, during and after practice and competition, constantly remind yourself, "Right here is the best place, and right now is the only time."


From "The Winning Spirit" by Joe Montana and Tom Mitchell

WHAT'S YOUR "WHY"

Big thanks to my friend Coach Brian Hargroder for passing this on to me.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

“Some people say I have attitude - maybe I do.

But I think you have to. You have to believe in

yourself when no one else does -

that makes you a winner right there.”

 -Venus Williams-

LeBRON ON WHAT HE'S DOING THAT TRANSLATES INTO SUCCESS

A great interview with LeBron talking about how his work in practices and in the video room are key to his success on the court.

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR FRIENDS

We constantly speak of the power of relationships.  As coach, I have always had my own "Circle of Influence" -- people who believe in me and are there to help me grow.  I think it is important for our student- athletes to also understand the importance of who they associate with and how it makes a tremendous difference in who they are and who they become.

The following comes from "Talent Is Never Enough" by John Maxwell:

1. Identify the Most Important People in Your Life
Who are the significant people in your life, the people you spend the most time with, the people whose opinions mean the most to you!  Those people are your greatest influences.  You need to identify who they are before you can access how they are influencing your talent.

2. Assess Whether They are Influencing You in the Right Direction
Once you have identified the people who are influencing you, you would be wise to discern how they are influencing you. Key questions include:

What does he think of me? Novelist Mark Twain advised "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambition."

How does he or she behave toward me in difficult times?  There's an old saying, "In prosperity our friends know us.  In adversity we know our friends."

What does he bring out of me? British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli observed, "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but reveal to him his own."

3. If Your Friends Aren't Friends, Then Make New Friends
If the people close to you are dragging you down, then it may be time to make some changes.  Speaker Joe Larson remarked, "My friends didn't believe that I could be come a successful speaker.  So I did something about it.  I went out and found me some new friends."

WHAT DOES YOUR OPPONENT THINK OF YOU?

The following was tweeted by Boston Celtic assistant coach Kevin Eastman --

What if every opponent thought this:

"I do NOT want to play against

his effort & intensity for 40 minutes!

THE ATTITUDE OF GREATNESS

The following is a quote from Kevin Durant last year...imagine how good you could be if you had this humility and drive:

"I'm not nearly the player that I want to be."

A TREMENDOUS HUNGER

When Kobe Bryant was asked what makes one guy a champion above the next guy he responded with this:

"It's drive.  It's the will,  There are certain people that have a tremendous hunger.  There are certain people that have a will,  determination and hunger that you need to be the best in the world.  Those people -- and those people alone -- become champions."

THE BATTLE WITHIN

An elderly native-American is telling his grandson about a fight that is going on inside of the young man -- he describes it as a "battle between two wolves."

One wolf is evil: lazy, angry, selfish, full of self-pity, resentment and excuses. He wants to stray from the pack.

One wolf is good: hard-working, joyous, filled with hope, humility, kindness. He wants to lead the pack.

After some thought, the grandson looks to his grandfather and ask, "Which wolf will win?"

To which the grandfather replies, "The one you feed."

YOU'LL NEVER FORGET YOUR TEAMMATES

"Even when you've played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember.  You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates."

-Anonymous

IT'S "WHAT CAN BE" THAT MEASURES WORTH

The following is a poem written by Dan Clark for Anthony Robles.  It comes from Roble's book "Unstoppable."  Want to learn more about Robles? Check out one of our previous blog posts: http://goo.gl/mwgVC.

Every soul who comes to earth
With a leg -- or two -- at birth
Must wrestle his opponents knowing
It's not what it is, it's what can be that measures worth.
Make it hard, just make it possible
And through pain I'll not complain,
My spirit is unconquerable
Fearless I will face each foe, for I know
I am capable, I don't care what's probable
Through blood, sweat and tears
I am unstoppable.

GREAT PLAYERS ARE GREAT LISTENERS

So you probably agree that listening is important. But what does it mean to listen? We heard a story about a high school music appreciation class that provides a meaningful answer to that question. The teacher of the class asked for a volunteer to explain the difference between listening and hearing. At first no one wanted to answer; but finally, a student raised his hand. When the teachers called on him, he said, “Listening is wanting to hear.” That answer is a great start. To become a good listener, you have to want to hear. But you also need some skills to help you.

To increase your understanding of others as you listen, follow these guidelines offered by Eric Allenbaugh:

1. Listen with a head-heart connection.

2. Listen with the intent of understanding.

3. Listen for the message and the message behind the message.

4. Listen for both content and feelings.

5. Listen with your eyes—your hearing will be improved.

6. Listen for others’ interest, not just their position.

7. Listen for what they are saying and not saying.

8. Listen with empathy and acceptance.

9. Listen for the areas where they are afraid and hurt.

10. Listen as you would like to be listened to.

From "Becoming a Person of Influence" by John Maxwell and Jim Dornan

WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?!

This photo was snapped a few days ago.  After practice, Kobe Bryant stuck around and worked on his individual ball handling drills. Which begs the question:

If one of the best players to have

ever played the game still finds

the need and time to work on

developing his game, why aren't you?