GOAL FOR TODAY: "GET BETTER"

Here is a great conversation with Tom House (who works privately with quarterbacks) and Tim Tebow as taken from "The QB: The Making Of Modern Quarterbacks" written by Bruce Feldman.

House: “OK, Tim, what do you want to do today?"

Tebow: "Get better."

House: "How are you going to get better?"

Tebow: "By working on the process. Harder."

THERE IS NO EXCUSE

“There may be people that

have more talent than you,

but there is no excuse for anyone to

work harder than you do.”

 -Derek Jeter

 

YOUR DAILY GUT CHECK QUESTIONS

At sunrise, ask yourself, “How will I be a champion today?”

(This speaks to your Intentions)

 

At sunset, ask yourself, “Was I a champion today?”

(This speaks to your Accountability)

 

 

From "The Champion's Mind" by Jim Afremow

RUSSELL WILSON'S SECRET? TREAT EVERY DAY LIKE GAME DAY

I found the following in an article on Inc.com that ran the weekend before the Super Bowl. It is well-written by Ilan Mochari and you can read it in it's entirety here.  The primary concept is that Russell Wilson, like so many other successful people, do so through intentionality and taking care of details on a daily basis.  As Mochari's article states at the beginning: "Trainer Jonathan Brooks says Russell Wilson treats everyday is if it was his game day."

1. He practices the art of getting out of his comfort zone.  "I was amazed by how quickly he adapts to the different environments that he's put into," says Brooks

Though Wilson's powers of acclimation impressed Brooks, the trainer points out that adapting to new environments is a skill Wilson works on actively.

For example, anyone who has watched Wilson play knows he is quite comfortable using his speed to create operational space and improve throwing angles. Therefore, heading into last off-season, Wilson wanted to train for in-game moments when he could not use his foot speed to create angles and openings. In other words, he aimed to improve in situations where his mobility was limited or unavailable as a bailout mechanism. 

So with Brooks and the EXOS team, Wilson conducted vision drills emphasizing hand-eye coordination and quick decision making. The idea was for Wilson to use his mind, rather than his legs, to make the correct decision under pressure.

For instance, Brooks would run a drill in which he had multiple balls of multiple colors thrown toward Wilson. While the balls were in the air, Brooks would shout out a particular color. It was the balls of this shouted-out color that Wilson had to catch. At varying intervals, Brooks shouted out different colors, forcing Wilson to hear-see-move at a moment's notice.

"The goal is to work on that vision that you need to have on the field," explains Brooks. "It's about his continuing to open his vision and identify patterns and schemes, and progressing with his anticipation and reaction skills."

2. He challenges himself and others to be at their best, even though it is technically off-season training. "He prepped for every day as if it was his game day," says Brooks. "His approach was a lot different from what I've seen, based on his self-motivation and his leading others." 

As an example, Brooks says Wilson would constantly build up his EXOS cohorts (Tate, Ward, and the other pros training with them) so "they'd go up to his level." Early on in the sessions, Wilson led by example. He was the first one in the weight room each morning and the first one back from water breaks.

Later on, once rapports and personalities were established, Wilson, like any leader with people skills, used more vocal encouragement with those whom he felt it would motivate. "He would speak with guys individually before a session started, and he would encourage them," says Brooks. 

Interestingly, Wilson's encouragements are reminiscent of a practice habit that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has shared.

According to Bruce Feldman's superb book The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks, in 2013 Rodgers was watching Purdue quarterback David Blough during a drill. "Well, what do you think I need to work on the most?" Blough asked him. Rodgers replied:

You're staring down your target. You're throwing one-on-ones, so, of course, you're gonna stare down your receiver, but challenge yourself. You've got all the arm talent in the world. You know you're throwing to this guy, but why not stare down the middle of the field and know what timing he's going to be on, and then, on your last step, look over at him and deliver the ball. Find a way to challenge yourself even if it's on a little routine drill or routes-on-air (against no defenders).

Aside from the chief takeaway of Rodgers's advice--challenge yourself--note the manner in which he delivers it: He compliments Blough and says he grasps why Blough had not been challenging himself previously. In other words, he teaches without reprimanding or preaching.

3. He remains mindful that it is still the off-season, and that intense training must not lead to burnout. "He also works hard in the recovery state of things," explains Brooks.

That is, on recovery days, Wilson would not slack off. He would diligently show up for massage treatments and therapy sessions. "He'd still treat it as a normal training day," says Brooks. 

As a trainer, Brooks knows one of his primary goals--and ongoing challenges--is upping intensity without upping the risk for injury. A key component to it, for Wilson and the rest of Brooks's athletes, is taking time away from the sport before the season officially begins.

Another component is sleep: between seven and nine hours a night, making sure to consume no food in the two or three hours before turning in. 

It's in categories like these--daily habits ensuring rest and reducing burnout--that the parallels between training athletes and training executives are most apparent.

For example, many entrepreneurs need to be reminded about the importance of time off. Left to their own devices, they'll work long days and burn out, even though countless studies suggest they'll be more effective if they sleep long hours and take regular vacations. 

The key, as always, is to know the difference between working harder and working smarter. Of course, mastering that difference is one reason why entrepreneurs often work with coaches too. It's something to keep in mind as you're watching Wilson on Sunday night. Whether the Seahawks win or lose, you know this much: Come the off-season, Wilson will be at it again. 

BE READY FOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY BUT EXCEL AND MASTER YOUR ROLE IN THE MEANTIME

I had the honor of knowing Garrett Temple at a young age because of my relationship with his family.  You knew that no matter what Garrett decided to do in life that he was going to be successful -- he had the right attitude and mindset.  His father Collis Temple was the first African-American to play at LSU and Garrett's older brother, Collis III, was an outstanding student-athlete as well.

The following is an excerpt of an article written by Jorge Castillo for the Washington Post (you can read it in it's entirety here).  It speaks of Garrett's desire to play and compete but his maturity in understand that a professional not only accepts the role he or she has but masters it.  His ability to step in and start early in the season speaks to his being ready when his opportunity came.  I'm a big Garrett Temple fan -- here's why:

Garrett Temple understands his role on the Washington Wizards. He was re-signed over the summer to provide depth at both guard positions as a defensive specialist but, most importantly, to bring a professional presence in the locker room. Temple has fulfilled those duties. He has played sparingly over the last two months but has maintained a positive attitude. He is often the first player applauding his teammates and constantly provides words of encourage. He plays the role to perfection.

But Temple believes he can be more than just a morale booster. He thinks he can contribute on the floor and points to the 13 games he started at the beginning of the season as evidence. He supplied further proof in the Wizards 106-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns Wednesday, captaining an all-reserve unit that trimmed Washington’s deficit from 17 to four points in less than five minutes to start the fourth quarter.

“I know I can play in this league,” Temple, 28, said. “Hopefully I showed that I deserve to play. I’ll get my chance but like I said, I’m going to be a great team player. Whenever I get a chance to play, I’ll go out there and give it my best and that’s basically it.”

“I want to play. I always want to play,” Temple said. “In the NBA you have to have some kind of confidence to be here and I know I can play in this league and I know I can help this team. But at the end of the day, it’s a team sport and we have a lot of guys that have that same mentality.”

Temple was a mainstay on the floor at the beginning of the season. With Bradley Beal sidelined due to a fractured left wrist, Temple started the Wizards’ first 13 games and reached double figures in four of Washington’s five games before his offensive production tapered off. Since then, he has had to adjust to impacting his team through other avenues.

"Me and Drew Gooden talked about this a few weeks ago; you can always affect the game,” Temple said. “If you’re not playing you can affect [a game] by how you act on the bench. If you’re smiling, you’re up being positive, that affects the game. If not, if you have a frown on your face, if you’re looking upset, you want to get into the game and you’re pouting, that’s going to be a negative effect on the game. So whatever I do, I’m going to affect the game in a positive way however I can."

THOUGHTS FROM CELTICS' BRAD STEVENS

For those of you that compete, here are some great concepts to keep in mind from Brad Stevens, head coach of the Boston Celtics:

"You have to earn your right to win the game with effort and togetherness."

"The game honors toughness."

“My goal is win the next game one possession at a time.  That’s it.  I don’t have any other goals.”

“The deal is, you can’t play basketball without a clear mind. And so you’ve got to do your best to control what you can, clear your mind, and not get too overly concerned about things that are not confirmed by people in the position that are ultimately going to make decisions.”

 

NO EXCUSES

WHAT CHAMPIONS KNOW AND DO

The following comes from Jim Afremow as a contributing editor for The Sporting News.  He also has wrote an outstanding book The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive." Follow him on Twitter @goldmedalmind.

1. Champions know that vague goals lead to vague results. They know exactly what they want to accomplish and think of each day a golden opportunity to chip away at their big-picture goal.

2. Champions don't care what the obstacles are because they love to battle and get back on top again. Tough times make them even tougher!

3. Champions always play to the max, whether in practice or games. They go out and ball out with their best attitude and a complete effort.
 
4. Champions learn to make every play (or shot, etc.) count. They relish the poor ones as much as the powerful ones. 

5. Champions keep their attitude and work ethic constant throughout the ups and downs that are part of every season. They never let up or give up.

6. Champions understand that the better they get, the harder they need to work. A true champion never thinks in terms of, "Well, I've got it made."

7. Champions take as much pleasure in the journey as the destination, the process as much as the product. 

WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT? YOUR TEAM OR YOUR MINUTES?

What type of attitude do you have as a player in regard to what's best for your team?  Are you most worried about the success of your team or the minutes you are going to play?  Here is the greatest of stories about sacrificing individual minutes for the good of the team by possibly the greatest collection of players to ever compete -- the ORIGINAL DREAM TEAM!

The following comes from the Dream Team’s first meeting and is one of the reasons they were truly a dream:

“Look, there are twelve of you, and you’re all All-Stars and future Hall of Famers,” said Coach Chuck Daly, “and there is no way I can get all of you the minutes you’re used to having on—-

Magic and Jordan interrupted him.

“That isn’t going to be a problem,” said Jordan.

“We’re here to win, and nobody is going to care about playing time, Chuck,” Magic said.

Taken from “Dream Team” by Jack McCallum

The original DREAM TEAM included the best that have every played:
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Chris Mullin

 

    

 

PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DECISIONS

 

"I go to bed early because I rise early.

The decisions I make always center

around performance enhancement."

-Tom Brady

This is the mindset of a champion.  If you are determined to be the best you can be, you have to understand that every choice you make will help or hinder your performance.  This is true of the student as much as it is an athlete.  When it comes times to make a decision the simply yet effective question is "How with this help me improve."

THE LEADERSHIP EXAMPLE OF HARD WORK

One of the mantra's utilized by Coach Don Meyer is "if you best player is your hardest worker then you have a chance to have a good team."  The concept is the important of the leader to create a culture of work ethic for his/her followers.  Another Coach Meyer's favorites: "You example isn't the main thing in leadership, it's the only thing."

Which brings us to a case in point --  Dak Prescott, the quarterback at Mississippi State who has the Bulldogs in the top 5 in the nation -- unfamiliar territory.

This from an article that ran in the Columbus Dispatch:

"We saw a guy with an unbelievable work ethic, a guy who works to get better every single day," said head coach Dan Mullen of Prescott, who has turned into one of the top players in the country as a redshirt junior. "We saw a guy with great potential for growth, a player we could get in here and really develop. This is a development program. And with his work ethic, we knew he was one of those players who would get better every single day, and those are the players you want." 

THE GREATS ARE CONTINUAL LEARNERS

I loved this story from "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth" by John Maxwell:

I recently read an anecdote about a meeting between Ted Williams and Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach in the 1950s.  As the two greats discussed their sports, Williams asked, "What do your guys eat on the day of a game?"

"What do you want to know for?" Auerbach replied.  "You seem to be doing all right with what you're doing."

"I'm always looking for new ways to improve what I do."

Auerbach said of Williams, "He thought of the little things, what's important to being great.  When you're great and you excel, some athletes would coast on that...Here's the best hitter in baseball, and he's trying to get another little percentage point."

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL MEDIA RULE

This is short and sweet but critically important -- more so than ever in today's world of social media and instant communication.  This actually came from an article written by Geoffrey James for Inc.  The title of the article was: "The 1 Personal Branding Rule Everyone Should Know."  You can read his entire article here -- but this is the most important part -- and one we will share with our team:

Every day, people screw up their personal brands by not following this absurdly simple rule:
Never go online if you're angry, upset or otherwise impaired.

DEREK JETER: TOUGHNESS AND THE TEST OF TIME

I  came across an absolutely great article on Derek Jeter written by Joel Sherman for the New York Post.  It is possibly the best thing I've read about Jeter and some of the reasons he been so consistently successful.  I've written before but to me, the true test of greatness comes with the test of time.  There are many that are good, even great for a short period of time but it is the long haul that truly show us greatness.

I strongly suggest you take the time to read the entire article here -- until, here are some great excerpts:

On Friday night, Jeter started his 2,610th game at shortstop. That moved him past Omar Vizquel for the most in major league history. It might not be Lou Gehrig or Cal Ripken stuff, and it came and went without confetti and fanfare. But you do not start that many games in the middle infield — all those double-play pivots, etc. — without a sense of responsibility, a reservoir of pride and a steely constitution. The day-after-day mental and physical grind ultimately defeats every athlete. But some endure better than others. And Jeter is at the top 1 percent.

“We all consider rolling over and shutting the alarm clock off,” Joe Torre said by phone. “Jeter never rolls over. He gets out of bed. It is never a consideration to take a day off. It is a sense of responsibility to his team and to himself.”

I remember a conversation long ago with Gene Michael when he was still the Yankees general manager. We were discussing the traditional five tools — hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding and throwing.

That day I disagreed with the confines of the five tools. I suggested there were so many more than five tools. Aptitude was vital. You could have five tools, but if you couldn’t apply them, what was the use? Victor Martinez might only have two tools, but he has pretty much maximized them. That is so much more valuable than having five that excite scouts but never come out in games with consistency.

Grace under pressure is a tool. Again, you could have the physical stuff down, but if you can’t do it with 40,000 people in attendance or in October, what is the point?

Discipline is a tool. Are you going to keep working out, avoid perks that could drain your energy and skill?

And durability is a tool. Danny Tartabull used to tell me to project his stats over a full season and I finally told him, “Why? You never play a full season.” Mark Buehrle might not be blessed with the stuff that makes scouts drool, but wind him up and he gives you 200 innings. Every year. Year after year.

Because I believe it is in all these areas beyond the traditional tools that Jeter was an A-plus and took very good traditional tools to a Hall-of-Fame level.

His aptitude, his grace under pressure, his discipline and — for me — especially his toughness.

Chili Davis Code: If I am playing, I am healthy enough to play. He never played the “I am 80 percent” game to provide an alibi. Never told you off the record how he was really feeling, again, as a way to set up the excuse. “I’m all right.” That he what he told managers and media.

Jeter felt a responsibility to play, that the team was best when he did. Torre and Joe Girardi have known they could write his name into the lineup game after game, season after season. Do you know how much easier that makes the managing job?

“There was a playoff series in which he had pretty much a broken hand, got shot up for Game 1, couldn’t feel his hand and said he would rather just play with the pain,” Torre said. “There was never a consideration that he wouldn’t play. He came to the ballpark to play. It certainly made my job a whole lot easier. You talk about a guy who is a leader. You have someone who wants to rest, they look across the locker room and see him. He forced other people to play, not literally, but by example.”

YOUR'RE NOT GOING TO OUTWORK ME

"The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on the treadmill. I will not be outworked.  Period.  You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all those things -- you got it on me in nine categories.  But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm gonna die.  It's really that simple, right?...You're not going to outwork me."

-Actor Will Smith
From "The Rise" by Sarah Lewis