From Coach Traub:
Strive for Excellence Now
I like to promote three priorities for the ideal team culture. Excellence, enthusiasm, and forgiveness. The first two are logical, the third is perhaps surprising, but excellence and enthusiasm cannot be maintained without forgiveness. In this article, I elaborate on why excellence is critical, and what it requires...
Great athletes make excellent performances appear easy, but they obviously are not. How can we prepare for excellence in performance? For me, thinking about this question starts with three quotes:
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
"The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is a gift."
"Strive for perfection, but never expect it."
The first reminds me that action is required and great gains occur as a result of consistent small improvements. The second reminds me to check my regrets about the past and my worries about the future at the door so that I can give my best effort right now to the task-at-hand. The third clarifies that I have high expectations and I set no limits on my capabilities, but I will neither deny nor beat myself up for my shortcomings, either.
There are three levels of mental toughness according to Harvey Dorfman:
1) Want it.
2) Know what to do.
3) Do what you know.
First I must find a worthy goal to work towards, and there is no better way to find it than to do whatever I'm doing now to the best of my ability and see if this sparks a passion. If so: fantastic. It's now time to think about both long and short-term goals. If it doesn?t, I have still trained myself in mental discipline and received the most benefits possible from that activity, both for myself and those around me.
If excellence is to be achieved, massive action is required. This action must not only include hard work, but smart work, too. Leaders know how to work smart because they constantly ask questions and pay special attention to the second level in Coach Wooden?s Pyramid of Success: self-control, intentness, initiative, and alertness. Finally, champions display mental toughness by
a) controlling their emotions;
b) maintaining an "I will not be denied" attitude;
c) seeking out new ways to know (figure out) what to do;
d) giving their best effort, relentlessly;
e) paying attention to all the details along the journey; and
f) by enjoying the ride, even through the obstacles along the way.
Inspire Excellence
COACHING POINT - Many youngsters still trying to find themselves will certainly claim to want excellence, but will have other desires guiding their actions. These other desires include the need to fit in, to look good, to get attention, and to please others. Don't assume that your level of maturity and motivation already exists in your athletes, even the leaders. In your own way, find a way to communicate to them your confidence in their potential, your belief in right behavior, and your passion for competing with others and, above that, with yourself. Their choices do not mean that they do not want excellence. Poor choices reflect an incomplete view of reality and their own priorities, and perhaps the development of some unfortunate habits. Lead them; most of them not only truly want to be great, but they will also appreciate inspiration and your guidance about how to become exceptional in their approach! They just need a spark. When you get them to compete with themselves and embrace the challenges, they will, "find something infinitely mysterious and wholly valuable: the ability to surprise [themselves]" (from Slaying the Dragon by Michael Johnson).
If you'd like a superb written exercise that will allow your athletes to clearly identify their own top values, reply to me and I'll send it to you. It's also in my Coaches Manual for Training Mental Skills.
Vince Lombardi, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."
Vince Lombardi, "Winning isn't everything, but making the effort to win is."
Teddy Roosevelt, "In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."
George S. Patton, "Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory."
Thomas Edison, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Henri Frederic Amiel, "It is not what he has, or even what he does which expresses the worth of a man, but rather what he is."
Aristotle, ?Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.?
T. Alan Armstrong, ?Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character?
Coach Wooden Quote: "Success is the peace of mind that comes from knowing you did your best."
Strive for Excellence Now
I like to promote three priorities for the ideal team culture. Excellence, enthusiasm, and forgiveness. The first two are logical, the third is perhaps surprising, but excellence and enthusiasm cannot be maintained without forgiveness. In this article, I elaborate on why excellence is critical, and what it requires...
Great athletes make excellent performances appear easy, but they obviously are not. How can we prepare for excellence in performance? For me, thinking about this question starts with three quotes:
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
"The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is a gift."
"Strive for perfection, but never expect it."
The first reminds me that action is required and great gains occur as a result of consistent small improvements. The second reminds me to check my regrets about the past and my worries about the future at the door so that I can give my best effort right now to the task-at-hand. The third clarifies that I have high expectations and I set no limits on my capabilities, but I will neither deny nor beat myself up for my shortcomings, either.
There are three levels of mental toughness according to Harvey Dorfman:
1) Want it.
2) Know what to do.
3) Do what you know.
First I must find a worthy goal to work towards, and there is no better way to find it than to do whatever I'm doing now to the best of my ability and see if this sparks a passion. If so: fantastic. It's now time to think about both long and short-term goals. If it doesn?t, I have still trained myself in mental discipline and received the most benefits possible from that activity, both for myself and those around me.
If excellence is to be achieved, massive action is required. This action must not only include hard work, but smart work, too. Leaders know how to work smart because they constantly ask questions and pay special attention to the second level in Coach Wooden?s Pyramid of Success: self-control, intentness, initiative, and alertness. Finally, champions display mental toughness by
a) controlling their emotions;
b) maintaining an "I will not be denied" attitude;
c) seeking out new ways to know (figure out) what to do;
d) giving their best effort, relentlessly;
e) paying attention to all the details along the journey; and
f) by enjoying the ride, even through the obstacles along the way.
Inspire Excellence
COACHING POINT - Many youngsters still trying to find themselves will certainly claim to want excellence, but will have other desires guiding their actions. These other desires include the need to fit in, to look good, to get attention, and to please others. Don't assume that your level of maturity and motivation already exists in your athletes, even the leaders. In your own way, find a way to communicate to them your confidence in their potential, your belief in right behavior, and your passion for competing with others and, above that, with yourself. Their choices do not mean that they do not want excellence. Poor choices reflect an incomplete view of reality and their own priorities, and perhaps the development of some unfortunate habits. Lead them; most of them not only truly want to be great, but they will also appreciate inspiration and your guidance about how to become exceptional in their approach! They just need a spark. When you get them to compete with themselves and embrace the challenges, they will, "find something infinitely mysterious and wholly valuable: the ability to surprise [themselves]" (from Slaying the Dragon by Michael Johnson).
If you'd like a superb written exercise that will allow your athletes to clearly identify their own top values, reply to me and I'll send it to you. It's also in my Coaches Manual for Training Mental Skills.
Vince Lombardi, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."
Vince Lombardi, "Winning isn't everything, but making the effort to win is."
Teddy Roosevelt, "In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."
George S. Patton, "Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory."
Thomas Edison, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Henri Frederic Amiel, "It is not what he has, or even what he does which expresses the worth of a man, but rather what he is."
Aristotle, ?Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.?
T. Alan Armstrong, ?Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character?
Coach Wooden Quote: "Success is the peace of mind that comes from knowing you did your best."
