Maybe It's My Fault

One of my favorite Michael Jordan commercials is his, "Maybe It's My Fault" commercial. Michael says, 

"Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I led you to believe it was easy when it wasn't. Maybe I made you think that my highlights started at the free-throw line and not in the gym. Maybe I made you think that every shot that I took was a game-winner, that my game was built on flash and not fire. Maybe it's my fault that you didn't see that failure gave me strength; that my pain was my motivation. Maybe I led you to believe that basketball was a God-given gift and not something that I worked for every single day of my life."

This is my favorite commercial because it made Jordan real. MJ was such a super-hero to so many of us, but this commercial made me realize that Jordan was not born the great basketball player who ever lived - he worked hard to become the greatest basketball player who ever lived. He tried, he failed, and he tried again. His failure fueled his passion and strength, and he used his pain as motivation. While we might not all be able to dunk from the free-throw line, we can work as hard as we can to become the best version of ourselves. This is something that we can all do.

Elbert Hubbard once said, "To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. He also said, "The secret to getting ahead is getting started."

The first step to becoming the best version of yourself is to get started and start working hard.

Work hard for the person that you want to be tomorrow, next month, next year. Work so hard for that person that when you look in the mirror, you give a wink and say to yourself, "this is the person that hustle and hard work built." "This is the person that I built."

It's amazing how even just a week or a month of diligent focus, commitment, and discipline can make such a difference. Never underestimate what you can achieve when you go all in. Don't underestimate the power of consistency and desire. You have what it takes to become the best that you can be. Don't ever doubt yourself. Harness your power. Exceed your expectations.

You are entirely up to you.

Week 22 Devotional | WORKS

Faith = Salvation + Works

Isaiah Thomas is an undersized, 5'9 point guard in the NBA who has WORKED hard and overcome adversity to have a great career. He was the very last pick in the NBA draft in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings and played in Sacramento and in Phoenix with the Suns before becoming a star and MVP candidate for the Boston Celtics. In 2017, Isaiah finished 5th in the MVP voting as he led his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference. That same season, he broke his hip, requiring surgery and him to leave the playoffs in the middle of the conference finals. During that playoff run, Isaiah also lost his sister in a one-car collision. In a game of giants, Isaiah went from being the last pick of the draft to an NBA All-Star and MVP candidate. He was then faced to live and compete with the broken hip and the sudden, tragic death of his sister.

Isaiah is still WORKING hard and trying to fully recover from the injury, and he has not been able to recreate the success that he had in Boston, but he is determined to get another shot and prove to the world what kind of player he is. While WORKING and waiting for his shot, Isaiah is also working on a documentary about his journey. He said, "I want to tell my story because it relates to so many people in the world. Me being 5'9, me being counted out, and not given a real chance to succeed I think relates to the average person out there. To show them the ups and downs of a real career will only be beneficial to the next generation of people trying to make it, not just in basketball but in life. I have seen the bottom, I have seen the top, and I have seen the bottom again."

His story and commitment reminds me of a few verses in the Book of James. James was Jesus's brother, and even he didn't believe that Jesus was the true Messiah and Son of God until Jesus was resurrected from the dead. This shows that in life, we will all have doubters, but we have to keep faith in God and keep doing good WORK. Faith without WORKS can't be called faith. Faith without WORK is dead" ( James 2:26), James insists, and dead faith is worse than no faith at all (Stanley).

BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO PERSEVERES UNDER TRIAL BECAUSE, HAVING STOOD THE TEST, THAT PERSON WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE THAT THE LORD HAS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.

Jesus came to save us all. Jesus knows how tough life can be because He came and lived it. Jesus knows that life can be tough and full of challenges, setbacks, adversity, failure, and trouble, but Jesus tells us to take heart because he has overcome the world (John 16:33).

We learn more through our adversity, challenges, and failures than we do through our successes, so count it joy when you meet trials and adversity. Know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. When you are solid, firm, and unwavering in your love, respect, and fear of God through the trials and adversity of life, you become perfect and complete and lack nothing (James 1:2-4).

Be a doer of the word and not just a hearer. The one who hears and acts will be blessed.  

Isaiah was asked about his experience. He was asked how it was going from being the last pick to being an all-star and then having to fight again for a spot in the NBA. He was then asked about the injuries and how it all weighed on him as a person. Isaiah said it was hard. He said that he has seen the bottom, seen the top, and then saw the bottom again. Isaiah said that it all weighed on him a lot. He said it hurt and it killed his spirit. He said that what helped him through those times was having his sons at home, his small circle of friends, his small circle of family, and his mentors supporting him. They were his motivation to get back and to get one more chance to show that he can still play at a high level.  

We all have tough, hard times. The world can be very tough on us all, and we have to have people in our corner that keep us going. Isaiah Thomas leaned on his family, friends, and mentors. We also have Jesus and the Holy Spirit to lean on and give us guidance. We can and should ask God for wisdom and believe without doubting that it will be given to us (James 1:5).

Real, genuine faith endures trials and setbacks. Faith helps you fully enjoy the good times, and faith helps you endure the hard times. Having faith should inspire and empower you to do great things. Hard times are a part of life; you should expect them. But when you have real faith in Jesus, you can take on those challenges head-on and develop endurance, which develops strength of character, and character leads to hope (Romans 5:4).

Click here for a Google doc version: Week 22 | Works

References

Stanley, Charles. The Life Principles Bible. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.

"What's the Dea with Faith and Works in James?" The Gospel Coalition, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/faith-works-james/.

Create a Dynamic Onboarding Experience (The First Day of Practice)

Set your athletes (and their families) up for success with a great and effective onboarding experience. Onboarding is an HR term referring to the process of introducing a newly hired employee into the organization (BambooHR).

In sports, onboarding would be the first practice of a new season or when you have a new team member joining the team. Onboarding can set the tone for a new athlete's experience and can impact how well they perform and how long they decide to stay. Harvard reports that a quality onboarding experience creates 54% greater new hire productivity (Kierstead).

How does this affect how we coach and run our teams? If we create a positive experience when new athletes join or when the new season starts, we can set our athletes up for success and for a great experience.

Use the onboarding process to clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations for your athletes and their families. Clearly define team goals and individual expectations. Help your athletes and their families understand what the team prioritizes and emphasizes early and often so that everybody is on the same page.

Create a welcoming and inviting environment where teammates feel comfortable and not judged so that they are free to learn, grow, and ask questions. Mistakes are a part of the learning and growing process, so creating an environment where athletes feel like they belong, valued, and safe will help set them up for better performance and a better experience.

Tell and teach new teammates what they can expect from you and the team. If you start or end practice a certain way or do certain things differently, let them know. My teams start and end every practice by Circling Up and talking about our day (outside of sports) and setting expectations for the practice or reflecting on the practice. We do so to build relationships, and we expect everybody to share. We talk to new teammates about this because they might not be used to doing this on other teams and sharing information about life at basketball might be shocking to a new teammate.

When you have a new teammate or need to set or reset expectations to start a new season or in the middle of a season, have regular conversations that define the team's values, shared mission, and goals to provide clarity and direction. Cover every topic from what to wear in practice and games, to what time to show up, to what pre-practice and post-practice shoot around looks like, to how to talk to and encourage each other, to how to overcome mistakes and adversity, to where the bathrooms and water fountains are, and everything in between. 

Share the cultural values of your team and show how your team is committed to being inclusive and having an inclusive environment. This is an opportunity to set the norms and expectations of how everybody treats each other on the team.

It is also important to acknowledge when your athletes have outgrown their roles on the team and are ready for new levels of responsibility. While we want to provide our athletes with an environment that will keep them happy, hopeful, engaged, and motivated, don't hold your athletes back, even if expanding their role on the team is not an option. If you have an athlete that needs to move on because they have found a better opportunity, support them in that effort. The best teams have teams where people can step up and step in to fulfill the roles of their teammates. This requires coaches to be clear on what they expect and to be teachers and developers who grow the skills, judgment, and confidence of all of their athletes.

References

Kierstead, Jana. "Create a Dynamic Onboarding Experience." Promising Practices for Employee Engagement, 2020, pp. 7-9.

“What Is Onboarding in HR?” BambooHR, www.bamboohr.com/hr-glossary/onboarding/.

Marcus Paige's Emotional Farewell Speech Leaves Roy Williams In Tears

Marcus Paige was a star for the legendary North Carolina basketball program from 2013 to 2017. North Carolina is one of the top college basketball programs currently and historically, and Marcus hit one of the biggest shots in North Carolina history against Villanova in the 2016 National Championship game.

North Carolina ended up losing on a last-second shot when Villanova leader, Ryan Arcidiacono, made a clutch pass to Kris Jenkins who hit a clutch shot from three, but Paige's shot elevated him into being in a position of being mentioned with the best of the best from North Carolina, including Roy Williams, Vince Carter, Dean Smith, and Michael Jordan.

The video below is a clip of Marcus Paige's speech on senior night:

Listen, Learn, and Pay Your Dues
When Marcus committed to North Carolina, they already had an All-American guard who played his position. Marcus could have gone to other schools where he would have been expected to start immediately, but he was willing to go to North Carolina to learn and play behind a more experienced player. He was willing to listen, learn, and pay his dues.

The point guard ended up leaving early for the NBA, and Marcus had to step in and lead the team immediately. He told Coach Williams, "You handed me the keys to the program and to the team and you probably had more confidence in me than I did at the time."

I Believe In You
Coaches, mentors, and leaders have the power and ability to see greatness in their athletes, and sometimes the athletes don't even see that same greatness in themselves. The great coaches know how to use this to impact, change and transform lives.

Research shows that when coaches say, "I believe in you," performance can improve. We all have to overcome doubt, fears, and anxiety. Having someone who believes in us can help us keep going, keep pushing, and overcome those doubts and fears.

Believe in your athletes, and let them know that you believe in them. At 0:31, Marcus said, "The one thing you did is you always believed in me. You always told me, 'I believe in you son. You are going to make shots, you are going to do fine, you are going to be a great player. That allowed me to be confident and grow as a person.'"

At the 1 minute mark, Marcus said, "I started taking note of the thought of the day at practice because it is a lot of words of wisdom. I have tried to be every bit the player that you wanted me to be, but you have made me a better man. I am ten times the better man than who I was when I got here, so thank you." Great coaches can use sports to help teach life lessons, but the athlete has to be willing to listen, learn, and grow too. Growth is a partnership. When I was playing in college, my coach started the first practice of each season with the same quote from Martin Luther King Jr. The quote was, "The time is always right to do what's right." I will never forget that quote. 

The words of a coach become the inner voice of their athletes for the rest of their lives. This is clear when listening to what impacted our athletes and what our athletes remember. Be the teacher, coach, mentor, and leader that your athletes need.

Great Opponents | MJ Mondays

Great opponents bring the best out of us. They push us harder and farther than we can push ourselves. They force us to rise to the occasion. It is important to appreciate and respect our opponents because they push us to be the best that we can be.

COMPETITION REVEALS THE GREATNESS THAT IS ALREADY WITHIN YOU.

When Michael Jordan came into the NBA, there was a lot of competition and several great rivalries. Magic Johnson and the Lakers were going at Larry Bird and the Celtics. Dr. J and Philadelphia were competing for championships against the Lakers and Celtics, and Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons were just getting started.

Michael Jordan and the Bulls had to claw and fight their way to the top of the league just like all of the other greats before them and like all of the greats they were competing against. The competition that Jordan faced beat him and beat him up early, but they made him stronger and better. Michael said that the mentality of the leaders of the Chicago Bulls when they finally made it to the top, starting with their head coach Phil Jackson was, "Let's find a way to stay up top. That means we have to go the extra mile. We have to go a little harder, and we have to go a little longer."

The best part of competing is that it pushes us to discover what we are capable of. Great competition shows us that we can do more than we ever believed possible.

Competitors use their setbacks to set up their biggest comebacks.

Michael Jordan once said, "You have to compete every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that. When he was asked, "Who were some of the guys you enjoyed competing with the most?" Jordan responded, "All of the best. Bird, Magic, Patrick, and whoever was considered an elite player I enjoyed playing against them because they pushed me as a basketball player."

Your opponents and competition should be respected. Your opponents are like a big test in school. Your teacher and homework are like practice. Everything comes together when you play against your rival, and you want to be ready for those big moments. To make sure that you are ready, you have to make sure that you are working hard and getting better for those moments in practice, and make sure that you respect your opponents because great opponents help you improve and take your game to a different level by forcing you to work harder, work longer, and stay more focused and engaged.

Week 21 Devotional | Diversity and Inclusion

Cliques and the division that they cause are a quick way to separate teams. Great teams have great cultures, and great cultures are inclusive cultures where everybody feels like they belong, valued, and safe. When you have teams that are divided, they are more likely to break down when they face adversity, but when teams are together and invest in each other, they have what they need to fight through any storm, together.

Diversity is the variety that makes up a team or community. Inclusion is how much the team and the community feel like they belong, valued, safe, and included. Most of our communities are growing more and more diverse, and it is important and valuable to find ways to use that diversity as a strength. When you have people on the team who look and think differently and have different skill-sets, you can avoid groupthink and find ways to maximize what each teammate brings.

Plus, recognizing and appreciating diversity and inclusion is Biblical. In Matthew, chapter 22, the Pharisees got together after hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, and one of them, an expert in the law, asked Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as [you love] yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Jesus explicitly says that our two jobs in this life are to love God and love each other. He doesn't say to love some neighbors and not other neighbors, but to love your neighbors. Love all people. After His resurrection, Jesus met with the disciples on the mountain in Galilee where Jesus told them to go in Matthew 28:18, and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Earth and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you." Jesus didn't say to only go to certain people in certain neighborhoods, or certain countries, or of certain religions, beliefs, or faiths. Jesus told the disciples to go to ALL nations.

In Colossians 1:16-17, Paul wrote, "By him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether those or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him."

In Romans 12:16, Paul wrote, "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight."

There are many more verses in the Bible like these. If we want to be true followers of Christ, we are called to love God and love each other. We must know and believe that all things were created by God, and we are to live in harmony with each other, not thinking that we are better than anybody, but loving and taking care of each other.

This Week

1 - Love God and tell Him that you love Him through prayer and through your actions.

2 - Find friends, teammates, and people that you can serve. Serving others is one way that we can show love. Find one way, every day, to do something good for someone else so that in you, they may see the love of Jesus.

For a Google Doc version of this, click here: Week 21 Devotional

References

“100 Bible Verses about Diversity.” What Does the Bible Say About Diversity?, www.openbible.info/topics/diversity.

The Invisible Gorilla

We all have blind spots, and those blind spots can have real effects on our teams and our athletes.

My coaching style is to press and pressure you into mistakes, and then try to convert those mistakes into opportunities. I want my teams and athletes to be smart and versatile, but I also want them to be able to run people out of the gym if they aren't able to keep up. I have a specific way that I like to teach how to pressure, and it usually works, but one season I had a team that couldn't figure out how to rotate the way that I wanted them to rotate, and we struggled. I had an older, mentor coach come in and observe a practice so that I could get another set of eyes on my team and how we can grow in our ability to rotate on defense. The coach immediately saw the problem - we needed to make a small adjustment in the way we set up. I was so locked in with tunnel vision while trying to fit my athletes in the box that I had learned and mastered how to teach, but I didn't realize that I was the one needing to make the adjustment. It took my mentor 5 minutes to see what I couldn't see and that 5 minutes changed our season.

The Invisible Gorilla is a study, book, and video created by psychologist Daniel Simons. He focuses on visual cognition, what we see, what we don't see, how much of our visual world we are aware of, and how much we remember from one moment to the next. In the video, they had six people with two basketballs. Three people had white shirts and they passed the ball to each other, and three people with black shirts passed the ball to each other. The task of the people watching the video was to count how many times the people in the white shirts passed the basketball to each other while ignoring the people in the black shirts passing their basketball. After about 30 seconds, they have a person wearing a full-body gorilla suit walk into the middle of the scene, turn and face the camera, thump its chest, and then walk out the other side after about 9 seconds.

Daniel says that half the people who do this report that they do not notice the gorilla. When the video is over they ask, "How many passes did the team in white make?" He says they also ask, "Did you notice anything unusual," "Did you notice anything other than the players," and, "Did you notice anything walking through the scene?" They then ask, "Did you notice the gorilla," and the typical response is, "A what?!" 

Daniel says that when they rewind the tape and show it to them again, the typical response is, "I missed that?" It is shocking that you can miss something as obvious as the gorilla because it's big and right there in front of you. They did a parody interview with the gorilla, and the gorilla says, "I stand there. I thump my chest. Not once. Not twice. But three times I thump my chest. I'm big, I'm a gorilla, and they don't see me. What's up with that?"

The intuition that we have is that if there is something important, distinctive, or unusual - like a person in a gorilla suit - that walks into our field of view, we'll automatically notice it. The reality is 90% of people will notice it, but only about half of the people do. The gorilla in the interview said, "People are just so focused on counting those passes that they don't notice me. I am not trying to be subtle here."

They even did the experiment while having people watch the video with an eye-tracker that tells you exactly where they are looking while they watch the video. They found that the people who missed the gorilla look at it for up to a second. People look right at the gorilla but still don't see it or notice it. Daniel said that looking isn't the same as seeing. We have to focus attention on something in order to become aware of it.

The gorilla then said, "How do you think it makes me feel? I'm trying to be intimidating. It makes me feel inadequate."

Daniel closes in saying, "We know when we see and are aware of something that is unexpected, but we are not aware of the times when we have missed something unexpected." People don't notice the gorilla because do a good job of focusing our attention. We have to interpret millions of different things every second, and we have to be able to filter out the distractions of the world and not let them interfere with the tasks that we are supposed to do. We only have a limited amount of attention to focus, and its easy to miss something. We only see the things that we focus our attention on or that we know to focus our attention on. Sometimes we filter things out that we might want or need to notice or focus us without realizing it. Their can be a mismatch between what we see and what we think we see, and if it is profound enough, like not seeing the change needed in a rotation, it can have real impacts on our teams and our lives.

Talk, Thank, and Celebrate

Teams that have a great culture where everyone is engaged, energized, passionate, and on the same page tend to beat teams that don't have great cultures.

Think about it - if you have a connected team where everybody feels like they belong, valued, and are safe competing against a team with athletes who aren't engaged, energized, passionate, and together, of course you have a better chance of winning. This is something that author and HR visionary Eric Mosley has written about and created great teams around, and this is something that can help your team maximize its potential.

When talking to researcher, author, and professor Brene Brown, Eric said that great teams do three things great - they talk, they give thanks, and they celebrate each other.

Great Teams Talk
Eric said that Harvard did a study about the efficacy of regular check-ins and reported that these check-ins helped teams and team members perform better. He said that it didn't matter what they talked about - having any kind of regular conversation can lift performance. Be intentional about finding ways to talk to your teams before, during, and after practice. Taking the time to check in on them before, during, and after practice can bring people together and improve performance. It is easy to let time, different priorities, and life get in the way of interactions. Intentionally make sure that there is an infrastructure and frequency of interaction by finding ways to talk to each other and check-in with each other to bring people together, increase the sense of belonging, and improve performance. Invest time and energy to making sure that talking and communicating with each other are a part of your culture.

Great Teams Give Thanks
When we give thanks, it is like putting deposits of gratitude and positivity into a bank. When adversity hits and times get tough, teammates can pull from those deposits to provide the energy and fuel they need to keep going.

The interesting thing about Eric's research is that while the team benefits when the coach, leader, or boss gives thanks and praise, it is more effective when peers and teammates give praise to each other. While the coach should give praise for a job well done, when a teammate recognizes another teammate, it is authentic because they don't have much to gain. When teammates are intentional about praising other teammates, they have to intentionally think about the positive things that the team is doing instead of the negative. When a teammate praises another teammate, that teammate feels better about the work they do, they feel like they are seen and valued, and the relationship between the two is deepened because they had a real, authentic, and honest moment of shared respect and appreciation.

Creating a culture of gratitude and thanks can transform your team and your teammates.

Great Teams Celebrate Each Other
Eric says that we underestimate the power of celebration. He asked, "At the end of your career, will you be more fixated on the things that you have achieved or on the people you have met and the relationships that you have built along the way?"

Think about the MVP of your favorite sports league just five years ago. Can you remember who they were? How about the MVP of your favorite sports league just two years ago; can you remember them? Now, think about your favorite teacher? Can you remember them? We remember people and the impact that they have had on our lives more than anything. It is important it is to celebrate each other.

Eric says that team members have to be free to express themselves. When we create an environment where they are allowed to be who they are and where they are allowed to make and learn from mistakes and be vulnerable, we have created a space for them to be their most innovative and imaginative to express themselves and perform our best. 

Creating a culture of thanking, talking, and celebrating each other can build a shared sense of purpose, meaning, happiness, and energy in your team. This allows and inspires people to be who they are, and that allows them to do their best work.

References

Brown, Brene. "Brene With Eric Mosley on Making Work Human." Dare to Lead with Brene Brown, 23, November 2020, https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-eric-mosley-on-making-work-human/#close-popup.

MJ Mondays | Win At All Costs

Sometimes I wish that we could win every game that we play. It would be fun if we could control the leagues and tournaments that we play in so that we face just enough competition to push us, but that we always win and take home the top medal or trophy.

But the reality is we can't win them all. We don't make every shot, We don't hit every pitch, we don't catch every pass, and we don't put every kick in the back of the net. We learn valuable lessons from losses, and learning how to deal with adversity is important.

Michael Jordan said, "My innate personality is to win at all costs. If I have to do it myself, I'm going to do it. Every time I step on that basketball court, my focus is to win the game, and it drives me insane when I can't. I wouldn't be here without the lessons that I learned at a very young age. The competitiveness within me started when I was a kid."

Michael Jordan said that his parents provided him and his siblings with all of the opportunities that they needed to succeed in life. As a family, they were naturally tough. In their house, if you got knocked down, you had to get up. In their family, you had to always give it your best and you always tried to win. They all hated to lose.

His mother and father always tried to share with him and his siblings, "Don't wait for somebody to give you something. You are strong and you are intelligent; go out and earn it and work for it."

Michael's parents worked hard to make a living for their family, and they wanted to keep their kids busy through sports. They wanted their kids to play organized sports so that they could learn about life. Michael said racism was all over North Carolina when he was growing up, so his motivation was to be better than what he saw in his community.

The Jordan family competed in the backyard, and they all hated losing. In their family, if you lost it would lead to a fight. They were so competitive that many of their games ended in fights, and their father pushed everybody. If he felt that you weren't doing the best you could, he found a way to push you harder.

His father said that when you come to blows with someone you love, it ignites a fire within you. When you are going through the fire and you are looking for approval and confidence, your determination can lead you to try to be better than your competitors. When Michael got cut from the varsity team, he said, "When I got home and told my mother that I was cut, I was demoralized and I didn't want to play anymore sports. I felt like the coach didn't like me."

Michael's mom said, "He was devastated. He came home upset and crying, and we both cried because I knew he wanted to really compete with the other guys. His mother's words to him were, "If you really want it, you work hard over the summer." And he did. His mom said, "That summer, he was focused. He would practice all day, every day. That basketball never left his hand."

Michael's father said, "If you want to bring out the best in Michael, tell him he can't do something or tell him that he can't do it as good as somebody else. He takes it as a personal challenge to go out and do it just to prove you wrong."

If you want to be the best, this is the standard that you have to live by. You have to seek the truth about your ability and your performance. You have to find ways to close gaps, strengthen weaknesses and grow. You have to be willing to put in the work that it takes to keep going and growing.

Week 20 Devotional | ENEMIES

Never forget that God knows the future and that adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.

Magic and Larry Bird had a legendary rivalry. As stated in a documentary about their rivalry, "They were two stars thrown together by the cosmos to compete (TheNBAHistorian, 2013)." They first met in college for the 1979 NCAA championship when Magic's Michigan State Spartans beat Larry's Indiana State Sycamores. Magic said that he had a real dislike for Larry. They played each other in the NBA Finals 3 times, and Magic won twice while Larry won once. Magic said the hate was so intense that he hated anybody in green. But he says that now they are great friends. They started as rivals and ENEMIES, but they pushed each other and they brought the best out in each other.

"LARRY, YOU WERE WHAT A BASKETBALL PLAYER SHOULD BE. THE BIGGEST REASON THAT I AM HERE IS BECAUSE OF YOU MAKING ME GO TO THAT GYM EVERY SUMMER, NOT ONLY STAYING FOR 4 HOURS, BUT I FIGURE I BETTER STAY FOR 6 BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WERE THERE ABOUT 5 OR 6 YOURSELF."

Rivals can push you farther than you can push yourself. Coach K, who as the coach of Duke represents one side of one of the greatest and most intense rivalries in college basketball said, "Great rivalries don't have to be built on hatred. They're built on respect, on respect for excellence." Duke has had some great battles with North Carolina, and their rivalry has helped push both of them to the top of college basketballs as two of the most accomplished, decorated, and celebrated programs in the country.

Pastor Andrew Forrest at Munger Place Church in Dallas approached the following question with his church, "How do you fight back against your enemies?" He said that if you live long enough, you will have ENEMIES, and it is important to know how to fight back against your ENEMIES in the name of Jesus. There might be people in your life who are deliberately lying about you, talking about you, and plotting against you. These people might be close to you. They might be your teammates, your friends, and even people in your family. This isn't something you should be afraid of, but something you should be prepared for.

As a follower of Jesus, should you fight back against your ENEMIES, and how do you fight back against your ENEMIES while leading with love? How do you take the risk to reach out to or confront your ENEMIES while living a life pleasing to God? Paul wrote about this in Philippians. Around AD 63, Paul was under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial before his ENEMIES, including Nero Cesar. In Philippians chapter 3, Paul describes how we can approach our ENEMIES.

Rejoice in the Lord
In Romans 3:1, Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you." No matter who our ENEMIES are and what they do, REJOICE in the Lord always and be full of joy. We know that for those who love God and who are called according to His purpose, all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Rejoice and be full of joy always knowing that God has everything already taken care of, and He will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, and He will counsel you with His eye upon you (Psalm 32:8).

Call Out and Confront Your ENEMIES (Appropriately)
Paul then writes in verse 2, "Look out for the dogs, and look out of the evildoers." He called their ENEMIES dogs, and he told his people to look out for them. There might be people out there deliberately lying about you, talking about you, and plotting against you. If you live long enough, you will find yourself with ENEMIES; people with ill-will and malevolent intent who are trying to destroy you and your life. As Paul writes, look out for them. Don't let them take you by surprise. Jesus had ENEMIES, and those ENEMIES betrayed Him and had Him hung on the cross. Jesus acknowledged one of His ENEMIES at the last supper before being betrayed. Don't run from your ENEMIES, and don't think that they don't exist. Be willing to acknowledge, call out, and confront them.

Know Who You Are Under the Grace and Power of God
One of the dangers of confronting your ENEMIES comes when you think you are morally and spiritually better than them. Know who you are, know your heart, reflect on your experiences, and know you are qualified and able to achieve great things, but also know that the grace of God and the Spirit is your superpower and the fact that Jesus was able to resurrect just days after the cross is our proof of His power and authority.

In verses 4-7, Paul wrote that he has reason to be confident in himself because of his past and experiences, his heritage, and because of his knowledge and education, but he writes that everything he knows, has, or has accomplished is 'rubbish' compared to what he has gained from knowing Christ Jesus as his Lord. Paul writes that he does not have a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but righteousness from God that depends on faith, and that he knows Jesus and the power of His resurrection.

Know That There Is Power In Suffering
Paul then writes in verse 10 that there is power in Jesus's resurrection and that he may know him and may share his sufferings, becoming like Him. When our ENEMIES attack us, it can hurt and cause us to suffer. It can hurt our pride, feelings, confidence, peace, and joy, and those attacks can negatively affect many parts of our lives. But Paul writes that suffering can bring us closer to God, especially when we learn that Jesus suffered too. We also know that Jesus overcame the world, and in Him, we may have peace. In Romans 5:3-5, it was written that we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, which produces character which produces hope. Verse 5 states that hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Our ENEMIES and adversity can be a bridge to a deeper trust and relationship with God. In The Life's Principles Bible, it was written, "People often ask, 'What is the quickest way through seasons of adversity?'" The response was, "There is one sure way through the difficulties of life, and that is through obedience and surrender of selfish feelings and desires."

Adversity and ENEMIES push us beyond ourselves and to God. When you are facing ENEMIES, pray without ceasing. In prayer, we can find peace and shelter from our ENEMIES and we can find guidance and wisdom on how to handle ourselves and our situation. God will be your light if you let Him. God will use your trials to shape your life so that you reflect his love and care to others (Stanley).

Never forget that God knows the future (Stanley). He knows what you are going through and what you are facing. Your path has already been written. God already knows what is going to happen, and He has a plan for you to prosper and plans for you to have hope and a future. God has plans. From the very beginning when He created this world, He had a plan.

Don't be afraid of your ENEMIES. Be prepared and confident to face and confront your ENEMIES while maintaining the peace, joy, love, and fruits of the Spirit.

This Week
Remember that an ENEMY can be a person, a place, a thing, or an event.

1 - What is one potential ENEMY that you might have this week?

2 - What is one way that you can beat this ENEMY?

3 - Who is someone that you can go to for help in beating this ENEMY?

4 - What is something that you can learn from facing, confronting, and defeating this ENEMY?

For a Google doc version of this devotional, click here: Week 20 Devotional | Enemies

References:

Dixon, Heather. "15 Versus That Prove God Has a Plan For Your Life." The Rescued Letters. Heather M. Dixon. 17 October 2016, https://therescuedletters.com/15-verses-that-prove-god-has-a-plan-for-your-life/.

Forrest, Andrew, hot. "How Not to Be a Victim." Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas. Munger Place Church, 15, May 2021, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/munger-place-church-dallas-texas/id501149943?mt=2.

Stanley, Charles. The Life Principles Bible. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.

TheNBAHistorian. (2013, November 13). Magic Johnson and Larry Bird: A Courtship of Rivals Basketball [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axbIoHqFaa8&t=235s

Why Some Athlete Survive and Others Thrive

Have you ever noticed that some athletes excel under some coaches but struggle and melt while playing for other coaches? Kelsi was a player who had a lot of talent but struggled with her confidence. She could do complicated moves and mazes in training, but she struggled to replicate them in games. She always told her parents that she didn't feel confident enough to try what she was working on in private training sessions in practice and games because she had a fear and anxiety of messing up.

Going into Kelsi's senior year, her high school hired a new coach, and almost immediately, her parents saw a change in her confidence, energy, and performance. Kelsi had a great senior year, and when her parents asked her what changed, she said that it was that she felt more comfortable and confident playing for her new coach. Kelsi said that her new coach made her feel confident because he believed in her, and she felt safe because when she made a mistake, he helped her through them and through adversity instead of riding her and overly criticizing her. Kelsi said that her new coach had high standards and was very demanding and hard on the team, but she felt like he worked with the team and her teammates and not against them.

The two things that stood out about Kelsi's story were that Kelsi felt more confident because her coach believed in her, and Kelsi felt safe enough to make mistakes and keep going.

Research supports that expectations might be the most important key to success. When you believe in yourself, you do better, and when coaches believe in their athletes, they do better (Rosenthal). When we believe in our athletes and have high expectations for our athletes, they believe more in themselves and perform better (Cohen). Kelsi said that her coach made a point to say, "I believe in you," every practice, and he said it louder and more often when they were going through adversity. When he taught them something new and challenging, her coach would say, "I am teaching you this because I believe that you can do it. It will be tough at first and hard to learn, but I believe that you will be able to learn it and I will help you learn it." When her coach would give her feedback, her coach said, "I am giving you this feedback because I believe in you." Kelsi's coach would continuously and consistently tell them how much he believed in them, how confident he was in their ability to learn and do hard things, and he would work with them, as partners, as they learned what he was teaching them.

Kelsi's coach also created a safe environment, and creating a safe environment for your athletes is one of the most important things that we can do for our athletes to help them be successful. Dr. Bruce Perry is a researcher, clinician, and teacher who has worked with victims of America's highest profiled traumatic events, including the Branch Davidians siege in Waco, TX, the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the Sandy Hooks shootings. Dr. Perry says that when people have the privilege of being in a safe, consistent, and predictable environment, they are more curious and willing to explore the world (Brown). When our athletes feel safe and curious, they can handle adversity better and they are more willing to find comfort in being uncomfortable. 

WHEN WE CAN PROVIDE ADVERSITY IN WAYS THAT ARE CONTROLLABLE, PREDICTABLE, AND MODERATE, IT CAN LEAD TO MORE GRIT AND RESILIENCE. IT IS LIKE WEIGHT LIFTING FOR MORE AND STRONGER GRIT.

Adversity is a part of sports and a part of life, but how we manage adversity can dramatically change the chemical makeup of our brains. Adversity and stress can lead to overactivity and over-reactivity. Our athletes have tiny experiences all the time that tells them, "You don't belong here," or, "You aren't good enough," or, "You can't do this." These things activate their stress response system in unpredictable ways. Adversity can lead to changes in our athletes' mindsets that can last forever if not managed correctly.

To combat this, do what Kelsi's coach did:

1 - Tell your athletes you believe in them

2 - Have high expectations for your athletes because you believe in them

3 - Look at your athletes like they are partners who you work with and not against

4 - Create safe, consistent, and predictable environments where they learn how to effectively see and manage adversity

5 - Continue to push them hard and 'coach them up,' and when you provide feedback say, "I am coaching/correcting/teaching you because I believe in you"

COACHING IS MORE ABOUT PEOPLE THAN PLAYS AND MORE ABOUT SALLYS AND JOES THAN Xs AND Os.

DON'T BE SO TRANSACTIONAL THAT YOU FORGET TO BE RELATIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL.

WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SHAPE A CHILD'S VIEW OF THE WORLD AND HOW THEY VIEW THEMSELVES.

Don't be so transactional that you forget to be relational and transformational.
We have the ability to shape a child's worldview and how they view themselves.

Start by looking at the three E's and how they affect your athletes:

1 - The EVENT - look at what is happening, how you are talking to, coaching, and criticizing your athletes, how they are treating each other, and what they are going through.

2 - The EXPERIENCE - look at how they are experiencing the events that are happening in their lives and the impact that it is having

3 - The EFFECT - how are the events that your athletes are experiencing affecting their thoughts, actions, and emotions, and help them manage it

If your athletes can't manage the events in their lives, how they experience those events, and how those events affect them, then they will struggle to do what you need them to do at the level you want them to it.

Manage people, not plays. Make sure your athletes know how much you believe in them. Tell them how much you believe in them. Tell them that you are partners experiencing this journey together. Create safe, consistent, and predictable environments while introducing adversity and the unpredictability that comes with sports in an intentional and safe way. Be hard, tough, and demanding with high expectations, but do so in a meaningful, impactful, and effective way.

YOU CAN BE THE PERSON WHO TURNS THINGS AROUND FOR ATHLETES AND UNLOCK A WORLD OF POTENTIAL LYING INSIDE OF THEM. IT USUALLY TAKES JUST ONE PERSON-A PERSON WHOM ATHLETES WILL NEVER FORGET.

References:

Brown, Brene. "Brene With Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry on Trauma, Resistance, and Healing." Unlocking Us with Brene Brown, 05, May 2021, https://open.spotify.com/episode/7GgvaJ3DUL4oQyxtyr86H3

Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the Classroom.

Cohen, G., & Garcia, J. (2014). Educational Theory, Practice, and Policy and the Wisdom of Social Psychology.

Always Compete | MJ Mondays

One thing that people mention when they talk about Michael Jordan was his work ethic. He didn't take a lot of days off, and when he was in the gym (or the golf course, in a card game, ping pong table, etc.) he was competing to be the best he could be. 

In the Last Dance documentary, studio analyst and reporter Ahmad Rashad said, "Michael played every game as if it was his last. Every single game. It was never a day off. He knew that it was going to be somebody in the crowd who never saw him play before. That is what kept him going."

Staying in the competitive mindset and always competing is a skill that can be a real difference-maker.

Today, Ja Morant is an NBA star and viral sensation, but Ja was once an unknown and un-recruited high school basketball player trying to earn a college scholarship. Murray State assistant coach James Kane peaked his head into an aux gym at a small AAU combine where Ja Morant was playing three-on-three when Ja was in high school. Many high school kids might think that they are too good to play three-on-three in an aux gym at an AAU combine, But Ja was in there playing hard, competing, and showing the athleticism, creativity, playmaking skills, and edge that we all see from him now (Forde). That moment led to him getting a scholarship offer from Murray State, and now he is one of the most exciting young players in the NBA. You never know who is watching. Playing every game like it's your last can create opportunities that you don't even know exist.

In his book, "Win Forever," Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said that Jerry Rice was the greatest individual competitor that he ever came into close contact with. He said that Jerry would give everything that he had to beat you, and that he competed at everything he did. Coach Caroll said that Jerry understood that by staying in the mindset of always competing, he could develop the awareness to capture the  'opportunities within opportunities' that other people might miss.  Jerry was constantly seeking a competitive edge.  It helps stay in the mindset of searching for tiny edges in whatever you're doing because that's how you are going to catch things that someone else might not when it really matters.  It's an extremely powerful tool.

Today's athletes play so many more games before they get to college than Michael Jordan and Jerry Rice did. It is easy to minimize certain games. It is easy to take plays off in certain games and certain tournaments because they aren't the big games or showcase tournaments that everybody looks forward to or that hundreds of scouts are going to be at. But competing is a mindset, and staying in that competitive mindset is an important habit and skill. Greats like Michael Jordan and Jerry Rice were able to separate themselves because they always competed in everything that they do. Guys like Ja Morant were able to capitalize in moments by staying in the competitive mindset when other athletes might have taken it easy.

Learn how to compete in everything that you do. Learn how to compete with yourself. Compete with yourself to be better today than you were yesterday, and compete with yourself so that you can be better tomorrow than you are today. 

Maintaining a competitive focus will help you become the best that you can be.

References

Carroll, Pete.  (2011).  Win Forever.  New York: The Penguin Group.

Forde, Pat. (2019, January 29). How a Hungry Coach Led to the Discovery of Viral College Sensation Ja Morant. Yahoo!. www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hungry-coach-led-discovery-viral-college-sensation-ja-morant-020738543.html.

Price, D. (2018, March 23). Laziness does not exist. Medium. https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01

WEEK 19 DEVOTIONAL | STONES

Week 19 | STONES

Remove the STONES in your life by showing up with faith and doing the work with and through faith. God will take care of what you can’t, and He will do what you can’t do.

Have you ever faced a big issue and you didn't know how you were going to overcome it?

Peyton Manning was one of the best quarterbacks ever and was well into a hall of fame career when he suffered a series of neck injuries and had to sit out the entire 2011 season. That summer, Peyton was turning 36 years old, and many people thought that he would lose all of his arm strength because of age and injuries. Instead of letting the doubters push him into retirement, he used it as motivation and led the Denver Broncos to the top seed in their division in 2012, but they lost in the playoffs. The Broncos won the top seed in 2013 and the second seed in 2014, but they lost in the playoffs both years. In 2015, Peyton fought through foot injuries and criticism to lead the Broncos to their Super Bowl 50 win before retiring. He wasn't the same quarterback that every NFL defense feared during that Super Bowl run, but he showed up every day, he did his best, and his teammates helped take care of the rest.

When we face a major obstacle, sometimes all we can do is all that we can do.

Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and they were all good friends of Jesus. Lazarus was called 'the one whom Jesus loved.' They had all seen Jesus do wonderful miracles, so they knew His power and they believed in Him. Lazarus became very sick, and the sisters sent word to Jesus letting Him know, "the one who you love has become sick (John 11:3)."

Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it (John 11:4)," and Jesus waited two more days before going to see Lazarus. By the time Jesus got to Lazarus, he had been dead for four days. Jesus moves on God’s time, not our time. When He got to Bethany where they lived, they took Jesus to the tomb where they buried Lazarus. The tomb was a cave with a STONE laid across the entrance.  

Jesus said, "Take away the STONE," but Martha said that Lazarus has already been dead in the cave for four days, and by this time there will be a bad odor (John 11:30-40). Jesus responded, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God (John 11:40)?"

When they removed the STONE, Lazarus came out and was alive.

How many STONES are in the way of our miracles? How many problems are keeping us from being great and doing great things?

Jesus brought a man back from the dead; he could have easily moved the STONE. Some of the people watching even said, "Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying (John 11:37)?"

The STONE in front of the cave was the obstacle or problem keeping Mary, Martha, and the others from seeing the miracle of Jesus bring Lazarus back to life. The lack of faith of some and the doubt of others is something that we all face. The message is that we have to do our part in all of God's miracles, even if there are doubters among us, and especially if we have doubts ourselves. We have to release our faith by doing what we can. We have to move the STONES in our lives by showing up with faith and doing the work with and through faith, and God will take care of the rest.

If you do what you can do, God will do what you cannot do.

Peyton Manning wasn't the same quarterback at 36 years old, battling through injuries, in Super Bowl 50. Some say that the Broncos would have been better off with the backup quarterback leading the way. But Peyton showed up, he did what he could do, and that was enough.

God has given us all a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). It is our job to release it. Release your faith through your words and praise, align your words and thoughts with His promises, and do what He asks you to do, and God will do the rest.

Faith is like a muscle. The more you release it, the stronger your faith grows.

This Week

1 - What STONES are keeping you from your dreams?

2 - What is stopping you from moving those STONES?

3 - What is one thing that you can do today to move those STONES?

4 - Who is someone that can help you move the STONES?

For a Google doc version, click here: Week 19 Devotional | Stones

Circle-Up to Create Stronger Teams

On the first day of practice, every season, a middle school and high school coach that I know asks his athletes to Circle-Up. In the circle, the coach asks every athlete to say their name, who their favorite basketball player is, and why. The coach encourages the players by telling them to value, accept and appreciate everybody's choice, whether they agree with it or not, without judgment. He tells his team, "Our team is a safe space and a judge-free zone. We have to learn how to express ourselves, talk to each other, and how to listen without judgment. We want our teammates to feel safe and free to tell each other how we feel." At the end of the first practice, the coach asks every athlete to say one thing that they are excited about for the season and one thing that they want to get better at. 

On day one, the coach has learned something about everyone on the team, and the teammates start to learn something about each other.

One question a lot of coaches ask is, "How do I get my team to come together and bond as a team?” Research shows that inclusive teams, teams where everybody feels like they belong, feel valued, and feel safe are more successful teams. The Harvard Business Review ran an article that states that teams with inclusive leaders are more likely to report that they are high performing, make high-quality decisions, behave collaboratively, and experience an increase in attendance (Bourke).

Wachtel (2013) suggests that the Circle-Up process is a versatile practice that can be used proactively to develop relationships and build community with your team, and it can be used reactively to respond to wrongdoing, conflicts, and problems (p. 7). When people ask me, “What is your best, most effective, or favorite team-building activity,” I tell them that we Circle-Up at the beginning, middle, and end of every practice. We Circle-Up at the beginning of each practice to come together, to connect, and to get focused so that we are in the mindset to have a good practice. I usually ask the team 1-4 questions. Here are some examples:

1 – What is something great that happened to you today?
2 – What is something that you are excited about today?
3 – What is something that you are want to get better at today?
4 – What is one way that you can be a great teammate today?

In the middle of every practice, I have the team Circle Up again, before or after a water break, and I pick 1 or 2 questions. Here are some examples:

1 – How do you feel about our performance today?
2 – What is something that we are doing well?
3 – What is something that we can do better?
4 – What can I do to help us get better, do better, or be better?

I end every practice with one last Circle Up, where I pick 1-4 questions. Here are some examples:

1 – How do you feel about our performance today?
2 – What is something that we did well?
3 – What is something that we could have done better?
4 – Who is doing something fun or exciting after practice?
5 – What is one thing that you can do for a teammate?
6 – What is one thing that a teammate has done for you?

Each circle can be as quick or as long as I allow, and that depends on what the team needs.

A team might Circle-Up to discuss an issue, answer questions, solve a problem, offer feedback, or check for understanding on a new play, expectation, or drill. A circle has structure, purpose, and focus. A circle can be proactive or responsive, but educator and consultant Rufus Lott says that circles are more productive when used 80% of the time proactively and 20% of the time reactively.

Circles are an important symbol of community in many different cultures (Costello 23). Its shape implies community, connection, inclusion, fairness, equality, and wholeness (Costello 5). The first human circles resulted from the natural formation of people sitting around a fire, providing the best way to efficiently distribute access to heat and light (Costello 5). When you are in a circle, everybody is on an equal level. In the circle everyone can look one another in the eye, everyone gets equal time to share their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and concerns, and they learn to trust each other and to feel safe (Costello 23).

One rule that I have for every circle is one person talks at a time, and my expectation is that everybody shares something and participates. Some teammates participate openly from day one, and it takes all season for some teammates to feel comfortable sharing. If you study the formal circle process taught by the International Institute for Restorative Practices, they recommend having a Talking Piece (like a basketball) and the person who holds the Talking Piece is the only person who can talk. This provides more structure as you take turns talking and passing the ball around.

I love this process. This one tool has transformed me as a coach. I use it with my kindergarten teams, with adults, and with everybody between. It is amazing how quickly we get to know each other. Wachtel (2013) suggests that "circles give people an opportunity to speak and listen to one another in an atmosphere of safety, decorum, and equality" (p. 8). This process allows us to talk about anything and everything that might come up during the season. This can be used to talk about sports, personal issues, and life. The circle is a safe space for having meaningful, real conversations, and the circle can be a safe and effective space for conflict resolution and problem-solving.

References:

Bourke, Juliet, and Titus, Andrea. "Why Inclusive Leaders Are Good for Organizations, and How to Become One." Harvard Business Review. 29, March 2019. hbr.org/amp/2019/03/why-inclusive-leaders-are-good-for-organizations-and-how-to-become-one.

Costello, Bob, Wachtel, Joshua, and Wachtel, Ted. Restorative Circles in Schools. International Institute for Restorative Practices, 2010.

Costello, Bob, Wachtel, Joshua, and Wachtel, Ted. The Restorative Practices Handbook for Teachers, Disciplinarians, and Administrators. International Institute for Restorative Practices, 2009.

Wachtel, T. (2013). Defining restorative. Bethlem, PA: International Institute for Restorative Practices. Retrieved from http://www.iirp.edu/pdf/Defining-Restorative.pdf