A Coach's Diary

“People who deserve success through hard work, merit, and personal responsibility are not quite sure they deserve it, and the people who don’t deserve it are often the people who are most sure that they do.” - Daniel Goleman  Do you ever suffer from imposter syndrome — the feeling your success isn’t earned and that you’ll be exposed as a fraud, even when you’re fully capable? Daniel Goleman is a psychologist best known for popularizing emotional intelligence. He once said, “People who deserve success through hard work, merit, and personal responsibility are not quite sure they deserve it, and the people who don’t deserve it are often most sure they do.” He said healthy people see both what they are good at and not good at, while the world mostly focuses on their strengths. You have full visibility; the rest of the world doesn’t. So, do the same. Recognize and improve weaknesses, but do more of what you do best — because that’s what the world wants from you. Question of the Day: Wh...

“Greatness is boring.” - Anthony Edwards Are you willing to do the same thing over and over again, until it gets boring, then keep doing it over and over again until it becomes second nature? Anthony Edwards, nicknamed “Ant-Man,” is a rising NBA superstar and the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Drafted first overall in 2020, he’s known for his explosive scoring, highlight-reel dunks, and competitive fire that has made him one of the league’s brightest young leaders. But he also knows the importance of routine. He once said, “Greatness is boring. There was a lot of boring days in the gym just working on my one dribble pull ups.” Greatness requires doing something over and over again until it becomes boring, then being willing to keep doing it over and over again until it becomes 2nd nature. Question of the Day: What is one thing you can or need to do over and over until it gets boring, and when it does, how do you stay motivated to keep going?

“The glaring difference between winners and losers is people either want or avoid responsibility.” - Maurice Clarett Do you seek or avoid responsibility? Maurice Clarett is a former Ohio State running back who burst onto the scene as a freshman, helping lead the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship. After facing legal troubles and setbacks in his career, he has rebuilt his life as a speaker and advocate for mental health and personal growth. When asked about the difference between winners and losers, Clarett said, “The glaring difference between winners and losers is people either want or avoid responsibility. People who are typically losers in life or people who typically don’t excel at something—these people just avoid responsibility which obviously avoids accountability for their behavior. People who typically win a lot are people that you don’t have to tell everything to. They are people who you can give half of the idea to, and they are going to execute or contribute.” Winne...

“You hit home runs not by chance but by preparation.” - Roger Maris When do you feel most prepared? After a rough game, a coach told me, “I knew we were going to play badly.” After I asked him how he knew, he told me, “Because of how we practiced this week. It’s hard to outplay how you practice.” That is so true. It blows my mind how many people practice slow but expect to play fast—it just doesn’t work that way. You might get lucky every now and then and outplay how you practice, but that doesn’t happen often. Roger Maris was an American professional baseball player, best known for breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. He once said, “You hit home runs not by chance but by preparation.”  Sustained success doesn’t come from luck—it comes from what you do every day and how hard you work. You might get lucky every now and then, but you don’t set and break records because of luck—you do it because of how prepared you are. Question of the Day: How can you be as prepared a...