A Coach's Diary

“You have to understand that anything in the past takes you out of the present moment. Anything in the future takes you out of the present moment. The competition happens in the present moment.” - Mark Daigneault How do you stay even — not too high and not too low? Mark Daigneault is the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. After getting off to a great start the year after they won the championship, he was asked how they stay consistent. Coach Daigneault said, “You have to understand that anything in the past takes you out of the present moment. Anything in the future takes you out of the present moment. The competition happens in the present moment.” Instead of getting lost in what happened yesterday or worrying about tomorrow, stay focused on today. Ask yourself, “What can I or do I need to do today?”  Then, do that. Question of the Day: What is one thing today that deserves your full focus, without being influenced by yesterday or tomorrow?

“As long as you are green, you will continue to grow. As soon as you are ripe, you will soon be rotten.” - Drew Brees Do you think you know it all already or that you have a lot to learn? Drew Brees is a Super Bowl winning quarterback known for his accuracy, leadership, and preparation. He said his college coach once told him, “As long as you are green, you will continue to grow. As soon as you are ripe, you will soon be rotten.” Green is knowing you are still learning, growing, and developing, and being ripe means you think you’ve arrived or know it all. When you are green, you are curious and constantly finding new things to learn, and when you are ripe, you can be stubborn and stuck in your ways — and that’s when people pass you up and leave you behind. Which one do you want to be? Which kind of person do you want to be around—someone ripe or someone green? Question of the Day: When are you ripe, when are you green, and how can you be more green?

“When you put in the work and you're the hardest worker - sometimes it's ugly, but you just have to stack the days. If you keep showing up and keep working hard, good things are going to happen.” - Sophie Cunningham How do you keep showing up when it’s ugly? Sophie Cunningham is a professional basketball player known for her toughness and hard work. She once said after a game, “When you put in the work and you're the hardest worker - sometimes it's ugly, but you just have to stack the days. If you keep showing up and keep working hard, good things are going to happen." How hard do you work? How hard do you warm up? How hard do you go in the simple drills? Your work ethic is either a competitive advantage or a lid. She then said, “Everyone is going to fail, and I think if you’re not trying or not failing, then you’re not picking yourself hard enough.” Don’t be afraid to fail because greatness is on the other side of failure. Question of the Day: How do you keep sh...

“The first step on the ladder of success is always failure. Prepare for failure. You are going to fail. We all fail. Figure it out. No one will feel sorry for you.” - Kelvin Sampson How well do you handle failure? Kelvin Sampson is an elite basketball coach who has taken multiple teams to Final Fours. He once said, “The first step on the ladder of success is always failure. Prepare for failure. You are going to fail. We all fail. Figure it out. No one will feel sorry for you.” Nobody wants to mess up or fail, but failing is a part of the process. You don’t become successful instead of failing — you become successful because you learn to fail, adjust, and keep going. Very few people start great. Growth begins when things don’t work. Failure isn’t unusual or personal. It’s normal and expected. The people who succeed aren’t the ones who avoid failure—they’re the ones who know how to respond to it. What matters isn't failure — it’s what you do next, and your response to failure is what...

“If someone says your name and it makes someone else smile, that's a good legacy to leave.” - Roy Williams How do you make the people around you feel? Roy Williams won multiple National Championships at The University of North Carolina after taking Kansas to multiple Final Fours. He once said, “If someone says your name and it makes someone else smile, that's a good legacy to leave.” Great teammates are great people, and you can make the team better by being a better person. When you ask a group of teammates what makes. A great teammate, it is often character skills, not performance skills, that get mentioned. Be someone who makes the energy in the locker room and huddle better when you walk in. Be someone people want to play with, want to coach, and want to be around. Question of the Day: How can you be someone who makes people smile?

“Enthusiasm is rare. Endurance is contagious.” - Angela Duckworth Do you have the stamina and endurance to keep going when the enthusiasm wears off? Angela Duckworth is a psychologist who studies what helps people persist when their path gets hard. She’s best known for her research on grit — the idea that passion and perseverance can help you do whatever you want to do. She once said, “Enthusiasm is rare. Endurance is contagious.” Nothing feels better than a rush of motivation except steady, consistent, discipline. Great things are achieved when you have a healthy combination of ambition and endurance that is fueled by big dreams and a commitment to showing up ready and doing your job with integrity and excellence. Enthusiasm gets you moving. Endurance keeps you moving. Have goals that get you going, and have the character to keep going. Question of the Day: How can you build the kind of endurance that keeps you going when the endurance fades away?

“It’s not what you're capable of doing—it’s what you're willing to do.” - Mack Brown What are you willing to do? Mack Brown won a national championship as the head football coach at the University of Texas. When talking to their swimming and diving team, he said, “If your habits do not lead to your dreams, change your habits. If I’m not doing the things I need to do out here, figure out why and do it. It’s not what you're capable of doing—it’s what you're willing to do.” He told the team, “You are all capable or you wouldn’t be here.” Their job is now to do the best they can so they can become the best they can be. That is all our job. Do the best we can to be the best we can. It starts with our goals, mindset, and habits. They all have to match. You can’t have big goals with a small mindset or work ethic. Question of the Day: What is something you can do today or what habit can you form—or stop doing—so that you can become the person you want to become?

What is one thing I've learned this week? The most effective way to get people to pay attention, according to Donald Miller, is by telling a good story that they feel a part of. Donald Miller is author, speaker, and business consultant best known for helping people and organizations clarify their message. In his TED Talk titled “How to clarify your message so people listen," Miller said the key to having an effective brand that engages people is to have a very clear message and turn it into a story. He said instead of just telling people your story, invite them to be a part of the story by making them the hero and you be the guide. You do this by identifying a problem — their problem — and helping them create a simple plan they can follow to solve the problem. Finally, tell them how following the plan will help them and how not following the plan will hurt them. He calls this protocol PEACE soundbites. P — Problem : What problem are you solving? E — Empathy : Show you u...

“My life story reads like a script from Oprah’s ‘Where Are They Now?’ … Like many … I too have been lost in deep, dark places … and have only recently begun to claw my way back to ‘my life.’” - Briana Scurry If your life was a movie, what would the title be? Briana Scurry is one of the greatest soccer goalkeepers of all time. She played goalie for the University of Massachusetts before winning two gold medals and a World Cup with the US Women’s National Team. Scurry once said, “My life story reads like a script from Oprah’s ‘Where Are They Now?’ … Like many … I too have been lost in deep, dark places … and have only recently begun to claw my way back to ‘my life.’” Every person finds themselves in the pit. What you think and do in those moments define who you are. Have a vision for who you want to be, create a plan, and stick to it. It will get better with better thoughts, actions, and habits. Question of the Day: How do we rise when life knocks us down?

“When you are a leader, people are watching how you work. You have to set an example.” - Miguel Cabrera  Would people follow you if they never heard you and only watched what you did? Miguel Cabrera is a Venezuelan-born professional baseball player who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball, mostly with the Detroit Tigers. He once said, “When you are a leader, people are watching how you work. You have to set an example.”  Growing up, my coaches always taught me how important it is to lead by example. You have to be able to back up what you say by practicing what you preach, or you lose credibility. Now, I say more is caught than taught. When you are a leader, people will always watch what you do to see if it matches what you say. Question of the Day: What kind of an example are you setting with your actions?

“Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle.” - Sanya Richards-Ross If you knew you were going to lose, would you still show up and give your best?  Sanya Richards-Ross is one of the greatest 400-meter sprinters in history. She was a star at the University of Texas before winning four Olympic gold medals.  She was known not just for her speed but for her toughness, mindset, and competitive spirit. Richards-Ross once said, “Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle.”  The 400m is brutal. It hurts. It tests your will. What separates champions is showing up even when it’s hard, even when you doubt, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Your character is revealed in your effort, not in your results. Trying your best is a sign of who you are. Not trying tells a different story. Question of the Day: How can we keep giving our best—even when the outcome feels uncertain or unlikely?

“Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” - Simon Sinek Would you rather be in charge of people or help people? Simon Sinek is a leadership expert, author, and motivational speaker. His work focuses on helping people and organizations find purpose, inspire others, and lead with empathy rather than authority. Sinek once said, “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” Every team has a captain, but a title doesn’t make you a leader. Real leadership is about helping people do their best and be their best. When I think about the best leaders I know, I think about two words: Respect and care. They give and command respect, and they make sure the people they lead have what they need because they care. Question of the Day: How can you show leadership when you don’t have a title?

“The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.” - Bobby Knight Are you willing to do what it takes to give yourself the best chance to win? Bobby Knight — often called “The General” — was one of the most successful and controversial coaches in college basketball history. He won three NCAA championships with Indiana University, including an undefeated season in 1976 — a record that still stands today.  He once said, “The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.” Everyone wants to win — that part is easy. But few are willing to put in the hours of hard, unseen work that winning actually requires. Championships are decided long before game day. They are won in the habits, discipline, and preparation that happen behind the scenes. Question of the Day: What does preparing to win look like for you—today, this week, or this season?

“You can do more than you think you can. You can be pushed to a higher level than you think.” - Dan Marino Do you have a tendency to stop early or keep going? Even though he never won a Super Bowl, Dan Marino is considered one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Known for his strong arm and quick release, Marino was a 9-time Pro Bowler and MVP. Marino once said, “You can do more than you think you can. You can be pushed to a higher level than you think.” To become great at anything, you will have to push past your comfort zone. To get faster, you have to run faster. To get stronger, you have to lift heavier. To get in better shape, you have to run until you get tired, and then run some more. Whatever it is that you want to do, you have to be willing to push past what you want — and then push some more. Question of the Day: What helps you keep going when you feel like quitting?

“I can’t control what happens around me. I can only control how hard I work.” - Mookie Betts Mookie Betts is an all-star baseball player known for his elite hitting, speed, defense, and baseball IQ.  Up 5-4 with 1 out, Betts led a double play in the 11th ending that sealed the World Series win for the Dodgers, his 4th championship. But despite confidently stepping up and making the play, Betts admitted he was “nervous” the last few innings, especially knowing how much weight he had on his shoulders to produce a major play. “That ninth inning, that was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been on a baseball field. Man, I’ve never done it. I never did it in Game 7 of the World Series,” Betts told the MLB Network crew after the game. “I mean, literally, I was talking to myself that whole—as Yoshi [Yoshinobu Yamamoto] was throwing the ball, I was literally talking to myself like ‘Be nasty, Mook. Be nasty right now.’” Betts once said, “I can’t control what happens around me. I can only ...

“You can't always be the strongest or most talented or most gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive.” - Pat Summit Do you show up and compete when you aren’t the strongest, most talented, or most gifted? Pat Summitt was one of the greatest coaches in sports history. Her University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer teams were known for their toughness, discipline, and relentless competitiveness — qualities that reflected her own personality. Coach Summitt once said, “You can't always be the strongest or most talented or most gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive.”  Natural ability isn’t the only thing that determines success — effort, drive, and competitiveness matter just as much, if not more. You may not always be the most skilled or physically gifted person, but you can always show up ready to work, refusing to give up, and finding ways to win even when the odds aren’t in your favor. Talent sets the floor, but competitiveness raises t...

“You can’t worry about what people say you can’t do — just show them what you can do.” - Doug Williams Do you care more about what you can do or more about what people say you can do? Doug Williams was the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl and to be named Super Bowl MVP. He once said, “You can’t worry about what people say you can’t do — just show them what you can do.” That quote means you shouldn’t waste energy trying to convince people who doubt you — instead, focus on proving yourself through your actions. Talk doesn’t change opinions — performance does. People might underestimate you, criticize you, or tell you what’s not possible. But instead of arguing or letting it discourage you, you let your work — your preparation, discipline, and results — speak for you. Question of the Day: When someone doubts you or tells you what you can’t do, how do you respond — with words or with work?

“This is what I love to do. And if pressure is something that comes with playing good golf, that’s something a professional golfer has to handle.” - Inbee Park How do you handle the pressure that comes with being good at what you do? Inbee Park is a South Korean professional golfer and one of the most accomplished players in women’s golf history. She has won 7 major championships, including the career Grand Slam — meaning she’s won all five different LPGA major titles — a rare achievement shared by only a handful of golfers. She once said, “This is what I love to do. And if pressure is something that comes with playing good golf, that’s something a professional golfer has to handle.” If you want to do something great, you have to be willing to handle the weight that comes with it. Pressure isn’t a problem to avoid — it’s part of the process of excellence. Question of the Day: How can you re-frame pressure as a sign of opportunity and growth instead of something to fear?