A Coach's Diary

Mindsets are beliefs that you have about yourself and the world. It is how you see the world and it affects how you think, feel, and act. One test of your mindset is how you answer the question, “Is the glass half full or half empty?” How you see the water in the glass is your mindset. How you see, think, and feel about yourself is your mindset. How you see, think, and feel about the world is your mindset. Science and research say that our mindset has a direct effect on our success. If we believe in ourselves and our ability to do hard things, we can do hard things. If we don’t believe in ourselves and our ability to do hard things, we won’t. In the Bible, it is written that as a man thinks, so is he. The Bible also says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You have the ability to learn how to do hard things. In fact, you can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). Having a Growth Mindset is believing that you have the ability to lear...

We have all been given different talents and gifts. Steph Curry can shoot the ball like nobody in the history of the NBA. Tom Brady defies time with the way he throws the ball. Megan Rapinoe has been a leader of the USWNT for years, and her ability to strike the ball has helped her win two world cups and a FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award. What I find amazing about all three athletes is that neither of them jumps out at you as being a superior athlete, but they have all been at the top of their sport because they know who they are, they know what they do best, and they maximize what they have been given. One of my favorite Bible stories is the parable of talents. It can be read fully in Matthew 25:14-30. A man was preparing to go on a journey, and he trusted three of his servants with his property. To one servant, he gave 5 talents, to another servant, he gave 2 talents, and to the third servant, he gave 1 talent. He gave to each of them the number of talents that matche...

Isaiah Jewett was a college track star at USC and was preparing to show the world what he could do in the 800-meter race in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Jewett's goal was to finish in the top two of his semi-final heat, and when  he was coming around the final turn, he was in a tight pack of runners when he felt something clip his foot. Jewitt lost his balance, and went tumbling and rolling, in the biggest race of his life, and took out Botswanan runner Nijel Amos with him. Devastated, Jewett scraped himself off, extended his hand to Amos, and pulled him up. Amos said, "I'm sorry." Jewett said, "Let's just finish the race. Jewett and Amos  FINISHED  the race together, shoulder to shoulder, nearly a minute behind the winners. But they FINISHED. Regardless of how mad you are, you have to be a hero at the end of the day," Jewett said. "That was my version of trying to be a hero, standing up and showing good character, even if it's my rival or whoever I...

CONFIDENCE is all about trust and belief. Sports psychologist Dr. Patrick Cohn defines self-CONFIDENCE in athletes as to how firmly athletes believe in their ability to execute a physical skill or perform a task. He says that  CONFIDENCE  is how strongly you believe in your ability to make or execute a play, and  CONFIDENCE  comes from past performances, training, and preparation. As your ability and skill grow your confidence grows. Former NBA player Matt Barnes has a popular podcast where he interviews other athletes. In one of his episodes, Jeremy Lin spoke about his struggles with mental health and his  CONFIDENCE  . He said: “The game is 90% mental. At the elite level, everybody has the skills. It's the dude who can shoot 7 times and miss all 7 and not care and shoot the 8th who is different from the person who missed his first 3 and will play it safe from there. There is so much power in the mind.” I think CONFIDENCE comes from two different places, t...

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His live endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34).” Thanksgiving is a great opportunity for us to pause and reflect on what we are THANKFUL for. Studies gave shown that people who express gratitude experience a variety of benefits - like better sleep and more meaningful relationships. Most importantly, Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect and share gratitude to and for God for all of the things that He has done for us. Meditating on the things that He has done for us brings us closer to God, and some research shows what we think is multiplied. So thinking about the blessings that God has given us can lead to more blessings. "Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 106:1).” This Thanksgiving, take a second to tell someone special in your life THANK you, and tell them why. Share your THANKS and gratitude with the people who have positively impacted your life.

You can be pitiful or you can be POWERFUL - but you can't be both. It is easy to feel sorry for yourself. It is often easier to feel sorry for yourself than it is to work hard and change your situation, and feeling pity can be a hard habit to break or give up. When I was a junior in college, I lost my starting spot to a younger player, and I spent half of the season feeling sorry for myself and making excuses. I thought the coach didn't like me, he was 'playing favorites,' and I didn't take responsibility for my actions - or lack of actions. Then something clicked in me. I could be pitiful, or I could be POWERFUL. I could pout, moan, and complain, or I could help my team by embracing my opportunities when they came and embracing my role. I mastered my role and I had a great final two years of playing basketball, and I created some great memories because of it. I made it a goal to be the best player coming off the bench in my league, and I made it a goal to come in a...

Did you know that researchers say that talent is not the biggest indicator of success? They say that GRIT is more important to success than talent. GRIT is the courage and strength to stick with something long enough to master it.  Angela Duckworth is the world leader in studying GRIT. She says that talent is great, and talent definitely plays a HUGE role in success and excellence. Her definition of talent is the rate at which you increase your skills with effort. Some people can increase their skills faster than others, but the more talented people don’t always show up and they don’t always finish. It is like the quote, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." If you look at the stories of every great athlete, you will see stories of GRIT and perseverance. We see the finished product, but we don't see the blood, sweat, and tears that make the greats great. The stories and details behind the success and excellence of people are like long movies and not ...

In all situations - good and bad - do good things, be a good person, and walk-in love, and good things will happen to you. For a few years in a row when I was in high school, I played on a really good select team. We all got along, we all competed with each other - not against each other, and we were successful. Select sports are competitive, and with that competitiveness comes selfishness, jealousy, and envy. But not with our team. We competed at the highest level, but we did so together. We were a true team, and it showed on and off the court. One of my good friends was not as fortunate. He was on one of those select teams that were full of selfishness, jealousy, and envy. They were always fighting, and there was no trust. When he would come to me for advice or to vent, I looked down on him and his situation. I judged him and his actions. I would say things like, "Be a better leader," or, "Communicate better with your teammates." I felt like he was not doing enoug...

Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).  This week, I have wasted a lot of time doing a lot of WONDERING. - I have been WONDERING if I am a good enough coach and trainer. - I have been WONDERING if I am a good enough dad. - I have been  WONDERING  if I am doing enough or if I am good enough. When I was an athlete, I did a lot of WONDERING too.  - I would WONDER if I was good enough to be on the team or to start. - I would  WONDER  if I could compete with my opponent. - I would  WONDER  if I was ever going to hit the growth spurt that I thought I needed to play sports in college. I say I wasted a lot of time WONDERING because WONDERING is a waste of time. Nothing good or productive comes by sitting around and WONDERING about anything. You reap what you sow, and I had to, and still have to, decide to do good work as often as I can and trust that God will fill in the gaps and take care of...

A popular Michael Jordan quote is, "Any fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there. What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success." He has also been quoted saying, "Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion." Those quotes sound great, and they sometimes help me feel more confident, but fear and  ANXIETY  is a real reality for many of us coaches and athletes. Fear and  ANXIETY  are both weapons of Satan to keep us from experiencing the full life that God has planned for us. Our emotions can overwhelm us and keep us paralyzed, but God said, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you (Isaiah 43:2)." Don't quit. Don't give in. Inch, by inch, keep moving forward.  ANXIETY  can be tough to overcome. It can keep you from working your hardest and doing your best. But don't lose heart an...

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30). I sometimes feel stress and anxiety from sports. It can be a lot of pressure having to compete every day, and that pressure can increase with success. Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin said that years ago, his team started to have success but they would fall short in the playoffs, and that would bring him to a low point. He said that a conversation with his wife changed the way he coaches. Coach Corbin's wife said, "If you are going to live and die with your success based on the last game, you are going to die a miserable person. You are going to have to find other ways to value what you're doing as a coach." He needed to change the target by removing the scoreboard and winning. I need to change my TARGET. But what needs to be the TARGET? In Matthew 28:19, Jesus had returned from the grave and was spending His final days with His disciples when He said, " Go therefore...

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters ( Colossians 3:23) . The last couple of years have been hard. We have been dealing with pandemics, we have been dealing with politics, and we have been dealing with social justice. There are so many things that can keep us distracted, and there are so many things that can keep us from being the best we can be. There are distractions everywhere, and there are so many opportunities for us to use excuses for why we aren't focused enough, gritty enough, tough enough, and resilient enough to do what we know we need to do. But the storms are our opportunity to show the power, strength, love and grace of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The storms are our opportunity to STEP UP. Everybody is great when the shots are falling, the bats are hitting, and the ball is hitting the back of the net. The special ones know how to STEP UP and survive and thrive when things are hard. The special ones are co...

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2). I love the opening weekend of the NFL season. College football has started, Major League Baseball is gearing up for the playoffs, and the NBA and NHL seasons are right around the corner. One of the things that I love about the start of the new seasons is that everybody gets a fresh start. Seasons are long and draining. Some seasons are fun, fulfilling, and full of success. Some seasons are hard, tough, and full of disappointment. We all need a good off-season so that we can be RENEWED and feel refreshed. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will RENEW their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:30-31). No matter what ...