Attitude with a Win-Win Approach

Each year I post my favorite poem at the entrance to my Math classroom. It is titled Attitude by Charles Swindoll. This poem was shared with me in high school by one of my basketball coaches. I believe that our Attitude is the foundation of our Success.

Everyday we are faced with experiences that shape our lives. Some of those experiences are fun, tough, gut wrenching, easy, humiliating, embarrassing, exciting, funny, miserable, exhilarating, most memorable, etc. How we respond to these experiences makes us who we are. How many times have you regretted a decision that you made because you let your emotions or your attitude affect your thought process? We all have made that mistake. When encountered with that tough decision- look for the win-win outcome. What is best for all parties involved? A win-win Attitude will lead greater growth in the end. This approach may be very difficult at times. It may lead to some failures-but most definitely will lead to Growth.

Process Quality over Outcome Quantity

As Coaches and Athletes we get hung up on Outcome Quantity. How many wins do we have? What is my batting average? How many sacks do I have? What is my FT percentage? How many points did I score? How many home runs have I hit? What is my grade? These are all Quantity Outcomes. Yes they are all good ways to measure success, but they should not be the focus. The most important focus should be on Process Quality.

Are you able to focus on playing as hard as you can play? Is my positioning correct on defense-how can I improve it? Do I feel comfortable and balanced when I shoot the ball? Are you making solid contact when hitting the baseball? Are you sprinting as hard as you can sprint? Are you enjoying what you are doing? How can you improve your stance? Coaches and Athletes that focus on Process Quality will have a more clear mind and will achieve more. Focusing on the Process Quality will allow the Outcome Quantity to Take care of Itself!

MUDITA

This morning I read the chapter on Unselfishness from the book Help the Helper. It exposed me to a new word- MUDITA. This is a joy experienced from seeing others in your group experience success. This is a true excitement for others. This is not an excitement because it benefits you. Creating a culture of MUDITA can be very difficult because of the all about me attitude. There is not a greater feeling than being a part of a group that sincerely cares about each other. Being a part of a team in which each individual works their butt off to make the team the best that it can be. When I was in college I got to experience this first hand. I played on a very good Hanover basketball team that had the best player in Division III basketball on it. His name was David Benter.

Dave was like a small college Larry Bird. He could do it all- he could score inside, rebound, defend, and play on the perimeter. OK, he did struggle a little at the FT line. The thing that Dave brought to the team other than his great skill was leadership, unselfishness, and a high level of competitiveness everyday! This carried over to our whole team. Dave would have games in which he scored 35 points, and have 15 rebounds- but he was still concerned with the team performance. He was humble, and he helped to create MUDITA within the team. Guys on that team held each other accountable. If one guy was dogging it, then someone spoke up. If someone took a charge, then there were players on the bench up and cheering. If someone on the team was being a problem, then we discussed it. We helped our teammates....we cared about the success of the group. No one cared who scored the points as long as the Panthers were successful. No one cared who got their name in the paper, we all wanted to see the score in the paper that showed Hanover victorious. True MUDITA is not common. Everyday it is very easy to experience jealousy, envy, and joy in others failures. Putting your team and your teammates in front of yourself can be very rewarding. Not only can it lead to success, but it can lead to great relationships, lessons in togetherness, and lifelong memories! MUDITA!

10 C's of a Champion

Champions exemplify the 10 C's! 1. Champions are Competitive- Every opportunity is an opportunity to compete and improve! 2. Champions are Committed- this means you are committed to yourself, your teammates, coaches,your family, your community, your school, and your goals. 3. Champions Communicate- This means knowing when to talk and when to listen. This also means having a positive voice within the team. 4. Champions show Composure- Not only when things are going well, but when things are adverse too! 5. Champions are Compassionate- This means you are real- no fake mojo's. 6. Champions are Compelled- This means that you are always striving for your Best! 7. Champions are Confident- Confidence is a feeling of knowing that you have prepared to the best of your ability for the task at hand. 8. Champions have Common Goals- within a team the players share the responsibility by using their strengths to reach a shared goal. 9. Champions are Creative- they find ways to accomplish the same task in different ways. This is great for muscle and mental confusion. 10. Champions Confess their mistakes- This means that they know that progress will occur through failure, and they understand the importance of admitting and learning from a mistake.