Category: Confidence - Coach to Expect Success

Creativity - I have more of it than I thought!

12/3/2021

I found a great article initially to share with my students, but I found some tremendous value for myself from the items listed. Check out the article HERE.

I have always not really thought of myself as being very creative & like most people, I always tended to think it was mostly connected with art or music. But, this article (and my students' posts) really got me thinking differently. One of the things from the article was that Creativity helps with problem solving. I have tried to see things differently, to find new ways of doing things and I finally see that is creativity at it's best. I'm trying to not give up so quickly on things and this connection to this important character trait is really a positive one for me.

A second one is the connection to motivation. As I look for new ways of doing things in my classes (and at work in general), along with new things with my podcasting / my "Chapter 2" in life after I retire from teaching, I am finding new energy from the simple fact of thinking about "what's next for me"? I am realizing that it's up to me to make those choices. I need to be creative to look at new things & to look at other things in a different way.

Finally, my last point on this - Creativity helps to bring people together. I am seeing that in the fact when I put myself out there more with my podcasts, Youtube videos, social media posts, etc., has helped to connect me with so many great people that I would have never had met before. Now that I see so many ways of being creative and yet, I still draw stick figures as anything artistic, I know there are more ways of showing creativity and I don't have this negative mindset that I'm not creative.

In fact, I'm looking to be more creative in many different things in my life & it's leading to some very cool stuff!

Optimism Is Key - At least in my opinion

2/7/2020

This was a powerful post that my students worked on - a few weeks ago - I'm getting off of the procrastination train, and finally getting these going, like I told them I would! There were 2 key parts that I used for this one - both from John O'Leary.

First was a blog post that he put out there about "How Heros Speak". In this post he mentioned about a pro hockey player that invested time in with him when he was a little boy, recovering from his burns that were part of John's story early on in his life. It's all about the people that speak words into our hearts, souls, minds, etc., throughout our lifetime. These heros don't necessarily wear capes either, but the do interject such powerful belief into us that it ends up making a HUGE difference in our lives. He brought up the other fact about the truth is that we are supposed to be the same hero for others. There are other people out there, ones we don't even know perhaps, but we are the difference-makers that they need in their lives.

I have believed this ever since I was probably in college as that's when I found out how important it was to have people believing in me for my life. Dr. Wells Cook was the biggest influencer in my life, next to my parents and my wife - that truly made a huge difference with me. His encouraging words pointed me into being an educator. What a ride it has been from first meeting him back in the fall of 1985. That also happens to be the time I met my wife as well, at the same university - Central Michigan University! From then until now - these two people (again, other than my parents) have changed my life in so many incredible ways! Not sure where I'd be without them.

I love this part of his post & I now it is speaking to you as well: "Your great opportunity, my friend, is to realize the truth that you are intended to be a hero for others. My encouragement before you grab your cape or hockey stick and race out the door is to realize this: your ability to positively impact others hinges on your own thoughts and your own words.
Rudyard Kipling wrote, “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” As with any drug, our words can be either life-giving or life-depleting. Choose today to use your words to encourage others to take back their life, ignite their possibility and change their world.
And in wondering where to begin sharing heroic optimism with others, consider starting with the reflection in the mirror."

The second part of this assignment came from his video clip. In it he asks us to follow our own minds and to catch ourselves when we start going down a negative road as far as our thoughts and comments go. Try to write them down & find some replacements for them, with more positive and encouraging thoughts & words. I mentioned this to my students and have always told my basketball players this too. Nobody else can do as much damage & hurt us, more than we can do it to ourselves. I've been working on catching myself quicker when I start going down that negative rabbit hole to problems & negativity. I need to find ways to eliminate problems, not head into more.

Let me know your thoughts on these 2 items. I think they are simply pure gold. Heck, anything from John O'Leary usually is. Check him out HERE at his website. He's got his 2nd book coming out in May 2020. Check out his first book before you read his new one. You'll love it!

Lessons From Coach John Wooden on a TED Talk.

1/1/2019

Coach John Wooden will always be a teacher to me. A fantastic educator who's messages and methods are needed today in our world more than ever. In this video that Coach did for a TED Talk, he brings up so many valuable lessons. One of which is his definition of success and how it is more about us doing our best instead of comparing ourselves to others. That is something that all of us can remember and take with us wherever we go. His dad was one of the biggest difference makers in his life and the lessons that he took with him througout his whole life - and his life lasted just about 100 years!! Now we can take those lessons from his entire life and get them from a video or read them in one of his many books.

The other part to this is from Coach Wooden's "Pyramid of Success"! Again, so many valuable lessons from this document - for 2019 I am looking to gain CONFIDENCE in myself and apply that to things that I need to do - things that I have had to do for years!! I know it's inside of me and I've had glimpes of it before, but there is no time like the present to get this going in my life. SELF-CONTROL is something that I also need to work on. I need to develope better habits, those things that will take me closer to my dreams and goals and not further away. On the flip side there are bad habits that I need to replace. It's been said that the quickest way to success is to replace a bad habit with a good one. That needs to be something I look to do every day! Again - so many valuable reminders from a timeless document that Coach Wooden gave to us.

Failure Lessons

1/1/2019

For my first blog of the Winter term I found this great quote: "Confidence comes from not always being right - but from not fearing to be wrong." - Peter T. Mcintyre

This is something that I think is a HUGE deal in life, finding confidence in many different areas of our lives and minimizing the fear of being wrong or failing. I have always seemed to have issues growing up - some still today - with not having a lot of confidence in myself. So many examples of me giving up and not sticking with things just because they got too difficult or it was going to take too much time. Wow.. wish I had knows about how important this skill was back when I was younger.

This other thing that I found was this following picture below - I can attest to this for sure! My lack of confidence in myself has cost me far more than any little stumble or failure that I've had. Here is one reason why - my lack of confidence at times kept me from trying again and figuring out the initial issue in the first place. My problem could have been solved with just the simple act of pulling myself back up and trying again, maybe in a smarter way than I did it before. Now with age, comes wisdom and I know now that I need to stick with things and not give up so much. Good stuff for all of us to learn. ;-)

Do You Have Adaptability?

11/6/2018

Being more adaptable is something that I think comes with age for some people, and for others it means we become less adaptable. I found another great article and it brought up this point about being adaptable, one that seems we don't talk about nearly enough. Find the artcle HERE.

One of the main points that the article hit me with right off the bat is the important fact about how crucial relationships are in life. With people of course comes the opportunity to show how flexible we are, how we are adaptable or not. Our flexibilty is described as our willingess to adapt and that it really comes down to our attitude. Staying with the idea about people, we know how difficult it can be to be adaptable. We also have to remember that since this is one of the most important skills (of many) that we can have in our lives, that automatically means that it won't be easy. Remember - things that are worthwhile, things that mean anything, usually will not come easy. There will be work involved. There will be setback. There is a need for effort to be put into these things.

Some of the pieces of being adaptable is confidence, tolerance, empathy, being positive and having a respect for others. Funny thing is, as I'm typing these words out I'm thinking about how I do these sometimes in my life, and other times I need some major help with them. Another point that comes to mind is that having the willingness to grow in these areas is also something that is needed in order to become more flexible. The world needs more of this, not less. Look at the list of those pieces - do you realize how much more power they represent if you implement them into your life? I know that I need to live more of those in my life everyday.

That empathy idea is a BIGGIE for me, heck, for anyone. It's all aout seeing things from other people's points of view. We have to walk in their shoes and that reminds me that we have to get out of our own shoes first to do that. If you could work on one thing today - try that. Try having more empathy for those that are "differrent" than we are. If we get out of our own shoes first and then step into their shoes, maybe we can not only understand them better, but we also might find that we have more adaptability in our lives. Like the picture says, either we can do the changing or the change will be done for us. :-) It's up to us.

As always - reach out to me if you want to have a discussion. These are always great topics to talk about and get more perspectives on.

Big-Time Growth Awaits Outside Of The Zone!

5/30/2017

"All progress takes place outside the comfort zone." — Michael John Bobak

This is something that has taken me awhile to latch onto. I’ve made tremendous progress throughout my life when getting out of my comfort zone. It’s just that most of the times; I’ve not gotten out of my comfort zone enough to really do the things that I know I want to do.

Since 2014 when I had both of my surgeries (knee replacement & back surgery), that was the first recent instance that has gotten me out of my comfort zone. I’ve had to make adjustments, to think differently, and start to realize the changes that I need to make in my life in many different areas. My physical and mental health has to improve along with my relationship health too; starting with my wife, kids, and family. There are many other relationships that I need to work on as well and I need to stop putting it off. These things are helping me to get out of my comfort zone in a big way.

I also got some help in 2016 by interviewing for two positions that I did not end up getting. The high school that I work at had an Assistant Principal job opening along with bringing back our Dean of Students position too. The entire process helped to give me so much confidence in that it made thing become very clear as to the direction I want to take my career and my life. I can honestly say without reservation that I’m at so much peace with the fact I didn’t get either of those 2 positions. First, the right candidates got them over me. They are the BETTER candidates that will help our school more than I could.

Second and more important, this process has given me the kick in my butt that I’ve tried to give myself over the years that I need to see my future and the direction I NEED to take it. As Les Brown has said – it’s hard to see outside the picture when I’m inside the frame. The time aspect has been a big part for me to connect with and understand; both from the parts that the new positions would have taken up more and different amounts of time along with that for me personally, time is running out as to things I want to (and need to) get done in my life.

So, as I begin to take these lessons and apply them to the things I need to work on, it gives me great energy and excitement for what’s to come. It pays big dividends to get out of our comfort zones, get a little scared and uncomfortable and then realize that you are not only okay for doing it, but that you are actually coming out better for going through it. I’m not sure if you have found the same results for getting out of your comfort zone and if you have not, you need to try it. There really is no sense to go through our lives living timid and being scared to work on things that are connected to our hearts. Life is supposed to be a learning & growing adventure. I’ve found that really only happens outside of the picture frame. Outside our comfort zone is the place to be for me, how about you?

We All Have To Have Confidence and Hope In Our Lives

6/14/2015

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Helen Keller

As I sit here with my (you guessed it) first cup of coffee, I’m listening to the rain and I’m thinking about many things. Most of the things I’m thinking about (my wife and family, my basketball coaches and players that I’m blessed to be working with, what I’m calling “the summer of change”, the books I want to read, and how thankful I am for this cup of coffee among many other things), I get a very contagious feeling of hope and peacefulness.

I’ve always tried to have an optimistic attitude or outlook in my life. There are many times where this is difficult and challenging, but I always strive to get back to having this type of outlook. I do know for sure that Helen Keller was correct in that things cannot be accomplished without hope and confidence. At least anything that matters.

Having an optimistic attitude or outlook in life is a lot easier for us when we are doing things that are connected to our heart and have passion for. It also connects with the people that we have in our lives as we need others to help encourage us, love us where we are at, support us, listen to us along with us doing the same for them. This helps instill faith in ourselves that we can achieve things we want to do.   If we don’t have all these pieces to the puzzle, things get a little bit more difficult and that at times will lead to not having hope or confidence in ourselves and in our situations that we live in.

This comes back to the start, the foundation that we have to have to work on setting the table so to speak, for ourselves to have this optimism in our lives. We have to reach down inside of ourselves and find out what are the things that light us on fire! What are the things that we get fired up and make us want to go after certain things in life? We need to be conscious of the thoughts, information and ideas coming into our minds along with finding and keeping those people in our lives that help us and that we are able to help too.

Start today by looking at this quote and figure out what feeds into this optimism in our lives. Then look at what are the things in your heart that you know you want to accomplish and go after. Is what you do, day in and day out, helping you have more hope and confidence in your life? Or are those things pointing to not having hope and no confidence in your life? Figure out just one change today that you can make to start feeling better about things. Then keep working on that one thing as you identify one other thing, then another, and another and so on. Just keep working on one thing and keep it going as those will lead to other things to work on and improve and then just watch the changes that start to happen.

What’s one thing for you to start on right now? One thing for me – to start reading more books, more articles, etc. Another quick one for me is to put more action into my days of doing the things that I have to do to make things happen. Anything that can help make me better, I have to do. Share yours as I bet it might help someone else out too.

Quote of the Week - December 16, 2014

12/17/2013

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Wow.. is this something that I could have used back when I was a teen. Then again, maybe I wasn't ready for learning this lesson?

I guess the sooner you can face your fears, the sooner you have more strength and courage to do other things with in your life. Looking back, there were many fears that I can easily identify now - but I probably had trouble identifying earlier in my life. It's hard to work on battling a fear if you can't identify it. But a word of advice - figure out what those fears are and figure out how you can overcome them and not let them stop you from doing things you want to do.

With another new year coming upon us - remember, don't wait until January 1st to make out some new resolutions to try and take care of. If there are things to deal with - do it now. Don't worry, there will be more things to improve upon come January 1st.

Always looking forward to learning from your thoughts and comments. Let me know.

Quote of the Week - July 1, 2013

7/2/2013

"If you could get up the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed." -- David Viscott

When I saw this quote of course I saw it how it related to me. For a long time, having courage to start things has been a problem for me at times. It's amazing that during those times, once I get started on things it gets easier as time goes on. For me, and I think for others too, just to get started on something is the most difficult thing to get through. The worry, the thoughts of how difficult it might be, and yes the thoughts about failure come to mind too.

I was listening to Les Brown yesterday along with some things from Zig Ziglar too. Both speakers had amazing messages and both touched upon this subject. Waiting to get started on doing something due to fear of failing, robs so many people of things that could benefit not only themselves but a great number of other people too. I think for me, that has been an issue for some time. The old saying is that a lesson is repeated until a lesson is learned. That is something that I guess I've been going through for some time now.

Les Brown also brings up another great point. He mentions the idea that the most valuable piece of real estate is the grave yard. I believe he's right. He mentions that most people die with their "music" still in them. All the great ideas they had, but never acted upon. All the great intentions, that never were started. Les mentions that all those great inventions and things that would have helped so many people, are all gone now. Every time I hear Les talk about that, I know he's talking to me. I'm wondering, is he talking to you too? Do you have challenges getting the courage up to get things done or even get things started? As always, I enjoy hearing from others on this subject because I can always use more help in learning about getting better. I also know that other people need help too. Funny thing, Les mentions that too. We need to remember that we all need help in getting better and learning more. We don't have all the answers and cannot do it all on our own. Please, let me know your thoughts and ideas on this and any other items here on my blog.

Quote of the Week - June 24, 2013

6/27/2013

"It's time to break our ties with anything in us that would rather complain about its situation than go to work to change it." - Guy Finley

We always hear about the fact that we have to break ties with OTHER people that complain and are negative all the time. But what happens when that someone is us?

As summer continues hopefully we have some time to relax a little and spend some time thinking about how we can make some changes on ourselves that will produce some new results. In last week's quote - 2 major subject areas came up. Life and People. Those two subject areas are crucial to success for sure. I think the one main piece that fits in with the topic of Life is ourselves. We always seem to get so worked up about what other people say and do, yet the truth is that we can't do anything about changing them at all. The only thing we can do is to work on ourselves.

Another key point to realize and understand sooner than later, is that working on ourselves is not so easy to do. Since we live with ourselves 24/7 and not only do we battle our own inner voice - which studies have shown we feed ourselves more negative feedback than positive - we also take in outside opinions from others as to how good or bad we are doing in life.

This quote really struck a cord with me, a big connection. Looking back throughout my history, I can see that my action steps have been lacking in many areas and that I am really the only one that can do anything about it. Now, I am finally working hard at changing those areas. Once again, I sure do wish I got working on this earlier in my life. But I am also very happy that I'm doing something now about it more than I did before.

What about you? Did you figure out this quote as being true a long time ago? What are some of the success stories that you have with having a victory over yourself that might be a help to others? Always looking for new ideas and new ways of thinking. I'm on a mission to keep getting better.