Blog Posts - Coach to Expect Success

Gratitude - Not Just To Have Once A Year

12/7/2021

In the first of two blog assignments about gratitude I shared with my students to get their perspectives on, this one was a simple but powerful one for them & for me. First of all, I simply wanted them to find a picture or a quote to put into their blog along with their thoughts about it. This picture is a simple reminder for me that having an attitude of gratitude. It does indeed change everything! My outlook about things being connected to gratitude - I need that reminder a lot ... almost every day!

Gratitude can change my perspective about things and I find myself being connected to this more and more lately. Ever since this pandemic started in early 2020, I have found myself trying to focus on gratitude & perspective every day. (thanks Gary Vee) and for the most part, it's working. Now, that doesn't mean I don't have problems or troubles - but it is helping me to deal with those things a bit better than before. The key for me is to try and make this Gratitude & Perspective more of a habit so that it becomes an everyday thing that I don't have to think about - it's just happening. This simple picture is something that is a powerful reminder for me. Maybe for you too?

Bravery Is All Around Us

12/3/2021

I found something from John O'Leary again (so many lessons from this guy) and this one is all about Bravery. This interview that John had with Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch and his discussion on Courage, Combat and Recovery. Listen to it HERE. I found myself being totally amazed at this discussion on so many lessons. First and foremost, Nick's sense of humor that he had with life!! Amazing lessons for all of us for if he can have that type of outlook / attitude after having gone through all of these things he described.. that simply tells me that I can do the same with my life too. The things that I have gone through are nothing compared to what he's been through & if he could have his current attitude and outlook on things - so can I.

These 2 quotes really stood out to me as it was something that was said to him that totally changed his life -

“If you don’t quit on us, we will never quit on you.” This is a powerful statement from his recruiter. I look at that statement and think how awesome it is to have a group of people connected together and something like this binds them. Something that will never break. Truthfully - I think of this connecting to a family or even a sports team. It will probably be something that I share with some players, coaches and teams as I see this being so strong to have this mentality going into their season & in life too!
"As a drill sergeant, Nick learned that everything was trained in the antithesis. Courage was trained by fear, honor by unfair treatment and commitment by failing." I look at this piece as something to learn some valuable lessons from. Those things that are fearful for me - I can learn courage from those things. I can learn to face them, get through them and to quit having them stop me from living the life I want to live. We all experience unfairness in life, I can learn to still be honorable to others & myself, so that I don't get soured by the unfair treatments. I look to for sure, not treat others in the same unfair matter. Also, to stand up for those that get treated that way too. The world needs more of this for sure.

We All Need PERSPECTIVE All Throughout Life

12/3/2021

During the last 21 months or so, we have had the opportunity to take a different look at things in our world due to Covid19. The entire world has been turned upside down during this time, as it has affected everyone. For me personally, I looked at the chance to focus in on having more gratitude & perspective from that second weekend in March when the brakes were engaged in just about all areas of life..

This video clip of three "well experienced" people sharing their thoughts & insights about life, gives us a great view into our own lives - all through their eyes. You will want to watch it for sure - find it HERE.

First up was Cliff Crozier - born in 1915 and he mentioned that he had done everything he wanted to do in his life and that he knows how important it is to put effort into staying active and staying healthy too. I tell you one other thing about Cliff - he's got plenty to smile and laugh about. He's got a great attitude for sure. ;-) He mentioned that age is just a number and it doesn't bother him.

Amelia Tereza Harper - born in 1913 and she starts right off about being able to enjoy her memories of her life & the joyful times. Got me thinking about how important (and how much we take for granted) our memories actually are. My father-in-law who passed away in 2020 from dementia, didn't have too many of those joyful memories - or maybe he did, and he simply could not recall them to tell us about them. In watching this video, especially with this part, I tear up every time. I sure am hoping and praying that me and the rest of my family don't have to go through that again - especially ourselves. In today's social media & internet world... taking time to be in the moment, to create the memories and not just "watching" others live life... that's where our memories are going to come from. I can at least remember times without the internet / social media. To tell the truth, I look back at those times with great joy & I do say, I miss them too.

Finally, John Denerley - born in 1914, speaks right away about his "mis-spent youth". He does look back a bit and saw how much he wasted time doing things that didn't mean much. Oh, he had fun it sounds like, but he sounds like he has bit of regret from those time - not a ton, just a little bit. But he sure learned some valuable lessons. He flew in the RAF (Royal Air Force) in WW II and he said, it was more "of an adventure rather than a penalty, even amongst the bombs." Again... a wonderful attitude that he had back when he was young, not just in his later days.

In just about all of my student posts that I read, they all mentioned how they hope to have what these people shared about their lives. The pictures they have around them in the video. The stories and the laughter & yes.. even the emotional parts too.... all go to show what goes into our lives really makes the journey worthwhile. Powerful reflections that I think everyone needs to take the less than 15 minutes to watch his video & do some hard thinking as to what changes you can make to help your life go in a better direction along with having the end in mind, as to how you would like your race to finish up when it comes to that time.

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!

Forgiveness - with the help from Mitch Albom

11/19/2021

There was a great podcast by Mitch Albom on his "Tuesday People Podcast Show"... you can find it HERE. So many valuable life lessons come out of this story that Mitch wrote about him and his professor, Morrie Schwartz, in his award-winning book "Tuesday's With Morrie." Forgiveness is not only one of our Positivity Project character traits - it's one of the HUGE lessons from Morrie that he shared with Mitch in their conversations.

Morrie said, “Forgive yourself first, then forgive others." It's one of the things we tend to miss out on in life and I agree with that since I've struggled with this exact point. I think one of the main reasons for Forgiveness coming up at the bottom of my survey results for the Character Traits Survey that we did when we first started this Positivity Project - is mainly due to the fact that I have struggled forgiving myself throughout my lifetime. Morrie's right... the earlier we start forgiving ourselves, the easier it will be to not let others get in the way of living our lives, all due to what they say to us (or about us), along with what they might do to us too.

The examples that are shared in this podcast are amazing ones for sure. I think they are things that we all can connect with and learn from. This brings to mind that we can easily see that hopefully we are able to see that really all of humanity falls into this issue of learning how to forgive ourselves and others. We also need to remember that it's not easy & that it takes constant work too.

Besides listening to the podcast show (link above), it would be a great idea to check out all the items at Mitch Albom's website (mitchalbom.com) Check out his books... all personal favorites of mine - especially "Tuesdays With Morrie".

Integrity - It's Kind Of A Big Deal

11/19/2021

I found a fabulous article about Integrity, all from the perspective of a wonderful difference maker who was a long-time educator and basketball coach. His name was John Wooden. Here is the article about the connection he had to Integrity - Click HERE.

One of the main things I drew from this article - and from studying the man for most of my life, is that this is such a necessary building block for a good life and we all need to work on it as such. It goes way beyond ourselves too. If we lead a life of integrity, that helps us to connect with more people for sure. It's one of the things (the many things), that the world needs more of for sure. It can lead to a good night sleep, I tell you that. Living a life of character and integrity... it's the softest pillow ever!! We don't have to be worried about lies, or things we said or did, coming back to cause us much trouble.

His "Pyramid of Success" is something that has stood the test of many years. Integrity is like the cement that holds all of these blocks together. It is easy to see that all of these parts of his pyramid - and those Positivity Project character terms really do make life much easier to navigate through.

Being Present & Focusing On Giving Others My Attention

10/21/2021

Found a great video clip that comes from Tony Robbins that reminds us about the importance of being in the present moment - wherever that might find us - it's really the only place to be. Check out the video HERE.

Many times we get caught up in the past along with worrying about the future too. We forget to look down to where our feet are, right now at the moment. I love that reminder as it's quick and easy for us to make sure we know where we are right now & that's all we can do at the moment, is be where we are at. I heard something recently from another podcast that gets right on top of this topic. It was mentioned that what keeps us up at night are usually fearful, negative, worrisome issues. Where the things that usually get us out of bed are more hopeful, inspiring, things to go after for the day, etc.

It's all part of not looking in the rear-view window of our lives and not focusing too much of the things way out in front of us either. My good friend, Dr. Jeff Lip has mentioned it many times - if we get focused too much on the past, often times it leads to depression. The fact that we are not as young as we used to be, the relationships that we lost, the regrets start piling up, etc. If we focus too much on the future - we get anxious, worried about things we think are going to happen, etc. We miss out on the present, the place we are currently at. It's the only place that we can actually do something about.

Finally, when I am able to focus on other people and looking to help them; I am finding that not only do my problems get smaller, but I find out new ways & ideas of dealing with them too. It allows me to open up to see new possibilities instead of being locked up inside my own head and trying to figure out solutions just from my perspective.

Having An Open Minded Mindset, Sure Does Help

10/19/2021

Listened to a great podcast recently where Ann Hiatt was a guest on John Lee Dumas' podcast, "Fire Nation". She had so many powerful things to say that it got me going in some great thinking directions, not only for myself, but also my students too. I had them listen to this podcast to help them see the connection to the week's Positivity Project connection to Open-Mindedness.

Check out the podcast HERE.

A few things that I connected from this podcast & I know will help me with what I want to do in my profession as an educator and a coach - First, there are so many "behind the scenes" things or "under the radar" things that I can do to build myself & my profession, stronger & having more of an impact. The little everyday things that go unnoticed by most - I can focus on them everyday, knowing they bring value to what I want to do. Waking up early, reading more, getting to work early & getting prepared. Making time for others to help solve issues & questions before they become problems. So many things that we all can do, that might not get other people to notice - but we know are the right things to do.

Second thing that stood out to me was the idea of staying ahead of myself as I learn new things, pick up new skills, be open to new opportunities, etc. There is this mindset of "reinventing" ourselves every so often. I certainly do not want to stay where I'm at as far as abilities & knowledge. It's become apparent to me recently that I want to keep learning new things, meeting new people, coming up with new ideas, etc., until my final day on earth. That's just me.

Finally - there are so many different paths towards success & that one way does not work for everyone. Success is such a broad definition for so people. One thing for sure that I'm seeing more and more (especially with my new position as an ESL Coach at school) is that my positive attitude / outlook / mindset, etc., is a difference maker. I see many people that are of the opposite mindset and I see the struggles they are having compared to others. Remember, having a positive attitude / outlook / mindset, does not mean you don't have problems. It means that you can solve them A TON better with a positive mindset than with a negative one. THAT IS FACT!

Teamwork Connections with John Maxwell

10/6/2021

John Maxwell always has some great wisdom to share when it comes to Leadership & Life topics. Teamwork is something he knows a lot about. He reminds us that as humans, we are not put here on earth to go through life alone. I love his quote - "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others." It's so true as we can see any great thing ever done in life has all been connected to a group of people and not just one person. One truly is too small a number to achieve greatness.

I always look at a basketball team (as I stared coaching in 1982, it's been a major part of my life) and I always remind players about it takes 5 people to do great things on the court. Just as we don't dribble the basketball with just one finger - it takes all five fingers to control the ball; great things on the court cannot be done by just one person. It's like that in work, with our families, with our friends, etc.

Watch this "Minute with Maxwell" video to get a little bit more details as to what he is talking about.

A Little Bit About "Curiosity" with John O'Leary

9/27/2021

One of the many things I need to work on is doing what I say I'm going to do. Once again, I am challenging myself to complete a blog post each week - not just any blog post, but the same blog post assignment that I have for my students. We have them connected to our Positivity Project (P2). There are different character traits (24 in all) that we focus on during the school year. These character traits - not surprisingly - are NOT just for K - 12 students. Those of us who have gotten through our own K-12 experience and became adults, need these things (I think) more than our students do!

The episode I listened to from John O'Leary was this episode Prioritize Things That Matter with Christy Wright (ep. 394) - find it HERE. So many lessons that I got out of this show (as I do with all of his shows). Being curious is something that does not come natural to me like it does to my wife. I have been forcing myself to be more "curious" by finding things to listen to, watch, read, etc., to keep working on getting better.

I traditionally have not been one to ask a lot of questions, but I'm finding when I do - things go so much better for me in so many different ways. This quote caught my ear -

“Some of the most incredible career opportunities are not positions that are posted but problems that are solved.” – Sheryl Sandburg

This got me thinking about the fact that I need to be more curious to thinking about solving the problem that pops up, rather than getting worked up about it. It happened to me one time yesterday afternoon and one time this morning already, where I had just the slightest mind-shift to looking at something to solve or do something good with compared to complaining about it. AMAZING results from that.

Secondly, this struck me right in the face...

What if “balance” isn’t so much what you do but something you create + become in your life? Life balance is not doing everything for an equal amount of time. It’s about doing the right things at the right times.

I simply need to be curious enough to look at a bit more closely as to how to make this work for me. Figuring out about doing more of the right things, at the right time - and not rushing through them to simply get them done. I think the more I open up to see what those items are, the more growth I'll have along with getting closer to goals and dreams that I have in my life.

Finally, these points that I lumped together really made an impact on me:

Start doing what matters, stop doing what doesn’t matter in today’s season.
“If we are not careful we will spend our entire lives checking boxes and never stopping to ask ourselves if those boxes represent anything actually worth doing.”
Create an ideal schedule. Take your current calendar and a blank calendar:
- Move over the things you have to do.
- Move over the things you want to do.
- Add whatever is missing.
“We judge others by everything they do and we judge ourselves by everything we don’t do.”

Instead of saying I don't have time for something / anything, I need to start asking myself the question -"is this a priority for me"? I love the mindset shift about this and asking myself is this something that matters to me in my life or is it something that I'm doing for other reasons that don't really matter to me, my family, my goals and dreams, my priorities, etc. This is a whole new thought process for me about being more curious and asking questions, looking deeper for some details, etc., that might help me figure things out more.

Christy Wright's book might be something for me to put onto my reading list.