There Are No Secrets to Success

“Don’t look for secrets when studying the best. Look at the basics. Look at what they do every day. Success often lies there.” – Buzz Williams

What we often see, when observing excellence in athletic performance (or any other endeavor), is just the result — the “tip of the iceberg.”  What we don’t see are the days, months, and years of hard work, dedication, commitment, and sacrifice that contributed to the success.

Success is the result of consistency.  It lies in the mundane, not the magical.

Success requires getting the basics right.  It’s foundation is sound and solid.

Success is built on not only action, but attitude.  It is fed by passion, enthusiasm, and desire.

The path to success is not devoid of obstacles; but the realization that each setback is a learning opportunity that brings us one step closer to success.

Success is planning your work, and working your plan, every day.

There are no secrets.  Be your best, do your best, give your best, and strive to improve you, TODAY.  Then do it again tomorrow.

Your thoughts?

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Opportunity is Just the Beginning

Opportunity, and — more specifically — what you do with it, is the key to growth and development.  Think of it in these terms:  “Point A” represents who, what, and where you are today.  “Point B” is your aspiration, destination, or goal (who, what, and where you want to be, tomorrow).  The path between these two points represents opportunity.  Sometimes the path will be obvious.  Other times, it may not.  Regardless, your ultimate success in any endeavor will depend on how effectively you navigate this path.  Here are 4 strategies, as they relate to opportunity (with some added basketball analogies):

Look For It

Sometimes you can’t wait for opportunity to knock at your door.  You will have to open the door, walk through the doorway, and search for it.  In basketball, your defender isn’t always going to provide you with a clear path to the hoop.  Think with the end in mind.  Make sure your goal is clear and specific.  The means to your goal attainment will be more clear if you know and understand what success looks like.  Seek advice and guidance by consulting with others who have experience and expertise in your area of interest.

Recognize It

Opportunity isn’t always obvious, nor is it always in plain sight.  If you are a student of the game, your opponent’s tendencies will reveal themselves, over the course of the game.  You have to be willing to think broadly and “connect” your development plan with your goal.  Once again, it all begins with goal setting.  There may be some trial and error, along the way, but that’s okay.  Build some “checkpoints” into your plan.  This will make it easier to recognize whether or not you’re on the right track.

Take Advantage Of It

When you do find and recognize opportunity, take action… don’t procrastinate.  The window of opportunity sometimes closes very quickly.  In basketball, boxing out your opponent to get a rebound is important, but you have to go after the ball, too.

Create It

There will be times when you just have to do it yourself.  Leverage your strengths and talents.  Use the information you have gleaned from scouting your opponent, and other past experiences, and create your own opportunity.  Calculated risk-taking will be part of the equation.  As the old proverb states, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

30 Life Lessons Learned in Business

Recently, my son shared with me a book in which Dan Gilbert (Quicken Loans founder and chairman, Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner) listed 30 Things I Learned in 30 Years of Business.  It’s worth sharing.

1. When you love what you do, there is no such thing as “work.”
2. Nothing clarifies like clarity.
3. If you believe tomorrow will be even more exciting than today, you have discovered what passion really means.
4. Some people WILL NEVER get it.  Get them out of your team, club, house, life, etc., and both of you will be happier.
5. There is always a way to turn a problem into an opportunity.  Find it.
6. Thinking (going deep) about problems, challenges, new ways of doing things and creativity is one of THE hardest things you will ever do.  It also will bring you the finest results.
7. I never learned anything by talking.
8. You can’t prioritize until you have visibility.
9. Appreciate everything.
10. Nothing great and long-lasting is built overnight, but you MUST take the first step NOW.
11. Any ounce of energy you spend regretting mistakes you made in the past is taking away energy you need to do things right in the present.
12. Be curious.
13. Try to please everyone all of the time, and you will end up pleasing no one most of the time.
14. Think big, huge, large, enormous, immense, jumbo, walloping, gigantic, king sized mammoth, massive, thundering.  You have to think anyway… so why not?
15. The little things DO matter.  Especially to people.
16. People who are constantly negative, pessimistic and cynical are not spewing their venom toward you or your ideas.  They are talking about themselves.  Never forget that.
17. Working longer hours does not automatically make you more successful.  Working smarter does.
18. There is no better joy than helping people around you go to levels higher than they ever thought they could.
19. It’s not so frickin’ funny when it’s you, is it?
20. Winning on the hard stuff does not make the easy stuff easy.
21. The more you give, the more you get.  It’s as simple as that.
22. Spreadsheets are for measuring things, but just because you cannot measure something, doesn’t mean it is not valuable.  Some of the most valuable things in the world cannot be measured.
23. Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.  (Thanks, Albert E.!)
24. The price of knowing is often way too high.
25. The one who tells you there is food on your face is your friend.
26. Building anything great is messy.
27. Don’t get distracted by people who want you to review the receipts for the paint brushes.  Your job is to paint.
28. “Sent” is NOT “received.”
29. The packaging of communication is just as important as the information itself.
30. Love your team members.  Love your clients and customers.  Just do those two things and your business will be successful.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Maybe EVERYTHING is an Opportunity

Everyone has hardships.  Everyone has problems.  Everyone has weaknesses.  They may be relative, but we’ve all got them.

But, maybe, we’re looking at it all wrong.  Perhaps our perspective needs adjusted.

Maybe our problems are actually possibilities — cleverly disguised opportunities.

Maybe weakness is nothing more than an opportunity to build and develop strength.

Maybe fear is the catalyst that leads to courage.

Maybe ignorance is just a chance to increase and improve awareness.

Maybe ineptitude is the “wake-up call” we need to cultivate and improve our skills.

Maybe failure is a necessary and inevitable step on the path to self-improvement and, eventually, success.

Maybe our own sadness can help us be more compassionate to others.

Maybe criticism and disagreement are opportunities for dialog.

Maybe challenges are meant to help us demonstrate persistence and perseverance.

Maybe difficulty is an opportunity to build character and confidence.

What if we focused less on our problems and more on our opportunities?

Maybe everything is an opportunity.  Think about it.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Focus on Your Gifts, Not Your Limitations

“Concentrate on your strengths instead of your weaknesses, on your powers instead of your problems.” – Paul J. Meyer

A few weeks ago, while my son and I were driving home after a workout, we were discussing strength training and its effect on physical development, and how this effect varies considerably among and between athletes.

More broadly, we were discussing the tendency of athletes (and people in general) to be very externally focused — comparing and bench-marking themselves with other individuals and their accomplishments — instead of striving toward self-development.

Eventually, comparing yourself with others is a dead end.

The reality is, we’re all guilty of that, from time to time — in school, sports, work, and life.  As a matter of fact, it’s often encouraged by parents and siblings; friends; teachers and classmates; coaches and teammates; and colleagues.

We all know that the only relevant comparison is with ourselves.  Yesterday’s performance is the only important gauge for today’s efforts.

Yet we continue to look over our shoulders and all around us, because it’s easier to do that than it is to look in the mirror.

We all have the potential to be better, today, than we were yesterday; better tomorrow than we are today.

Invest more time and energy focusing on what can go right, instead of thinking about what might go wrong.

Instead of thinking about limitations and restrictions, spend more time concentrating on opportunities and possibilities.

Acknowledge and recognize your strengths and gifts, rather than beating yourself up about shortcomings and weaknesses.

Be more solution-oriented, and less problem-oriented.

Be optimistic, realistic, and opportunistic.

And, most importantly, spend some time each day reflecting on — and being thankful for — the ways you are blessed and fortunate.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

There Are No Secrets to Success

“Don’t look for secrets when studying the best. Look at the basics. Look at what they do every day. Success often lies there.” – Buzz Williams

What we often see, when observing excellence in athletic performance (or any other endeavor), is just the result — the “tip of the iceberg.”  What we don’t see are the days, months, and years of hard work, dedication, commitment, and sacrifice that contributed to the success.

Success is the result of consistency.  It lies in the mundane, not the magical.

Success requires getting the basics right.  It’s foundation is sound and solid.

Success is built on not only action, but attitude.  It is fed by passion, enthusiasm, and desire.

The path to success is not devoid of obstacles; but the realization that each setback is a learning opportunity that brings us one step closer to success.

Success is planning your work, and working you plan, every day.

There are no secrets.  Be your best and strive to improve you, TODAY.  Then do it again tomorrow.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Opportunity is Just the Beginning

Opportunity, and — more specifically — what you do with it, is the key to growth and development.  Think of it in these terms:  “Point A” represents who, what, and where you are today.  “Point B” is your aspiration, destination, or goal (who, what, and where you want to be, tomorrow).  The path between these two points represents opportunity.  Sometimes the path will be obvious.  Other times, it may not.  Regardless, your ultimate success in any endeavor will depend on how effectively you navigate this path.  Here are 4 strategies, as they relate to opportunity (with some added basketball analogies):

Look For It

Sometimes you can’t wait for opportunity to knock at your door.  You will have to open the door, walk through the doorway, and search for it.  In basketball, your defender isn’t always going to provide you with a clear path to the hoop.  Think with the end in mind.  Make sure your goal is clear and specific.  The means to your goal attainment will be more clear if you know and understand what success looks like.  Seek advice and guidance by consulting with others who have experience and expertise in your area of interest.

Recognize It

Opportunity isn’t always obvious, nor is it always in plain sight.  If you are a student of the game, your opponent’s tendencies will reveal themselves, over the course of the game.  You have to be willing to think broadly and “connect” your development plan with your goal.  Once again, it all begins with goal setting.  There may be some trial and error, along the way, but that’s okay.  Build some “checkpoints” into your plan.  This will make it easier to recognize whether or not you’re on the right track.

Take Advantage Of It

When you do find and recognize opportunity, take action… don’t procrastinate.  The window of opportunity sometimes closes very quickly.  In basketball, boxing out your opponent to get a rebound is important, but you have to go after the ball, too.

Create It

There will be times when you just have to do it yourself.  Leverage your strengths and talents.  Use the information you have gleaned from scouting your opponent, and other past experiences, and create your own opportunity.  Calculated risk-taking will be part of the equation.  As the old proverb states, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?