The Mind Of A Coach

During the summer months in many places the grass becomes very brittle and dry. Being from Florida, you grow up seeing how the grass can become dead. During months that have less rain it can become dead very fast. However, we only see the top part of the grass. If time goes on a the grass doesn’t get any rain the roots began to die.  Within our lives we typically have high and lows even within our profession, or our life. We typically start off very strong when we get fresh blessings, new job, or new accomplishments. It’s easy for us to water the new blessings. We are high off excitement we have a new found joy being in a new place, new accomplishments.  Within our life there will be times where it’s a dead period. No highs, no accomplishments or any wins. Will we still love the thing that we are set out to do with the same vigor. Will we still keep watering our garden to not allow the roots to die. A lot of times people allow the roots of their dreams to go dry and die out. W...

 In many circumstances we are praying for our lives to get better. We are asking God to give us our hearts desires. However, the biggest thing that doesn’t get spoke on is that God doesn’t bless mess. The circle around us, the people we are connected to daily can affect that.  When you hop on a plane the pilot (you) is flying. The pilot depends on air traffic control (God) to navigate them through the skies (life). Many times when the tarmac is to cluttered air traffic control tells you not to land yet. Air traffic control then tells the pilot to do what’s called a “go - around” to make sure there’s adequate enough separation from other planes.  Many times in your life  you can be so close to your destination that you want to be at. You can be so close to getting that dream house but you haven’t allowed separation from certain people and behaviors for you to land with those blessings safely.  You have to check your surroundings and see who’s holding you back fro...

 “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead! (James 2:14-26). A powerful short powerful verse that implies a lot of people to truly think about their desired goals and dreams. How much work are you actually putting into the things that you say you truly want. We can pray for that job, that car, that house or that spouse. How much work are we putting into it to make the dream a reality. During the off-season many players say they want to be the best version of themselves possible. Many write down goals on what accolades they want to achieve throughout the season.  Rather that is a certain amount of sacks, interceptions , passing yard…etc. Many times, it stops right there most players never take the time out to diligently work on small things that will make them the best version of themselves that they want to be. How many hours have they spent watching film from the previous season? How many miles did they run before fall camp starts? How many reps did they do in the ...

Are we there yet! The movie with Ice Cube and the two preteens was a great movie. It truly correlated with how we can be like kids and be so consumed with where we are going versus enjoying the ride. Ultimately, the kids realized that it wasn’t about the destination that was so great it was truly the journey and all the things along the journey that took place. The accomplishments, the failures, the peaks and the valleys.  Like little kids we can be come impatient with our own journey. We can miss where we are at in the moment because we are focused on the end goal of what’s to come. There’s a saying that “we miss the forest for the trees”. We can be so caught up in trying to prove our worth to make it to the destination we want, we can’t see that we our in the very moment that we prayed for. At times we just have to look up and enjoy the ride.  Usually, when we are on a ride we use GPS but during it we never really can see what the GPS can sense. It usually has multiple route...

Motivation is futile:     We all know the story of the turtle vs rabbit and who eventually wins the race. This analogy couldn't correlate to life so well. We usually get frustrated with not being where we want to be when we want to be there. There are days where motivation becomes futile when no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise. It's important that we create a plan of action every day to attack our daily tasks. Something we can write down and visually see. For example, if there is a time in the day that is dedicated to watching film at one write it down to visually see. Versus telling your self at 1pm I am going to watch film. There are a million things running through your mind at any given time of the day. Attack the day by being diligent in your work.  Diligent:       The definition of diligence according to Merian - Webster is working carefully with consistent effort. Being diligent in your work allows you to be accountable fo...

When things get too difficult, there is a tendency for people to wonder if it is the situation for them. Often times people wonder if it is better to be somewhere else. Many times, there is a tendency to always want to know if the grass is greener somewhere else. Many hours are spent thinking if I was at this destination with these resources, with these guys or this amount of money I can be here. Dedicating time obsessing over what isn't there versus what is already there will never fair well.  There is an old saying a bird in the hand is more than two in the bush. Meaning what you already have now in the palms of your hand is more important than what you are seeking elsewhere. What you have in your hand could be what someone else is praying for. In difficult times we must anchor ourselves down and have tunnel vision on what our goal is.  The goal should be a blessing and a shining light no matter where you are at. You should bloom where you are planted. When you desire more G...

Today’s no maybe tomorrow’s yes! My grandmother had a saying "Sometimes a no is God way of saying not yet." During that moment of frustration, it's hard to put our focus on God and to see what good could come out of a no. We tend to find every negative that we can, and we choose to be our biggest critic. We may have been told no for a job interview that we wanted, a college that we truly wanted to attend, or maybe something materialistic that we wanted.  When my brother was graduating high school, he had a list of colleges that he truly wanted to attend. On the top of his list, he had Florida State. Well, the anticipated letter that he was hoping and praying for came. However, it wasn't the letter that we were looking for as a family. That was a major blow for him and the family, so much so he didn't speak the entirety of the day. That was his no for today. He was his biggest critic thinking what more could he have done. Feeling like the weight of the world on his...

 Be patient! Is something that is an overused term. However, patience is surely a virtue. It takes a lot of humbling for you to not rush through the dreams that you have set forth for yourself. Often times,  we wonder is this going to lead to something more or are we wasting our times. No matter what our dream is coaching for me others it could be the next news anchor on the local station. It could be wanting to be the next well known chef or even the next actor or actress. Many times I’ve come to realize that God has us in the right spot at the right time to mold us. Many times it’s simply just staying down and stay consistent with where you are at in the present moment. Don’t allow fear to grapple with your spirit to have you second guessing yourself. Many times, more often than not, God has us in the right position to be noticed by who we need to be noticed by. If we get fearful and start to deviate we may just miss the blessing. In comparison it’s like the digger who was d...

Is this worth it?  If you're a high school coach or a college coach there are times you often ask this question. Long days and long night often get grueling if you have no idea why you're doing what you are doing. When there is no motivation, there is no drive right? Many young coaches and former players get into the sports world for the entire wrong reasons. You have to set your own standard and create your own why? For me, as a coach, my why is to make a difference in every life I come across. Whether it is that high school kid from the inner city of Florida or it a young wide eye college freshman from the UP of Michigan. Every person I get in touch I want to leave a lasting impact where they know I care. There is no second guess if I as a coach care. That is my why! Taking small pieces of myself to strategically place in each student athlete that I coach. It has been a sense of relief for me to never have to questioned what is my why? For others its an extremely difficult ta...