Tuesday, January 29, 2013

ARE YOU GAME-READY?


Let's bring it in. 1-2-3 WIN!

As you break from the huddle and you set foot in the arena there's a physiological change that occurs; your heart beats harder and faster, your palms sweat, your stomach is filled with butterflies,etc. Whatever the case may be, it's game time and everything that you, your teammates, your coaches, and your fans expect to happen will soon come to fruition. No time for do-overs, no time for excuses. No time to for "shoulda, woulda, coulda." The game is here. Only the results will speak.

Every day is an opportunity to play in a championship game. Unbeknownst to us, each day could bring a major or minor shift in our season. In any event, it's our undeniable duty to make the adjustments. It's the essence of being GAME-READY. New challenges, news success and new failure await us every day. When we are game-ready, it doesn't necessarily guarantee immediate success but it does guarantee that our success is closer than we realize.

If you're game ready the following should apply:

* ARRIVE EARLY

* DRESS FOR THE OCCASION

* FOCUS ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL TASK AND THE GOAL OF THE TEAM.

* APPROACH SUCCESS AND FAILURE AS IF YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED EITHER.

* DON'T STOP UNTIL PROGRESS IS MADE.

When you're game-ready you don't need a new year's resolution or a presidential inauguration to motivate you. You are the standard. You are the trendsetter. You work the hardest. You push yourself the farthest even when no one is watching you.

You are the commander in chief. So, raise your right hand and promise yourself, your God, your team and your opponents that you are about to bring the noise every single moment you are in the game.



REBOUND. RESET. RELEASE.








Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013: UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I won't start this blog or this year by sharing my new year's resolutions with you.

I won't start this blog or this year by asking you to share your new year's resolutions with me.

I won't start this blog or this year by telling you how to set, honor, and evaluate your New Year's resolutions.

What I will do is simply remind you that you are a bonafied UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT! Yes, unbeknownst to most of you, you are an unrestricted free agent. I'm not addressing this universal truth because it's New Year's Day. Rather, I'm bringing this to your attention because this is our daily reality that we routinely ignore.

Wikipedia simply states that Unrestricted free agents are players without a team. They have either been released from their club, had the term of their contract expire without a renewal, or were not chosen in a league's draft of amateur players. These players, generally speaking, are free to entertain offers from all other teams and to decide with whom to sign a new contract.

While wikipedia provides a detailed definition of an UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT, I will tweak it just a little to fit your needs. Why? Because I'm unrestricted and so are you.

As an UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT the following rules apply:

* You are always with a team even when you're "not with a team."
God, Family, and Friends can guide you to resources/tools that you need to win.
First, you've got to ask them to commit to being a part of your team, then trust their ability to get er' done.

* You have not been released from any club, your contract has not expired.
YOU ARE THE FRANCHISE. You draft the contract and make the decisions that
determine if you win or lose, if you have a championship team or a championship
legacy, and if you are an all-star or a hall of famer.

* You never have to rely on being drafted.
While certain teams may not want you, all teams can use your skills. Know who
you are definitively, hone your craft, work while others are sleeping. Carve
your niche based on your passion. Let your results get you noticed, not your reputation.

* You are free to entertain offers from all other teams!
Each day your team may be comprised of different players depending on the
challenges, goals and expectations for that particular day. Winning is about
chemistry. Pick the best teammates for each day that maximize your chances to win.

One of my mantras is, "every day is an opportunity to play in a championship game." When I say this most people find it to be clever because I view life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness from a coach's perspective. However, as an UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT, my mantra has evolved into "every day is an opportunity to play in a championship game and I will win by choosing the best teammates available for each championship task at hand." The power of your UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT status relieves you of the pressures of making new year's resolutions. As an UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT the year doesn't determine what you resolve, your strategy, focus and diligent actions do. When you make a new year's resolution you turn yourself into a RESTRICTED FREE AGENT because the phrase/concept alone locks your goal(s) into one year while your commitment to daily evolution unlocks your mind and your vision infinitely.

Therefore, whatever you decide to resolve, involve, change, estrange, evaluate, prognosticate, castrate, debate, upgrade, downgrade, fast from, blast from, edit, "dead it", twerk, work, complete, delete, attract, extract, name, claim, tweak or speak, know that you are an UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT. No fast-talking money-hungry agent needs to negotiate your contract. You choose, trust and empower every teammate, you set every expectation, you call every play, you shake every hand, you lead every meeting, you ask every question, you write every offer, you make every key decision, you conquer every obstacle, you win every possession, you close every deal.

Unrestricted in thought, unrestricted in word, unrestricted in deed.....

UN-RE-STRICT-ED!!!

REBOUND.RESET.RELEASE.