As part of our weekly routine, we always had a team meeting on Monday prior to the start of the workout session.  The meeting did not last a long time, usually around 15 minutes.  The length was purposely short and to the point.  The team appreciated that as well.  The meetings were an opportunity to rehash the weekend meet, provide updates on this week, or present a short topic.

Early in the season I used one of these meeting to talk about my philosophy on life.  This was a way for the new guys to learn a bit about me and for the veterans to possibly think about their own philosophy.  Each time I presented this I tried to include different examples to keep it fresh.  These illustrations usually came from a recent familiar team experience or my own experience.  This applies not just to athletics but all aspects of life.  

Seven Things to live by:

1 - Enjoy what you do

The basics behind this is to find your passion and go after it.  When you are doing what you love, you look forward to it. It is fun. My passion is running, cross country and track and field.  That’s why I’m here. I want to pass this passion to you.   

2 - Play to win

Do the best that you can under the circumstances.  We are competing.  Competition is good.   Only one person wins an event but that doesn’t mean that person is the only winner.  By putting yourself in position to be at your best;  that defines success and winning.  

3 - Be an optimist

There are no guarantees for success.  However if you believe you can’t, you won’t.  Don’t be a pessimist, it is contagious.  Fortunately so is an optimistic outlook.  Everyday The expectation is to come to practice with a positive attitude and ready to go.  No matter how your day has gone, be here with a good attitude.  Athletics is something you love so make it fun every time.  I go to sleep thinking about the good things that happened that day.  There is always something good, look for it.  

4 - Learn from your mistakes

Everyone will make mistakes.  Learn from those experiences to be better.  Be willing to take a calculated risk. Take advantage of your preparation to grab an opportunity to put yourself out there.  It may not work but when it does it is an awesome experience.  

5 - Cultivate a sense of humor

Learn to laugh at yourself and with others.  A smile brightens every situation.  Sometimes those mistakes you make are humorous and it is important to recognize that aspect.  Your teammates are laughing with you and not at you.  

6 - Don’t always follow the herd

Just because “everyone” is doing something doesn’t mean you can’t say no.  Be brave enough to make the right choice.  There are times when being a contrarian is good.  There are many times that I have used this with training ideas.  There are also times to follow the herd.  If all you do is contrarian it will lead to isolation.  

7 - Hard intelligent work always pays off 

The first key to this is:  intelligent.  Meaningless hard work with no direction is a waste of time.  The second key is that it will always pay off, however it may not occur as quickly as you hope.  Your hard work may not get the result this year but it will at some point in the future.  Develop your patience, persistence, and perseverance.  The habit of hard intelligent work applies to all aspects of your life:  athletics, academics, relationships, work.