There are many things in life I feel are absolutes. Those that try to deny that fact are living in a world of oblivion. I believe in a Creator. I believe in the absolutes of right and wrong. For every reaction, there is an equal & opposite reaction. However, I don't believe that anyone in this world is born a loser, or a failure. Circumstances & events in our lives form who we are, whether they be positive or negative. Unsuccessful programs, business, & people are a product of the attitudes within & happenings that mold them. Losing is a disease that slowly corrodes a healthy being. Thus creates a negative outlook in which positive thinking & attitudes are forced into submission, developing a culture of repeated failure. Losing may be a constant reality, but it is never irreversible. Reversing that culture, however, proves to be a daunting task. How is this overcome? How do we turn the tide? I want to tell you the first thing that must be done is removing the cancer & diminishing the poison of negative thinking. Winning must grow upon the seed of a positive vision. Whether on a team or in a personal setting, we must rid ourselves of negativity. This includes negative thoughts, negative outlooks, & even negative people. Never reside in the notion that what somebody believes you are destined to be is a certainty. You are capable of great things.
Throughout the mid to late '90's, Southeast High School had one of the most embarrassing football programs in the SEK area. Until the arrival of a head coach that instilled in his players the belief that they were capable of greatness. Bryan Burdette took over as head football coach in 2002, my sophomore year. After going 2-7 in his first campaign, we met the following May to discuss the future of our football program. One statement I will never in my life will forget was simple, but yet resounding: "We will not go 2-7 again. We are not going to put ourselves through that anymore." He meant it & we believed him. A simple seed of positive thinking drowned out all of the negative past. The following two seasons filled with hard work & grueling training, we posted records of 6-5 & 8-4. They included the school's first playoff victory in any sport & a berth in the state quarterfinal game, two points short of playing in the sub-state finals. All because negative thought processes were not allowed to intermingle with our destiny. They were weeded out. In order to achieve success, we must surround ourselves with great people. People are the most influential piece in any organization. Not money, not resources, not talent. Sure those things help, but they do not dictate your ability to obtain success.
Beyond planting a positive seed, you must hold a vision for how you will get to the top, and a plan in which to enact your vision. Visions are great, but without an active formula they stand as figments of our imagination, only dreams. That formula must include great effort & sacrifice. Examine the most successful person you admire. They all have had to sacrifice something in order to have achieved their greatness. Things you enjoy doing may not be for the betterment of the common goal. Always ask yourself: "Will this help me get to where I want to be? Will this help me attain what I desire most in this world?" In the end you only get one shot. Don't let something you strongly desire slip your grasp because you aren't willing to sacrifice the things necessary that would allow you accomplish what you set out to do.
Your foundation has been laid. You're now a positive, sacrificial being surrounded by those who have a common goal. The stage is set before you. All that is left is to DO, but "Do" is such a basic word. There are many ways to "Do" something. You can "Do" it halfway. The task can be "Doable". The most important thing is that you "Do" it the RIGHT way & "Do" it with great effort. There are bound to be speed bumps, cynical outsiders pulling you down, & unforeseen trials that seem to get in the way. However, if you set your goals high enough, the obstacles in front of you can never keep you from holding your eyes upon them. Hold your gaze on your vision.
As I survey our future of our young football team & analyze where our young men are at in their journey, I'm amazed to see their faith in what they can accomplish. Their belief in themselves & each other, where negativity & a culture of losing have become a yearly afterthought, to achieve great things is astounding. They have not been suppressed by their recent shortcomings. Daily, I witness them push themselves harder & give greater effort beyond anything even the most successful team in school history ever did. A coach could ask for no greater gift.
It will be important for us as coaches to give them the tools necessary not only to change the dynamics of what our program has become, but to continually push them to pursue new heights & never stray the course when uncertainty & storms arise. We must force them to understand, they only have one shot at greatness. One shot to turn the tide. One shot to, together, topple the wall holding them back. At the foot of an unscalable mountain, you chose the hard road, the icy path, & you did not stumble. You did not falter from the deepest valley all the way to the highest peak. And that there is no sweeter taste of satisfaction than knowing you accomplished the impossible. You changed it ALL...
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