Hold On, Be Strong, Move On

With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season sometimes we can find ourselves a little overwhelmed.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, beat down, or you just plain have the holiday blues, here’s a little exercise in positive thinking that might help. Hold on, be Strong and Move on. And move forward.

If you find yourself down and out, sometimes it helps to just take a moment, pause and reflect on your situation. It could be bad, but is it the worst thing ever? Can you get through this? Have you gotten through worse?

They say people don’t stumble over trees and mountains, they trip on weeds and rocks.

That's what "they" say, but to some of us, there's a huge mountain in our face, blocking our path. There’s only one thing to do, only one option. Too high to get over, too low to get under...Better get your hiking boots!

Maybe you have heard the phrase that “God never gives you anything you can’t handle.”
Well, I’ve read the bible multiple times, never once have I seen that written anywhere. So scrap that.

What I did find was a powerful verse in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

All things, not some, all. You have to like that, THAT you can work with.

When things don’t go as planned and you’re hanging on by a thread, take a page from Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said,

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

There’s always hurdles, there’s always setbacks, perseverance is always the key.
It was Albert Einstein who said “It’s not that I am so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

I don’t know about that Albert... E=MC2, theory of relativity...He was pretty damn smart. But the point remains the same genius or not, persevere.

You can’t persevere without hope. And you can’t have hope if you don’t believe. Believe things will improve, hope they will, and persevere until they do.

Look at the NFL right now, particularly at what Tim Tebow, aka God’s QB aka the “Mile High Messiah,” is doing in Denver. By now you should have heard his story...To summarize, He wins, period. Six straight to be exact.

Recently Team President John Elway said in the Denver Post about Tebow and the Broncos, "Everyone believes that something good's going to happen...And, obviously, Tim's been the guy that's led that thinking. He's just such a strong believer. He's really got everyone else believing if you stay strong, stay positive, something good's going to happen...When guys are thinking that way — and it's been led by Timmy with that positive attitude — all boats have been rising with that."

So if you’re feeling down today, overwhelmed, or just flat out defeated, take a moment, cry, shout, punch a bag, go for a jog, do whatever you need to do to clear your head. Then get back on the saddle of life, strap in, stay positive and keep on riding until you get to that sunset. It’s just a little further.

Hold On, Be Strong, Move On. And move forward.

Happy Holidays!

Coaching Youth Basketball: Great Coaches are Mentors

“No written word, no spoken plea can teach our youth what they should be, nor all the books on all the shelves...It’s what the teachers are themselves.”

John Wooden cited this powerful verse as part of what he re-defined as success. This small verse speaks volumes to the obligations that Coaches have to their young players.

As Coaches we have the opportunity and the privilege to mentor the youth and provide them with lessons and principles that will not only make them better basketball players, but better people. We have an opportunity to provide young boys and girls with a tool box for life.

Some of my favourite quotes from the legendary Coach John Wooden include:

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

“Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.”

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

“If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

This isn’t X’s and O’s....As I have eluded to in the past, winning is a philosophy that extends far beyond the painted lines of the basket-ball court. At UCLA, John Wooden won more than any coach, though he never talked about winning, his philosophy was that of a winner in life.

In the video below, Wooden quotes from a very inspiring poem by George Joseph Moriarty, entitled “From the Road Ahead and the Road Behind.”

“Sometimes I think the Fates must
Grin as we denounce and insist
The only reason we can’t win
Is the Fates themselves that miss

Yet there lives on an ancient claim
We win or lose within ourselves
The shining trophies on our shelves
Can never win tomorrow’s game

You and I know deeper down
There’s always a chance to win the crown
But when we fail to give our best
We simply haven’t met the test
Of giving all, and saving none
Until the game is really won

Of showing what is meant by grit
Of fighting on when others quit
Of playing through, not letting up
It’s bearing down that wins the cup

Of taking it and taking more
Until we gain the winning score
Of dreaming there’s a goal ahead
Of hoping when our dreams are dead
Of praying when our hopes have fled

Yet losing, not afraid to fall
If bravely, we have given all
For who can ask more of a man
Than giving all within his span

Giving all, it seems to me
Is not so far from victory
And so the Fates are seldom wrong
No matter how they twist and wind
It is you and I who make our fates
We open up or close the gates
On the road ahead or the road behind."

It's all about helping the youth reach their full potential. That's a victory on the scoreboard of life.


Here’s John Wooden on success.