When I asked the athletes what they took from the video, this is what they shared:
"If tomorrow wasn't promised, what would you do today and who would you do it for?"
The athletes shared, "play like it's the last game you will ever play, or like it's your last day on earth and play for yourself AND for your teammates". This Ray Lewis statement really helped to get athletes focussed on being present and on the beautiful brotherhood or sisterhood that is team. Tomorrow is a distraction from now, where you need your focus to be to be your best in the moment and use all your tools to achieve your individual and team goals.
"Wins and losses come a dime a dozen, but effort is between you and you"
I'm spending a lot of time shifting athlete and coach paradigms to the process and away from the result. Control the controllables. Athletes don't control wins and losses, they control their effort and the standard at which they chose perform. Leaders on teams influence the standard at which their teammates chose to perform. One athlete said there are times when it appeared to his teammates that he is giving his all, but that he's still got more in the tank. The Ray Lewis statement helped him to connect with what he was holding back. The athlete was courageous enough to share this with his teammates who all connected with his comments and feelings.
"I'm a new creature now than I was 5 minutes ago"
The Women's Basketball Team at Ryerson University really connected with this Ray Lewis statement. They rejected the idea of being define by the past, even if it was as recent as 5 minutes ago. They committed to parking mistakes and recreating themselves in each moment to stay present and grow in each moment. They also connected with a persona they can adopt when on the court. No longer are they Laura or Nicole, but now they can be a "Creature", an adaptable creation with warrior skills, ready to fight the good fight and be the best basketball teammate.
"If you ain't pissed off for greatness, then you're ok being mediocre and ain't no man in here happy being basic"
Paraphrasing one of the boys at St. Elizabeth's Catholic High School who said it best when he said "success it's not about being perfect, but rather about what we learn and how we grow through the pursuit of perfection".
Watch the clip and tell me what you take from the video.
I love "control the controllables." Circa Lions 2007??
ReplyDeleteThat's one of my mottos for my gr. 8's this yr. When things go awry, I have kids who can recite this motto without my prompting, it is awesome. I used it last week to refocus my gr. 8 girls during our first bball game when the ref didn't show up and the principal of that school had to ref. My girls didn't skip a beat. What I find so interesting about this post is how I see the idea of greatness and process vs end result play out in the community that I teach in. To describe it as unsettling would be an understatement. The number of kids who have somewhere along their 13 years of development, internalized the idea that to be successful, I have to be #1 or at minimum, the most perfect of all my competitors is a mentality that is pervasive in not only sports but also academics. I feel for these kids who are growing up without the resiliency to learn from their mistakes, pick themselves up and try again, but instead are internalizing their performances as "I am not enough." If only they heard the message "wins and losses come a dime a dozen, but effort is between you and you" more often. They would certainly feel less pressure and would learn to value the process of being able to control the controllables.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks Elspeth. My new term for the result, is "the Mirage". I'll break that down in an upcoming post, but have used it with the Women's Team at Ryerson. Winning and championship is an illusion. The real championship is in giving the best of yourself in each moment. If I give an ounce of energy thinking of the outcome, then I'm not 100% present and thus not giving everything to the moment. This applies to everything in life. Process focus is a beautiful place of adventure, grow and true performance. Thanks for your sharing and your insight. MOVE!
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