Tag: former athlete

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Why Willpower Can’t Even Get Me out of Bed

Discipline is at the heart of excellence. Whether it’s athletics, academics, business, medicine, law, etc. – world class performers across the board have the discipline to put in the work when times get tough. They focus on what matters most rather than what they want at any given moment. As Lou Holtz puts it: “Without …

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Go First

A few weeks ago, a straggly group of individuals walked into a gas station while I was pumping gas. They seemed to be a family walking from their nearby home, but I’m not really sure. All I know is that they looked like they had had a long day. As they were walking by, I …

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Guest Post – Should We Waste More Time?

Check out my latest guest post on High School Sports Stuff! https://highschoolsportsstuff.areavoices.com/2017/07/14/guest-post-should-we-waste-more-time/  

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Don’t Believe in Yourself

Some of the worst advice I hear is from life coaches telling us that we have to believe in ourselves before we can be successful. But what if I can’t do it? What if I haven’t developed the skills necessary to take care of the job? If I’ve never been in a situation like what …

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Maybe It’s Not the Right Time

Over the past few years, mindfulness has picked up some serious momentum. It’s by no means a new practice, but suddenly it’s cool for investors, athletes, and executives to openly talk about their dedicated mindfulness and meditation practices. So I found it refreshing to hear a different message recently. On an episode of Chase Jarvis …

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Why “Be Yourself” Is Terrible Advice

You’ve probably been told to just “be yourself” or that “people should accept you for who you are.” If you believe either of those statements, I have bad news for you. That’s terrible advice.   Yes, you need to be true to yourself. You need to understand who you are, and you shouldn’t put on …

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Discipline Equals Freedom

Discipline equals freedom. This is an idea that Jocko Willink lives by. Jocko is a former SEAL commander, and has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Obviously, he knows a thing or two about discipline. But on the surface, the idea of discipline equals freedom doesn’t make any sense. Isn’t discipline the exact opposite of freedom? Almost by …

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The Obstacle Is the Way

Michigan Basketball, Ulysses S. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt – what do they have in common? It all comes down to an ancient Roman philosophy, and a quote by Marcus Aurelius, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” This quote is the inspiration for one of the most influential …

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The Hidden Secret of Success

What are you doing to get better today? Whatever it is that you want to do, find some way to be better when you go to bed tonight than you were when you woke up. Do the same thing tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. …   That’s …

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Enjoy Right Now

I miss conditioning week. It was always the toughest part of the football season. And honestly, it was probably the worst part of the season. But I miss it. Conditioning week was the first week of every season. Practices were held on the track, and our coaches were always dead set on getting us in …