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Shadows of Significance
One of my earliest memories of college football that had a significant impact on me was during fall football camp in my freshman year.
During a play, one of our older players suffered a major injury, causing the athletic trainers to rush onto the field to assist the player in pain. At that moment, our head coach yelled “Riverside!” In football’s context, when “Riverside” is shouted during practice, it signifies that the offense should go in the opposite direction on the field, allowing practice to continue while the injured player remains on the field.
That day, practice carried on, and unfortunately, the injured player never played football again. It was astonishing to experience for the first time, but it became normalized as injuries occurred frequently.
Whether it was practice or a game, when someone gets injured, the show goes on without them, even if they are a notable player like Aaron Rodgers. This taught me that people are attracted to your gifts, not necessarily you as an individual. Once your gift is gone, they will move on to the next person.
The negative aspect I learned from witnessing this happen repeatedly over time is that we are not as important as we believe ourselves to be. However, the positive aspect is also realizing that we are not as important as we think we are.
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Mastering the 80/20 Rule
Whether it’s sports, business, or life in general, you often hear about the 80/20 rule.
The 80/20 rule means that 80% of the results come from 20% of the causes or efforts. The rule tells us that most of the good stuff comes from just a few important things we do or focus on.
In sports, you can change one thing about your game to make you a much better player. In business, a large portion of profits often comes from a small number of high-value customers or products.
We can apply the 80/20 rule to just about anything in life. It’s important to apply it to life in general and only focus on the things that we can control.
I think that 80% of the things that happen to us are out of our control, but that 20% of the things that we can control have a bigger impact on our lives. We can’t control things like unexpected health issues, natural disasters, and other people’s actions. However, we can control our own actions, choices, attitudes, and how we respond to different situations.
Focus on those things. They may fall into the 20%, but controlling those things has a big impact on our lives.
No matter the situation, no matter what you’re trying to learn or do, or what you’re going through, focus on what you can actually control in life, or what you can contribute, or what small 20% change in life can have an 80% result.
Your big problems aren’t as big as you think. Your small actions matter much more than you think. It’s just something to think about when you’re trying to make small changes to your life for big results.
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Car Wash Blues: Embracing Life’s Surprises
Over the weekend, I decided to get a car wash, and my car looked nice and clean afterward. However, less than 24 hours later, it rained, leaving my car dirty again with dried raindrops on its surface.
Despite this, I have no regrets about getting the car wash. It’s a matter of principle for me to keep my car clean, and I went ahead and did just that. Even though I didn’t get to enjoy the cleanliness for long before the rain came, it doesn’t change my belief in maintaining high standards for myself.
This is just how life works – unpredictable events happen, and we must adapt and keep moving forward.
Perhaps next time, I should plan better by checking the weather beforehand and choosing the right day for a car wash. Regardless, life continues, and I can always get another car wash. This experience has taught me a valuable lesson for the future.
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Winning Team Success
If you’ve been following college football, you may be aware of Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders becoming the new head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. The team had a rough season with a 1-11 record, which led to the need for a new head coach.
However, this season they have started with a 2-0 record and gained attention and respect. Coach Sanders made significant changes during the off-season, purging the team roster and bringing in 86 newcomers. While his team possesses some highly ranked players, overall they may not be considered more talented than their opponents on paper. However, Coach Prime has shown that having the right people on the bus is crucial.
In the book “Good to Great,” it is discussed how successful executives first focus on getting the right people on the bus before determining the destination. Coach Prime seems to have done well in this regard.
While talent is important, it is not the sole factor for success. Having the right individuals who align with the team’s vision is more crucial. When the right people are on the bus, changing direction becomes easier, and motivation and management become less of a challenge. Conversely, having the wrong people can hinder the success of a team or organization.
Coach Prime seems to have assembled a team of individuals who are united, motivated, and ready to overcome challenges together. They trust their coach, share a winning mentality, and work as a cohesive unit. It is remarkable what can be achieved with the right team by your side.
This applies not only to sports but also to life in general. Surrounding yourself with the right people, having good leaders and mentors, and embodying good character are key factors in achieving success. No matter what path you choose, be mindful of the company you keep. Life is a journey, so ensure you’re traveling with the right companions.
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Future in Today
What we do today is what matters the most.
It’s easy to overlook your actions on a random day. The thing is, those days turn to weeks, to months, to years, to decades, then you look up, and the changes that have happened in your life aren’t good ones.
The daily choices we make, and the lifestyle that we decide to have eventually catch up with us. It’s like the frog that stays in the pot as the water temperature increases. Before he knows it, the water is boiling, and it’s too late for him to jump out of the water.
The same goes for us. We can “jump out the water” today to whatever it is we need to change in our lives, but a lot of time we don’t try to jump out until the water is boiling.
It’s much easier to make changes today, right now, as opposed to making changes after a lifetime of bad choices.
So just start with today, and do what is needed today for you to live the life you envision in the future. As Marshall McLuhan would say, “the future of the future is the present.”
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Evolving Excellence
No matter what it is in life, whether it’s life in general, a relationship, a sport, or an activity, you have to have the desire to always get better.
In anything that I do, I constantly want to improve. In sports, this mindset helped me excel. I was never satisfied and always wanted to improve. That means I had to be coachable, have good retention, be a good teammate, and put a lot into my craft.
I don’t want to be the same husband a year from now; I want to be better. I don’t want to be the same person a year from now; I want to be an even better version of myself. No matter what it is, the moment you stop improving or lose the desire to do so, you start to decline.
Even maintaining where you currently are takes more effort than what you are currently giving. Not getting better is often similar to quitting. Keep your drive, keep your “Mamba Mentality,” and keep striving to be more like Christ. Continue to improve. That’s why we are given a new day, right?
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Empower Your Mind
I woke up early this morning, and my first thought was, “I’m still tired.” So naturally, I stayed in bed and tried to go back to sleep.
About a minute or two later, I thought to myself, “I’m not even really tired,” and immediately got out of bed afterward.
Be careful what you tell yourself because you will start to believe it. Like Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.”
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Super Dad’s Schedule
Yesterday, I had one of the most fulfilling and happiest days of my life.
All I had to do to gain this feeling was take care of my baby girl for the majority of the day, mostly by myself (the “mostly” is debatable; you’d have to get my wife’s opinion).
All I did was follow my baby’s daily 4-month baby schedule that was created by my wife. My wife and babysitter also follow this schedule, but personally, I didn’t think it would work. However, my wife told me that if you actually follow the schedule, it works. The baby will nap, feed, and play as scheduled, and if you veer off from the schedule, the baby will also.
So, yesterday, I simply followed the schedule, and what do you know, it worked?! I felt like a Super Dad! LOL. I got to spend a lot of quality time with my baby and share precious moments while having her follow her schedule, making my life easier. For me, that was a great day.
I learned a lot of things yesterday. I learned the importance of planning your day, week, month, and year. I learned the importance of creating a plan and following it, no matter what. Trust the process. I also learned that although it felt like it was all me who accomplished those things yesterday, it was my wife who created the schedule and put me in a position for success.
In life, there will be moments where we think we did things all on our own, but there were people along the way who helped put us in a good position. The person who does that constantly is God. I learned that it takes teamwork to do anything, especially raising a baby, and that others might have plans and ideas that are different from yours but are beneficial for everyone. I learned that you can find happiness and fulfillment in the simplest things in life.
Enjoy life, enjoy the simple things, make a plan or schedule that can lead you to success in any way, and follow it.
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Gratitude: Start Your Day
Gratitude indeed goes a long way.
The last I do before going to sleep, and the first thing I do upon waking up, is to thank God for all of my gifts and blessings. This practice helps me keep things in perspective and starts my day on a positive note.
Additionally, I make a conscious effort to express gratitude to those who have positively influenced my life. Expressing thanks for what they have done not only acknowledges their good deeds but also reassures them that their actions did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. This, in turn, encourages them to continue their good work.
Start your day off by giving thanks, for this is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
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Habit-Goal Alignment
Do your goals and desires align with your habits?
Often, we aspire to achieve certain things, but lack the necessary habits for success. When evaluating progress towards a goal or a new lifestyle, it is crucial to honestly assess our habits and ensure they are in line with our desired destination.
This self-reflection is essential for making meaningful changes. While some good habits may exist, lacking others can prolong and complicate the journey.
For example, if the goal is to lose 20lbs and gain strength, regularly exercising alone is insufficient without the habit of eating healthily every day.
To reach your goals, it is important to set targets and gradually build the necessary habits, one step at a time.
FLY, BLACK BOY 