Do You Ever Feel Unmotivated?
Something is holding me back.
Does that ever happen to you?
You know what needs to be done. You are aware of the benefit and the importance of pushing through whatever it may be that is holding you back. Yet…getting out of the starting gate doesn’t happen.
That’s happening to me in relation to my BLOG.
I restarted blogging for two specific reasons: to connect me with like-minded people on subjects that are part of my DNA and to fuel my creative juices. There is just something beneficial about writing. I was instructed that you need to be able to write at least fifty blog posts on the subject. As of today, I’ve written sixty and truthfully, for two weeks I’ve been stuck.
I’ve started and stopped writing many times. I’ve read other blogs and even commented on a few. In fact, someone I care about deeply and who knows me better than anyone else (any guesses?) emailed me today, “I haven’t received a blog from you in weeks…any special reason? I miss it!”
I clicked her email to the Trash and then, after two minutes started writing.
As someone who coaches people to engage with their unique strengths I know that her unique strength set equips her to be a great coach, which she has done admirably for years. And today is no exception. With two sentences she was able to rattle my cage. She didn’t necessarily give me clarity. She certainly didn’t judge me. She just noticed something that’s been on the forefront of my mind for weeks and named it. That’s what coaches do…and so do friends, and if you’re really blessed, so does our spouse.
So this BLOG is for those of you who get stuck; who may find yourself without much motivation. May you have someone in your life that actually notices and not only notices, but cares about you enough to say something about what they perceive!
I’m grateful that I do. Thanks Deb!
LA Times Affirms Coaching
When people hear that I’m a personal coach the reactions vary. To those who understand the concept of coaching, the follow-up question is something like, “What’s your coaching niche?” Meaning, what’s your area of specialty? Who are your clients? et cetera…
Many people associate coaching with athletics so I find myself using sports analogies to describe my profession. While giving a presentation to a group of golf course superintendents – affectionately called “turfies” in school – I asked how many coaches the average professional golfer has. We came up with at least five (5): swing coach, nutritionist, strength coach, financial coach, and legal coach. There are more but that’s the initial list. The “turfies” concluded that because this was the golfers job it made sense to have that many coaches. My follow-up to them was, “If athletes utilize the expertise of coaching, why not the rest of us?”
I can’t pass up sharing with you the LA Times article by Mary MacVean entitled, “A Coach for Every Need.” While I’ve linked the on-line version I first saw it in the paper of my childhood home this weekend, The Herald Palladium, found on the front page of the focus section entitled, “Need Help? Hire a Coaching Professional.” The author seems to take a subtle tongue-in-check approach as she quips, “Muddling through life on our own doesn’t seem to be much of an option today.” Whatever her motivation or style, at least she highlighted the role of coaching.
What is my niche? I help individuals TRANSFORM THEIR LIFE by helping them reach their fullest potential and bring their best to the community (team/workgroup) of which they are a part. Things I ask people to consider as we meet:
- If you are at a point where you want to dig deeper…
- If you are at a point where you want to figure out your purpose in life…
- If are willing to look at the direction of your life…
- If you want to maximize your talents…
All About The STORY and the LESSON!
When the weekly edition of Sports Illustrated arrives it isn’t the first priority read. ( I know what you’re thinking…except for the Swim Suit edition 
but I’m not going there!) The magazine gets placed on the top of a pile awaiting a thirty minute time frame for me to look at the “Leading Off” pictures and then scan the “Lineup” for stories. I wouldn’t consider myself an avid fan of sports as much as I am interested in the stories of sports, this week being no exception. For instance:
My DVR is not set to record the major events of tennis. However, I was interested in why Serna Williams just might be labeled “the greatest female player of her generation…or greatest of all.”
I attend one Tiger’s game a year and do not watch regular season games. However, I am drawn to the story of the why the Pittsburg Pirates are a “futile franchise.”
Whether it’s Michael Phelps’s training routine (including the Ann Arbor restaurants he frequented), Brett Favre’s indecisiveness, the blown-call by an ump in Detroit which really stole a perfect game from pitcher Armando Galarraga, or Phil Mickelson’s triumphs on the golf course and support of his cancer-stricken wife, I am more of a reader of the stories than a watcher of the event.
It’s the stories which lure me. Personal stories: more than just winning and defeat, failure and success. It is the narrative of life. It’s about facing challenges – imposed by self-debilitating choices, other’s self-absorption, or simply part of life’s ebb-and-flow. It is about persevering in spite of all odds to do the right thing as much as it is about facing the consequences with integrity and grace. Stories elicit feelings of empathy, inspiration, encouragement, sadness, wonder, et cetera.
Given my life’s passion to help people Transform Their Life this probably isn’t surprising. It is rare for me not to find a lesson in each story on which I ponder and given my propensity to teach, often share with a willing or not-so-willing listener.
Since you’ve read this far in today’s blog you can make the choice to be today’s listener:
Don Coryell – the “Godfather” of today’s NFL passing game recently passed away. While a feature piece, surprisingly that isn’t THE story. Rather it is a short inset entitled “Good Things Were Going To Happen” (by Tim Layden). Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts recounted Coryell’s unique approach to the game and the players: “There was a feeling that you wanted to be there [practice], you wanted to be on the field, because good things were going to happen.”
What type of coach would create such an anticipatory and positive culture? Fouts recalls, “I don’t ever remember him going crazy mad at someone. I know he never had a cross word for me…He was just so positive.” There’s the lesson. He kept the players focused on the goal and lived with a positive attitude. We may not be in a position to affect the entire culture of the organizations with which we associate but there is a narrative we can write: our approach to life. Keep our eyes on the goal and be positive!
Let me know how you’re doing…
Wooden: A Coach Like None Other
The sports world is mourning the death of a monumental coach. He once would say of his profession: “A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”
With humble confidence he shaped the lives of hundred of athletes: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
Take a moment to study the Wooden Pyramid of Success and you might catch of glimpse of why John Wooden is the most respected coach who ever lived:
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mark@whatifenterprises.com
Openings Are Filling Quickly!On the Social Web
