My dearest girls,
Over the past few weeks, I have really wrestled with what makes people successful. One of the most important things I have learned as a coach, teacher, principal, and superintendent is that you must master the little things. Life is a series of big events that are ultimately defined by the little parts that create the whole.
What do I mean?
There are a million examples I could show you, but let me start with one that I know I can show you in great detail. In baseball, a high school game is composed of 7 innings. Most people will tell you that your team will do two things during each inning. Those two things are play offense and play defense. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are four things that your team will do each inning: prepare to be on offense, be on offense, prepare to be on defense, and be on defense. Each one of those things should things should have a sequence. When I coached, I expected my hitters to have someone present them with a helmet when they came in, for them to get their bat, check and see how they were pitched last time, see what pitch the pitcher had been starting hitters off with, get in the on-deck circle, talk to the other hitters, and try to pick up ways the pitcher tipped his pitches. This could easily be done if you are coached what to watch for.
If you were on defense, we had broke down how to catch a ball (grounder or fly ball), where to go with it depending on the situation (what the score was, the inning of the game, where runners where, etc.), how to get the ball out of your glove, and how to throw it. We had also covered where the other 8 players needed to be when the ball was hit to you. Each of these things was fundamentals of the game. We practiced them, over and over, until they became second nature. We started this in January and often did it through July.
I could go on and on about the “little things” in life. These little things are so important. By creating little things, you simplify life. Simplicity is the secret to life. Success is doing a thousand little things right and, in many cases, over and over. In reality, the little things that I speak of aren’t actually “LITTLE” things, they are just little steps.
As I get older, I learn more about these little things, what they are, and how to execute them. Here are the ones I want to share with you….
1. Surround yourself with people who are better than you. When you are around them, try to pick up their habits. Keep that circle small. Keep that circle drama free. If you associate with someone who brings drama to your life, you MUST cut them off. You must.
2. Winners act like winners before they are winners. If you want to be successful, you are going to have to take on the habits of people who are successful. You are going to have to practice these behaviors for a long time before you become successful.
3. Plan your month, week, and day- Have a calendar, know what has to be done each day, and make plans to achieve it.
4. Read- Read about your job, read for fun, but read your Bible every day.
5. Reflect- Take time write. Reflecting is so important. This is exactly what I am doing as I write you. Each of your letters has been triggered by something that happened to me. My letters to you have been a way to think through problems that I am facing.
6. Discipline yourself- Stay true to your routines. Don’t deviate unless you know they aren’t working. If they do work, you must work them….not take days off from them. Also, enjoy life, but don’t get too worldly. Social media, TV, playtime…it shouldn’t be in excess. Be prepared to wash, clean, keep order.
7. Keep order, not chaos- I truly believe that keeping calm and keeping order is a key to success. I stress that. If you are around people who create chaos and drama…well, they gotta go.
8. Take risks, but make sure you take calculated risks- You will hear people say take risks, take a chance….well, be smart about it. Jumping out of a plane is a risk, but doing it without a parachute is suicide. Taking a risk and buying a car sounds great, but not if you won’t be able to pay your bills. People say big risks mean big rewards. That might be true, but it also means huge failure. If you take some calculated risks, you might get small gains…but those add up over time.
In the Bible, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 the following:
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Most of what Paul speaks of is self-discipline, but it is also about mastering the fundamentals. It doesn’t make sense to run around doing things that go against what is best (boxer beating the air). If you want to win, you have to master the fundamentals…or the little things.
By making sure you master the little things, you can make sure you have BIG results.
I will always love you,
Dad
Dad of Girls 