Lake Powell Quote

"We had a sense of courage toward life new to us all. The mere fact of our remoteness helped us to shake off the layers & layers of people’s personality. Which we had falsely regarded as our own and showed us new selves undreamed of." -Winifred Hawkridge Dixon 1919

Abundance

The last couple of weeks I have been reading talks and books on the subject of gratitude. I have had a very profound feeling of gratitude for so many good things in my life. There are too many to talk about here. I am just grateful for the abundance of life and feel that abundance not scarcity is the way of nature if we will align ourselves with the principles that allow it to occur. Note I didn't say "make it happen" Because it is the way of nature, we just have to get of the way and not sabotage the process. This was one of my favorite quotes in my reading on the topic... “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

Cael Sanderson

Cael Sanderson was our speaker at the deicing conference this year. AMAZING! it is so rare that a world class athlete is also a world class coach and is thoughtful as Cael. He talked much more about the mental side of performing well than the physical. Below are some notes I took while he was talking. These principles stuck out to me: 1- Get VERY clear with your vision. Once your vision is clear, the work becomes more meaningful and easier. 2- As a leader or coach, my role is not to add expectations, but to remove them and help people see their purpose and potential more clearly 3- There is never a reason to be negative- it is not productive for anyone- ever. Find something to be positive about even when it is hard. If your goal is to help someone see themselves for their potential, how is being negative going to forward that purpose? 4- Speak to yourself in present and powerful language. Instead of saying "I want to win" say "I am winning" The way we speak to ourselves is crucial. 5- Focus on things that I have 100% control of. Have a vision board. The actions become easier when you are really clear about your vision and purpose. The way you talk to yourself is critical. Speak in the present. I am winning. I am ready. Not I want to win. Speak in the present with power. Don't try to suppress negative thoughts, plant positive thoughts. I'm just here to serve my team As soon as I realized that it wasn't about me, I was able to make a huge difference as a coach. Love your enemy is not for your enemy, it is for you... Look at the situation from the players point of view as a coach My job as a coach is not to add expectations, but to help them remember their purpose and help them rise up and be the best that they can be. When you mine gold, several tons of dirt needs to be removed but you are not looking for dirt, you are looking for gold. Find something to be positive about What you need to do as a leader is share your passion for what you are doing. Negativity is exhausting and contagious... A job of a coach is not to point out mistakes, that is a characteristic of a poor coach. Be prepared and know your purpose For practice during the Sanduski thing, for practice they watched Lion King and chewed bubblegum Celebrate small wins and have fun... There will always be a million reasons to lose and only one reason to win- because you want to. If you want to motivate someone, challenge them. People respond to challenges. Remind people of their purpose. That is the role of a coach. The fishing is best where the fewest go After you feel you have done all you can, it is the ten minutes that you keep with it after that, that will make you an Olympic champion. My goal as a freshman was that I didn't want my opponent to want to wrestle me again I focus on things that I have 100% control of. Most injuries in wrestling are due to bad choices. Being responsible in the moment of choice.