confidence

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Owning The Unknown

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LIFE IS A PROCESS

The statement, “Life is a process”, is something we hear all the time. Every day we get to wake up is a piece of the process we call life. As I talk with the youths of this generation and also many adults, I hear the same repetitive words come from many mouths. Those words are, 

“I fear the unknown and don’t have much patience in my life.”

I hear these words consistently and I want to enlighten anyone reading this that has those words stuck in their head every day. We currently live in a world that is becoming so accustomed to instant gratification that it is trickling down into how people approach and deal with their futures.

First, if you are scared of dealing with the unknown, right now you must come to grips with the reality that you have NO CHOICE but to deal with the unknowns of life. This is life we are talking about right now. Stop fearing life and the unknown of your future. Start living confidently and have confidence in who you are. Be confident in the fact that you have so much life to live rather than fearing the years you have ahead!

RIGHT NOW, start being grateful for everything you have and understand that you can handle anything that is thrown at you in life. RIGHT NOW, stop envying other people and things. Honestly, STOP acting like the unknown in life has any control over you. Start owning the unknown!

Larry Taylor is the founder of Vertical Vision and a graduate assistant for the men's basketball program at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.  His playing career consisted of stops at Liberty University, Bob Jones University, and Southeastern University.

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Teamwork and Teammate

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“The epitome of teamwork is when we are obsessed with making our teammates successful.”
— Larry Hunt

The compound word teammate forms one of the most powerful words in sports.  The word team itself implies a group of individuals who work together for a common cause.  Likewise, the word mate adds a collective, cohesive element.  When a player says someone is a "teammate of mine," he identifies a person with whom he works closely and confidently.

Teamwork and teammate are inseparable.  Teamwork requires players who truly want to be teammates!  If you are obsessed with yourself, your brand, your career, or your personal stats, you are not a teammate, and the team on which you play will certainly struggle with teamwork.  And it won't be because everyone around you is inferior; rather, it will be because of YOU.  Put the brand on hold and strive to make everyone around you better!  Be a true teammate - and reap the benefits of watching everyone else around you thrive!  You will be a better person and a better player. 

- by Larry Hunt

Mental Toughness Is A Choice

In recent talk at PGC Basketball, Chad Songy discussed the idea of mental toughness.  He shared about how the way we think can dictate certain actions in our life that influence our mentality.  

FEELINGS > ACTIONS > IDENTITY

OR

IDENTITY > ACTIONS > FEELINGS

When we choose to allow our feelings (fatigue, stress, anger, entitlement, etc.) to dictate what we do with our actions, (body language, work ethic, etc) we are telling people about who we are as a person.  Our identity becomes a microcosm of our feelings, which can be very self-serving.  

On the other hand, when we choose to allow our identity to dictate our actions we become stronger.  When we know who we are as a person, player, or coach, we have the ability to act upon something that has meaning.  My body language and work ethic now become a reflection of my greater purpose.  When I fulfill my purpose it naturally builds up the way I feel by giving me confidence, energy, and contentment.  

Mentally tough people act because of their identity, not their feelings.  

“Mental toughness is what you CHOOSE to put your focus on.”
— Chad Songy; PGC Basketball

Taken from a talk given by PGC Basketball's, Chad Songy.

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Why Mentors Are Important

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I am so thankful for the people that God has placed in my life.  They challenge.  They build.  They love.  Without mentors to help me grow throughout my journey, I wouldn't be the person I am today.  They came into my life and called me out when I was wrong and they continue to give me the wisdom to continue my development as a husband, father, and coach.  

GROWING PAINS

My closest mentors have been with me during some of the hardest times of my life.  They have seen me fail and they have seen me at my worst.  During these moments they cared enough to challenge me and allow me to see my potential.  I was challenged to change my mindset.  I was challenged to change my habits.  I was challenged to do things that were hard, and frankly, I didn't want to do.  But because of their willingness to challenge me, I was able to get out of my comfort zone and begin to tap into my true calling.  I am forever grateful for my mentors challenging me to grow.

CONFIDENCE BUILDERS

As I began to pursue my calling and chase my dreams, there were (and still are) so many roadblocks and potholes along the way.  Naturally, I struggled with confidence and wasn't always certain if I was making the right moves.  My mentors came alongside me and gave me encouragement through all of these twists and turns.  A simple text or a quick hug was always enough to give me confidence and assurance that what I was doing was going to work out.  Their experience allowed me to gain a new perspective which sent my confidence to another level.  To this day my mentors continue to give me the confidence that what I am doing is making an impact in other's lives.  

ALL THE REST

As much guidance that my mentors have given me, I am most grateful for the wisdom they drop on me when it comes to the rest of life.  My role as a husband.  My role as a father.  My role as a coach.  My role as an employee.  My role as a mentor.  In all these areas I have people I can go to to seek out insight.  There are no words to describe how much I value having mentors in my life.  They all bring different perspectives and they all have unique ways of communicating to me.  But regardless of how they think or what they say, I know that they love me.  They have my best interest in mind and I can trust what they say.  I don't always like it, but I always need to hear it.  I can't be my best without the feedback and advice of these people.

GRATEFUL

To the people who have been and continue to be mentors to me, thank you.  You are appreciated more than you'll ever know and I'm thankful for your willingness to play a big time role in my life.  

If you have people pouring into your life I'm sure you agree with a lot of what I've said.  I hope that you tell those people how important they are to you and how thankful you are for them.  I would appreciate it if you shared this with them and would love to hear different ways that you have been impacted by a mentor!

Confident Faith

“Confident faith” is a characteristic that we as coaches need to embrace every day of our lives.  Acts 6:1-7 is a great demonstration of “confident faith,” as the apostle Paul writes about discipleship.  The church was upset with numerous things involving widows and therefore, the 12 disciples gave them a talk and told the congregation to pick seven men of good reputation to lead them.  The people liked what they had to say and decided to choose seven men to lead them.  The chosen seven were: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus.  You may have never heard of them before, but we read that the reason they were so special was because Paul tells us they were, “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”  We see at the end of the passage that the Word of God continued to be preached, the number of disciples multiplied, and even priests were being obedient to this faith!  How did this core group of seven chosen leaders accomplish this calling?  They were full of “confident faith,” and these are the characteristics that it displays.

1.    Confident faith sees every failure as an opportunity to get better.

James chapter 1 tells us to, "count it all joy..."  Through both failure and trials, we need to see them as an opportunity to become better.

2.  Confident faith spends its time doing what it's called to do.

Don't get discouraged if you are not an expert in your calling right away.  Despite the lack of experience, it is essential to stick to what you're called to do!

3.    Confident faith chooses the right people to tackle the problem.

The congregation chose 7 men who were full of the spirit and wisdom.  The people that they chose were already in the church, but they just needed to be noticed.  Find somebody who is passionate about fixing the problem even if they aren't experts.

4.    Confident faith trusts the team to come up with the solution. 

Have faith in your team.  Don't try to do everything on you own.  The 12 disciples could have tried to fix everything on their own, but instead they allowed the church to pick their own leaders to find a solution.