Continuing with some comments I made at the end of my last post, I want to expound upon this idea of Staying Focused. This is from my morning devotion book this morning published by KLOVE Christian radio.
When it comes to staying focused, keep in mind: 1- Focused people always look for a better way. What got you where you are now, won’t necessarily get you where you need to be.
A family who moved into a new neighborhood got a late start one morning. As a result their 6-year-old missed her school bus. Though it would make him late for work her father agreed to take her to school if she gave him directions. After 20 minutes of going around in circles, they finally arrived at the school… which turned out to be only a few blocks away from where they lived. Steaming, her dad asked why she drove him all over the place when the school was so close to home? “We went the way the school bus does, ” she said. “That’s the ONLY way I know.”
How about you? Are you doing things the way you’ve always done them because that’s the only way you know how to do them??!!! Be a “student of the game.” Study and learn from other successful coaches if you want to improve.
2- Focused people concentrate a little harder and a little longer. Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron says, “What separates a superstar from the average player is that he concentrates just a little longer.” Focused thinking is the ability to remove distractions and mental clutter so that you can concentrate with clarity.
This is particularly true for coaches during the game. We harp on our players about concentrating during the game; but do we as coaches stay focused? You can’t let your emotions get the best of you during a game. If you let the ebbs and flows of a game keep you on an emotional rollercoaster, then you need to learn to concentrate harder. I think that Tom Landry, the old Dallas Cowboys coach, was one of the best at this. I heard him say that he may appear calm on the sideline, but he was dealing with emotions just like anyone else. He had to teach himself to learn to concentrate and stay focused so he could think clearly and make good game-time decisions.
3- Focused people make commitments, not excuses. A sign on the desk of an officer at the Pentagon read: “The secrecy of my job does not permit me to know what I am doing.” It’s a cute saying, but not so cute when it’s true! When you don’t know what you’re doing, you become frustrated and end up failing. As a coach, you are taking your staff and players right down the drain with you.
That’s why I encourage you to pray and get directions from God. It is critical for your life! Proverbs 3:6 says: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”
