I’ve often felt that “motivation” is waaaaaaay over-rated. The idea of a fiery half-time speech propelling a team to rise above how they played in the first half has been over-played. Changing a belief with one speech may cause a quick spike in adrenaline but… when the players come “crashing down”… they’re going to be flatter than they were before the speech!
It’s why I’ve always given my “pep talk” on Thursday! Give them something to “chew on” for 24 hours… but not try to “fire them up” just before they go out on the field to play a game! Yes! a lot of enthusiasm and excitement is important but… I never wanted my team “sky high” before a game.
I did, however, convince our players that a fired up underdog might stay with us through the first half —on adrenaline alone! But, “just keep playing your game, guys!” We will begin to exert our authority in the 2nd half– when the game is on the line.
Our pastor shared something in his message a week ago which has “rattled around in my head” since then. Here’s what Pastor Michael Brueseke of Community Church @ Western Branch said: “Once a lie is believed in our mind, it’s hard to remove! However… once a truth is believed in our mind, we must feed it to keep it there!!!”
First… I wonder why that is a truth?! Is it because we are so susceptible to negativism and falsehoods that we “buy into” anything that sounds bad? And yet, we start saying positive things (to ourselves) and we must continue to feed those thoughts or… they tend to erode and pass out of our mind.
This is why, for me, I continue to read/study/meditate on God’s Word. The Bible is full of truth and is my source of life. I let God’s Holy Spirit “speak LIFE” to my mind by reading a little of the Bible each day. In that way, I’m letting the Word of God take up residence in my mind so there’s no room for the enemy’s thoughts to overwhelm me.
It will work for YOU too!
