The Champion's pursuit of achievement is an eternal process..... We may WANT to stop. We may NEED to rest. We may WISH for it to be easier. Yet the reality ALWAYS comes back that the quest for greatness demands that we attend to it every moment of every day. The truth in that statement allows us to understand that the gift we receive is not found in the final prize, but in the refinement of our hands, head, and heart that the drive for Excellence reveals in us.

Championship organizations and teams are populated with individuals who fully grasp the concept of "Interdependence". This is the principle that believes while we are asked to be a person fully capable of existing and succeeding of our own volition, we are also to realize that we NEED our teammates to assist us in our quest for greatness. After all, we don't achieve in a vacuum. We succeed due to our own strength - bolstered, emboldened, and inspired by the power of tho

The Myth of Drudgery We all would like the pathway to achievement to be easy, and the process to be relentlessly energizing. The truth of it all will be that the pathway is often a tangled thicket and the process endlessly challenging - physically and mentally. But for us to view this process as mere drudgery is incredibly short-sighted on our part - for drudgery is simply perception...... If we believe it is painful and tedious, then it shall be so. It is the "gift"

Any team, company, or organization can work 24/7 on acquiring talented and skilled people who have the ability to do all of the necessary machinations required to get the job done. What is more challenging is identifying those individuals with talent who ALSO have the desire to achieve, and the willingness to offer the team a relentless effort to attain the goals that are put out before them. Never be satisfied with the physical skills someone possesses.... Take stock of t

Definitions of Achievement Winners, success stories, and champions are three distinct words in my vocabulary. “Winners” are those individuals and teams who have figured out the systems and the processes to such a degree that victory can be a relatively consistent event. It can be a bit of a hit-or-miss proposition because luck, misfortune, and timing can be significant factors on determining whether or not you come out on the positive side. “Success stories” are even fur

No matter how much time moves me forward, I will always remember those teams and individuals with whom we found the "Championship Formula". I walk into arenas and I see the trophies and I look at our pictures and it hits me with great and profound meaning: I was part of this I contributed to this They can never erase what we did I am but one element of this "Legacy" We may come to competition for different reasons, but whatever the calling for us personally, the cause o

If I could ask for one thing to make my pursuit of achievement less challenging, it would not be for more talent - that's too easy of an "out". I would instead ask for more patience. For it is often in "peace" that we find the key that opens the proper and correct door.

Outside forces, circumstances or other individuals can really only IMPEDE your progress and growth. The only one who can truly STOP your pursuit of Achievement is YOU . Understand and embrace that perspective as thoroughly as is possible.

While most of us have a passion to always be growing and reaching our full capacity.... Sometimes, all we can do is simply work to "survive" . Not every day will find us in full-speed to our visions of boundless excellence.... Some days it’s nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other. That is also known as "progress" . And some days, that is just fine.

Not caring about the goals and objectives of yourself, or of a team you are a part of, is a disappointing reality we often to deal with. What is equally troubling are those individuals who may state that they care, but proceed to go out on the field of competition and are willing to accept shoddy and poor execution as basically: "It is what it is." Settling for mediocre standards - either in yourself or a teammate - is thoroughly counter-intuitive to what Excellence truly i

Leaders of any team will come face-to-face rather quickly to the matter of control vs. freedom as a way of establishing discipline within the group dynamic. The easiest action to take as a leader is to impose a set of rules and regulations for all members, with the express intent of teaching them "order" in the midst of a defined and regulated structure. A true leader walks a very fine line by actually empowering the team by providing them discipline rooted in "freedom" .

The Pursuit of Excellence , while a valuable cause for anyone to undertake personally, cannot be minimized by only focusing on individual perspectives. The act of one person elevating themselves will only serve to pull others with them. And if this process is repeated over and over again, the end result can only be understood as growth for all. As we have come to understand that: "The Rising Tide Lifts All Boats" So too is the Champion's Quest for lasting achievement.

Whenever we meet the inevitable roadblocks and disappointments that are all part of the process of excellence, we will often respond with the predictable notion that it is essential for us to " change ". While adaptation is certainly something we must at least consider when facing issues of stunted progress, there must be caution used when we entertain the notion of changes - be they minor, or be they wholesale. No one who strives to be a Champion should ever change simply

In Major League Baseball, if you can hit for an average better than .300, you will undoubtedly make a lot of money. Yet stop to consider that hitting for an average of .300 is defined by getting 3 hits for every 10 at-bats....therefore it is also comprised of NOT getting a hit for 7 of those same at-bats. So explain to me how "failing" more than half of the time makes you worthy of accolades? Because that .300 hitter never let the failings define them. When they stepped i

There is one guaranteed way for you to never feel the sting of losing, the pain of failing, or the physical and emotional agony that comes from defeat.... And that is to never try. Monuments are not built for the reckless or for the timid. They are constructed by those souls who realize that security is rarely a precursor of success.