Leading Narratives

Man is the religious animal. He is the only religious animal that has the true religion - several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother's path to happiness and heaven. ---Mark Twain Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built. ---James Allen When Mozart was composing at the end of the eighteenth century, the city of Vienna was so quiet that fire alarms could be given verbally, by a shouting watchman mounted on top of St. Stefan's Cathedral.  In twentieth-century society, the noise level is such that it keeps...

I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the gym, on the field, or in the yard. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a coach, I possess tremendous power to make an athlete’s life miserable or joyous. I can be the tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and an athlete humanized or dehumanized. Coach Yourself: A Motivational Guide For Coaches And Leaders About This Book Coach Yourself is a unique book, compiled exclusively for coaches to provide you with physical, mental and spiritual motivation throughout the season. In his follow-up to A Season In Words, veteran coach Dan Spainhour arms you with quotes and motivational ideas to help you achieve peace of mind throughout the season from how to stay motivated to handling critics...

There is a story about Thomas Edison, whom some have said that at one time opened a new shop at the age of 67. Thomas Edison watched as fire destroyed much of his work and equipment. Most of us would say it was time to retire? Was it time to hang up the lab coat? That was not certainly not Edison’s way. The Inventor said:  “All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.”  Edison knew his time to retire hadn’t come. The fire that consumed his work didn’t destroy the fire that burned within him to continue his work. Edison’s commitment remained. Now I can’t tell you that the above is true, but looking at Edison’s life body of work, his failures and successes, I have come to believe his commitment was there. John Maxwell said that people tend to associate commitment with emotions. Commitment is not an emotion; it’s a character quality that allows us to reach our goals. Emotions go up and down all the time, but commitment is the foundat...

An old man, a boy & a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey & the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking & the boy was riding.  The man & boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions. Later, they passed some people that remarked, "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk."  They then decided they both would walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. Now they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.  The boy & man said they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal & he fell into the river and drowned.  The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as we...