Dynasties.... what is their secret? How do teams go on runs of success that cement their names in history? The New England Patriots, The San Antonio Spurs, Alabama, Clemson, Highland Park, Odessa Permian, Converse Judson, Celina, Allen, Lake Travis, and so on. Are they just more talented than everyone else year after year, and it is as simple as that, or is there something else?

 

As much as sports fans disagree on things, just about everyone can agree that it is not always the most talented team that wins titles. If it is not talent, then what is it? Is there a common link in all Championship Teams? The answer is yes, and it is summed up in one word - ATTITUDE

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Zig Ziglar once shared a statistic that would forever change the approach of one young coach who would go on to lead one of the most historic dynasties in Texas High School football history. The statistic was this - In a study done at Harvard University, they showed that in any task you undertake, only 15% of your success is determined by your talent. 85% of your success is determined by your attitude. As the young coach thought about it for a while, he began to realize the truth in that statement, and he recognized the life changing power it held. He realized that he was spending all of his time coaching talent and very little coaching attitude. A simple question came to his mind - What would happen if we became the best coaches in the state at coaching attitude?

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He and the other coaches on the staff put that theory to the test. They began to sell their players on the importance of attitude. They took them through self-evaluations, they taught them how to properly set goals, and they discussed the importance of character. Everything they did from January through December pointed back to the importance of attitude. The results were almost instantaneous. Within a year, they were in the semi-finals. The next year they won the State Championship. In one ten year span they were in 7 State Championship games, and they won 4 of them. It all pointed back to the day they started coaching attitude.

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What are you doing to coach attitude with your players? What are you doing to develop a positive attitude in your own life? You cannot effectively coach one way and live another. Players will see right through that. If you expect them to show up to practice with a positive attitude, then you need to show up with one as well. Here is the best news in all of this: when you start coaching attitude, you don't just win more games, you change lives. You give your kids tools that they can use for the rest of their life. Your impact will go far beyond their high school athletic career. It will affect how they raise their families, excel in their jobs, and impact their community. 

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The next 3 weeks will be focused on developing your attitude. We do this by utilizing the process that determines who we become. The process goes like this: the things you put into your mind on a daily basis (what you read, watch, and listen to) determines how you think. How you think determines the choices that you make. The choices you make determine the habits you develop and the habits you develop determine the person you become. We are all a product of our habits. So, the best way to develop a positive attitude is to control what we put into our minds.  

 

This program is designed for coaches, but it can easily be adapted for you to use with your teams as well. Every day we will give you something positive to think about that you can also send to your players. Sometimes the best way to learn is to teach. We encourage you to use the day planner that accompanies this program. Think through the questions and answer them in the spaces provided. Buy in to the importance of attitude, sell your players on it, and watch it have a powerful impact on everything you do.