He described the difference he sees between students who
simply do okay in the program, and those who reach the top.
It hit me that the lessons he’s learned as a winning
wrestling coach apply to many other areas of life.
If you want to succeed at the top level, Brian said, it requires the
following three commitments:
1. A commitment to year-round training.
The wrestlers who reach the top have no off-season. There’s
never an extended time when they’re not focused on being the best athlete they
can be.
They not only wrestle, but they also play football in fall,
run track in spring, and attend wrestling camps and training sessions during
the summer. They play other sports not
for the sake of the other sport, but to keep in shape for wrestling season.
Sure, they take rest breaks. Brian himself regularly takes days
off and vacations with his family.
But the best wrestlers have pledged to be year-round
athletes. They never drop their guard when it comes to their commitment to training.
Question # 1: Whatever your goal is, are you ALWAYS working toward it?
2. A commitment to regular competition.
The top wrestlers regularly compete. They know that competition provides the needed pressure to promote excellence.
Some wrestlers simply show up and participate, Brian said. Or they go through
the motions at practices, but that’s it. They never achieve excellence this
way.
Competition provides regular accountability. When a wrestler
competes, he is forced to show up and give it his all. His commitment is tested,
and that forces him to train with a goal in mind. He doesn’t want to washout at
his next competition.
The demands of regular competition spur a person forward to reach
higher levels.
Question # 2: Whatever your goal is, have you built in a system of regular
accountability that presses you forward?
3. A commitment to consistent evaluation
The best wrestlers evaluate every wrestling meet when it’s
over, no matter if they win or lose.
They learn quickly that both wins and losses are necessary parts
of the equation.
If they lose, they ask why. What went wrong? What can they
do better next time?
If they win, they also ask why. What did they do right that
will be reproducible next time?
Question # 3: Whatever your goal is, do you consistently evaluate your
progress?
Question for
comments: What’s one big goal you have
right now, and how are you pressing forward to meet that goal?
9 comments:
I like this post. I was a wrestler back in high school but that was about it. Certainly learned lessons from it that apply to life today.
Well said Marcus (and Brian.)
It looks like I will reach a goal at work soon. A goal which was there since a couple of months. But I was not aware that I would have a chance to reach it. I worked hard at work, even thou I thought I'm not the one who will get granted. But now things are looking good. So it looks like my hard working seems to get payed even without realizing that the goal could be reached.
Hope you can understand.
My other big goal I have right now is to be a good father. Sure my son is just 1/2 years old, but I try to treat him as loved as I could! I already try to parent him by saying 'no' to this and 'fine' to that! These actions are still so new to me, so my goal is to raise I boy who gets the values of life right.
T
Well said, Tobi.
awesome blog. Thanks marcus
My goal is to get the book I am writing finished around April next year. Then editing, and hopefully a release sometime at the end of next year. We'll see how that will work out, as right now I am receiving so many letters and stories from vets and family members, I just keep adding them. So, in that way, I am not always working towards my goal, but I keep it in mind though. I think it is good to have a time frame, a goal to work with. I also send drafts out to veterans and someone who is proofreading for me. So, this way I think to myself "I need to come up with some additions".
Thirdly, I am always evaluating my progress. It is too easy to get stuck at one point, but having other people to ask about progress is really good. It keeps you alert to keep on moving with the project.
I think that's going to be a great book, Yuri. Congrats on your dedication to and perseverance in that project. --MB
Thanks Marcus! It sure means a lot to me coming from you, one of my big inspirations in writing!
Well done. I coached HS wrestling for about ten years, and work outside of public Ed now. I always told parents of my athletes, "I played three sports all thoroughly high school, but only wrestling taught me how to live my life. ".
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