Training Confident Kids (Part 2)

In the last post we covered how people can gain confidence by pushing the envelope of what is comfortable and what is a little out of the comfort box. Doing this frequently allows us to see things that would normally throw us into a fit of panic as only moderately stressful, and things that were…

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Training Confident Kids (part 1)

I had some people ask me questions regarding a past post discussing motivation and it’s relation to confidence.  Here is the first of a 2 part post on Confidence and how we get kids to be more confident. As coaches, we always want the best for our athletes. We train them physically to be strong,…

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Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

A few weeks ago my wife and I took a mental health weekend, and traveled to Sedona Arizona. It was beautiful and relaxing, and the energy in that city was exactly what we needed at that time. While we were gone, Wisconsin experienced it’s first snow storm of the season. We came home from the…

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Motor Boats and Trains

I have, for a long time, used the analogy of motorboats and trains when I speak to my team kids about motivation. As I raise my own children I realized how this also applies to anyone who may need a little flame placed under the backside. I ask my team kids if they are a…

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The only Doctor I’ve ever trusted

One of my favorite shows during the holidays is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Way back in 1957 Dr. Suess warned us all about the commercialization of Christmas, though we didn’t heed the warning he was prophetic. I was talking to my children the other day, they’re 12 and 8 and now old enough to…

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Gratitude is in the Attitude

Recently, my wife and I had this discussion: Why does our son seem so ungrateful, he thinks he is so much more important than anyone around him? Other people tell, us how wonderful he is but we don’t have the privilege of seeing that behavior at home Where did we go wrong, I feel like…

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Tid-Bits to make you feel better

“Fast food or something out of the vending machine.” That was my reply when a friend asked me. A while ago, what I usually had for lunch. Later he came back and brought me an apple. Subtle, but effective. He called my attention to why I felt so awful all the time. During our conversations…

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Congratulations Graduates says I

Every year I have written a graduation commencement speech. Someday some University somewhere will grant me an honorary doctorate and I will speak before 100’s of graduates. Until then… “Congratulations, you made it past the hard part. I stand before you having arrived here by years of education, years of laboriously attending to every day’s…

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Doing it for the cupcake

A few weeks ago we traveled to Florida to spend some time with my dad. He and I spent a lot of time talking, and when we do I always get new insights into him: things I never knew he did, or felt. One morning we spoke over a some cold tea while the kids…

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