FOCUS!

I had the good fortune to reconnect with a friend from the past recently (I'll not call him an "old" friend--we're not there yet, at least in our own minds).

Bart Iddins and I grew up in the same hometown, in the same church, and we were in Boy Scouts together.  Both of us attended UT where neither of us started college with a bang.  That's where the story begins.

Bart went on to veterinarian school, set up a practice, joined the Air Force, then went to medical school.  I went to physical therapy school, ended up starting a practice in Maryville, and have lived most of my life here (so far).

Dr. Iddins has literally traveled the globe, having served multiple deployments and enjoyed a rather spectacular career in military service.

I have found a community that has embraced me; a place where I was allowed to grow a career that has taken me places that I never even dreamed of.

Dr. Iddins is now a Major General (a 2 star general) based at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, in direct command of 8000 troops and indirect command of another 14,000.  I was in San Antonio last week for a meeting and quite by chance reconnected with him.

And then we discovered that we both loved bicycles and so we set up a bike ride on a gorgeous Saturday morning.  While cruising the Texas countryside, we went from catching up with where our lives had taken us to talking about how we got there. 

What we discovered is that we had similar stories.  Average kids from a small town, no one ever really thought either of us was destined for the incredible lives we have both led. 

No one except our mothers.  Blessed with strong mothers, Bart and I were given positive affirmations from an early age.  I remember my mom telling me "now you tell those girls at that school how good looking you are" when I knew it wasn't true but it was probably what I needed to hear at the time.  Early on, I lacked confidence in a lot of arenas.

We both learned a lot about leadership from our Boy Scout days.  Adult leaders that placed us in positions of increasing responsibility--it was a microcosm of leadership development. 

Even growing up, we both had a whole lot of focus.  As teenagers, we were into strength training.  Some of our workouts were positively brutal.  Both of us are Eagle Scouts. 

We agreed that neither of us ever tired of learning.  Both avid readers, when we get beyond the technical aspects of our jobs we love good books. 

For the past few weeks, I've addressed a lot of things that might form the pillars for success in life and athletics.  Hard work.  Integrity.  Dedication.

Today, the message is the importance of focus.  I've seen it time and time again.  The ability to focus on the task at hand gives you the absolute best chance of success regardless of the arena. 

I'm notorious for over-promising and multi-tasking.  But what I've discovered is that when something becomes a priority, laser-sharp focus gets it done.

Keeping Score

I hear the comment from time to time "I wish I knew then what I know now."  I don't know so much about that.  What we know  about life, we've had to live.  There isn't a guidebook.


I've said many times that sports are life lessons but just what does that mean?  It means (in my opinion) that sports participation provides with opportunities to learn about life, about who we are, and about how to deal with the rest of the world.


It's about setting goals and reaching them.  About working hard and seeing the fruits of your labor.  We probably don't realize it at the time (as a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure of this) but we are learning about how to be successful adults all the time during this phase of our life.


When I was growing up, it seemed to be all about keeping score.  About everything.  And usually not about the stuff that really mattered. 


Stuff like what kind of car you drove.  Or who stayed home on Saturday night.  Which girl liked you and which one you liked.  What to wear to impress the girls.


(If there seems to be a common theme here, well...there is.  Girls, football, and gas money were about all we cared about back then.)


I can remember one time that my best friend and I bought the latest and greatest athletic shoes--the running shoes of the day.  I remember them well-white Adidas with red stripes.  We went to school the next day and thought we were hot stuff.  Except that we were semi-embarrassed that both of us were wearing the exact same shoes. 


Things haven't changed much.  It's always the latest and greatest.


Later on it became questions about what were you going to do with the rest of your life.  Or how many friends you might have.  You might always wonder if you were popular or good looking. 


Deeper questions should have been things like were you trustworthy.  Did you make good decisions.  Were you a good person.  We didn't really think about that stuff but it drove a lot of what we did and who we were to become.


You see, we were oblivious to these things while actually growing up.  But our experiences were molding us along the way, changing us, slowly forming the person that we were to become. 


A lot of people I grew up with didn't really figure it out.  Or didn't figure it out for a very long time.  It's sad really.  Some of those aren't with us anymore.  Some were never able to take those lessons that they learned on the playing field or court and apply them to real life.


Do you think things are different today?  Oh heavens no.  The same issues, the same problems, the same dramas are still with us.  They might look differently but they're the same thing.


Same song, different verse.


Just remember--life is about how you treat people.  Life is about doing your homework.  It's about doing what you say and saying what you mean.  It's about building a life and being happy with who you are.

SUCCESSS WITHOUT INTEGRITY IS ALSO WITHOUT VALUE

Last week I wrote about how work was essential to success and that it wasn't always going to be easy.  I'd like to add this week that success without integrity is  also without value.

Some of the best stories out there about integrity in sports can be found on social media.  Like the special needs kid in New Mexico that was inserted at the end of a basketball game and allowed to score a basket. 

Or another that scored a touchdown for his football team and his teammates and opponents celebrated together. 

You may remember several years ago about a college softball player that was injured while running out a home run.  The opposing team carried her around the bases.  Her own team couldn't touch her or it would have negated the run. 

Think about that....the OPPOSING team carried her.  Call it sportsmanship, character, compassion--whatever.  It certainly reflects integrity.

If you follow football around here at all, you've heard about T.D. Blackman.  All State linebacker.  Signed to play football at the Air Force Academy. 

It's been my pleasure to be around this young man for the past four years.  His perpetual smile exceeds only his uncanny ability to always be in the right place at the right time on the football field as my favorite traits of T.D.

But someone mentioned to me this week an episode where the character of the young man was on display.  He performed an act of kindness with no chance of anything in return.  That's T.D.  That's integriy.

This year, I watched several of my student trainers perform random acts of kindness toward others.  I was more proud of them doing that than pretty much anything else they could have done.

And there's one really special soccer player that really didn't know what an incredible deed she was doing when she simply treated someone with incredible kindness.

I was examining her ankle at football practice when a young man that falls under that category of "special needs" came up.  Obviously quite enamored of this pretty girl, he really was uncomfortably close.  He just really didn't know any better.  His behavior was not inappropriate, just awkward.

Most teenage girls would have withdrawn, at least shunned the invasion of their space. Some would have visibly demonstrated their displeasure.  Not this one.  She was  nice to him, even tried to make him comfortable.

I'll not embarrass either party by mentioning names but some mom and dad have every reason to be proud.  It was a brief, minor episode but revealed SO much about her character.  I will be a fan forever.

I happen to firmly believe that our best deeds are done without anyone knowing who did them.  Or not doing them on a stage where our actions or our intentions are obvious.

When we do things without any expectations of return, our true character is revealed--the depth of our integrity is revealed. 

And success in any arena, sports or life, without integrity is not worthy of us.

It's Supposed to be Hard

You've heard all the clichés.  "No pain, no gain."  I guess that means that if it doesn't hurt, it isn't good for you.  Not sure I agree with that.

"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."   Well...maybe most of the time.  Although Randall Cobb could take a decade off and still beat me at anything, at any age, at any time.

"Nothing worth having comes easy."   I can't completely agree with that one either.  Maybe this one is a lot deeper than I'm willing to go while sitting at my keyboard this morning.

"Success isn't given.  It's earned with blood, sweat, and tears."   Ahhh, getting closer.  I suppose you could argue that the son or daughter that inherits their parent's successful company didn't really earn it.  Maybe it becomes their job not to mess it up.

"Nothing works unless you do."  Oh yeah, now we're getting there.  You gotta put in the work.  Whatever arena you happen to be in. 

School?   I didn't really know what work was.  School was always easy for me.  I could make B's with little effort.  I sort of floated along.  But then B's wouldn't cut it anymore and it had to be all A's or I wasn't going to be able to pursue my dream to become a physical therapist. 

That's when I learned to work. 

Career?  You might get your dream job for all the right reasons but there is a whole lot of separation between doing your job and being excellent.   When they're getting started, nobody aspires to be mediocre.

But then "stuff" gets in the way and you find yourself clocking in, putting in the hours, then clocking out and going home.  You do the work but so does everyone else.

If you want to be the best, you've got to put in the work.  Reach for the stars and even if you don't quite make it, you will like where you land.

Sports?  This is where I learned what work was all about.  You've heard me quote my high school coach.  "If he works at it, he can be a good one."

After watching literally thousands of athletes grow up in this community, I can tell you that a lot of the time, the ones that I admire the most are those that might not have all the talent in the world but had great successes on the courts and playing fields because they worked hard.

I'll not embarrass anybody by calling names.  But I've seen a lot of undersized football linemen with tons of heart and huge work ethics win championships.

The best of those then take that on to real life and become champions at life too.

Sports reward hard work.  You can't do anything about your talent level, that came from your gene pool.  But you can do something about your work habits.

So if you want to be good, here's my advice.  Show up on time.  Work hard every time.  Don't take any shortcuts. Work hardest on what you don't like.  Stay coachable.  Finish what you do. 

Hold old are you?

Ok...this one is going to seem a little redundant.  Well, maybe a whole lot redundant.  It's just that toward the end of January, commitment to those resolutions is beginning to wane and gym participation is dropping off like a dropped rock.

So some reminding about why we need to sustain those promises and resolutions seems in order.  I guess when you're in your 20's, good health is taken for granted and living a long life is presumed.  Once you hit your 30's, maybe mortality becomes a bit of an issue.

So some friends and I played a game recently, sort of.  You might call it the Satchel Page game. Page is widely quoted as asking the question "how old would you be if you didn't know when you were born."  In other words, how old do you feel?

 I admit that there are days after Steve Bright has kicked my butt all over the countryside on the back of a bike that I feel really old.  Like 63 or something.  Other days I feel like I can take on the world. 

But in this game, it wasn' t my choice.  Others in the group picked your age for you.  I won't admit what age the others came up for me but let's just say that I might hang out with some pretty delusional people.

We've all been taught to "act your age" but if you didn't know your age, does that mean you wouldn't know how to act?

So here's the lesson for the day:  Live your life in such a way that the candles on your birthday cake really don't matter.

Don't be pigeonholed into being "middle aged" or "really old" or any other handle that others might hang on you.  How do you do that?

Here comes absolutely no surprise--you've got to exercise.  A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how you need to throw some balance activities into your exercise regimen, especially as you get older (which, by the way, is pretty much everybody).

You've also got to eat better.  I'm convinced that means decreased carbohydrate intake.  Fats are not the culprit that we used to think they were.  Eat simply.  One word foods.

Build better relationships.  We are the accumulated product of those we choose to live our lives with.  Choose wisely.  And love unconditionally.  Research clearly indicates that healthy relationships improve not only the quality of our lives but the quantity as well.

Live in the moment as often as you can.  I read a study recently that tied unhappiness with thinking about something other than what you are doing.  Sort of a "be in the now" attitude. 

Think about it.  If you allow yourself to be distracted, if you worry about things all the time (particularly those things that you can't do anything about), you aren't going to be at your best.  Unhappiness most surely then will follow.

Think young.  I don't mean dress in torn blue jeans. But I've got friends my age that dress and act like they're...well let's just say that they look they're 20 years older than what they are. 

I've said for a long time that aging is a matter of mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

The Power in your Words

I was privileged last week to attend the 89th birthday party of Coach Bert "Chig" Ratledge.  Coach Ratledge was my high school football coach and a huge influence on my life, but more on that later.

Attending this event was the glitterati of Loudon High School football.  Bruce Wilkerson, UT All-American and former Green Bay Packer.  Marlon "Bubba" Brown, in the Clemson Football Hall of Fame.  My teammate and friend Lonnie Hawkins, who looks like he could still play.  Gordo Watson and Jackie Lefler, stars from the 60's. 

I looked around the room and I wondered to myself "what am I doing here, among all these football legends?"  I mean, I played football and all and I was pretty decent but I didn't belong in this group. 

But I knew all along why I was there and why I seem to be one of Coach Ratledge's favorites:  Nobody in that room took more away from the game of football than I did.

Nobody there learned the lessons that the game provides so abundantly more than I did.  The rewards of hard work. The dedication that it takes to be good at something.  The persistence that pays off if you maybe aren't as talented as the next guy.  What commitment truly means.

The pursuit of excellence.  The willingness to extend yourself, to go beyond what you think you are capable of. 

All of that and more.  And I took those lessons and built a life and a career on top of them.  Every success I've had can be linked directly back to my football days.  And Coach Ratledge.  I know that sounds a little over the top but it's true.

I was an underachieving high school sophomore with absolute zero self-confidence when Coach Ratledge told a practice visitor that "he can be a good one if he works at it."

He can be a good one if he works at it.  That has been my life's mantra. 

Not really sure what to do with myself in college (it was enough to my parents that I simply attended college), I had knee surgery, met my first physical therapist, and dedicated my college career to becoming a physical therapist.  Hard work ensued with more than a few all-night study sessions.

I opened a private practice in 1981 when that sort of thing was almost unheard of.  Again hard work, persistence, and dedication were necessary ingredients to develop what became Appalachian Therapy Center. 

An over-riding desire to be good at what I do coupled with confidence in myself has helped me be pretty good at being an athletic trainer and physical therapist.  Those lessons were learned on the football field.

So here's what I hope is the take home message from all this:  Teachers, coaches, youth ministers, scout leaders...pretty much anybody that comes in contact with teenagers...never underestimate the power of your words. 

Be forevermore positive, uplifting, encouraging.  Help those young people learn that it is OK to reach for the stars.  The "real world" approach isn't to squash those dreams but it is essential to teach them the ingredients to success--hard work, sacrifice, dedication, persistence.

Thank you for my dreams and happy birthday, Coach Ratledge.  You had a heavy hand in any positive influence I might have been in my life. 

Why do we have rules?

I was asked an interesting question last week.  "Why do we have rules in sports?"  It was even suggested as a topic for this space.  You can't say I don't listen to my readers!  Anyway...

I think the first reason is to make the game safe.  I know for a fact that most of the rules that have been implemented in football for the past several years have all been about making the game safer. 

I guess if you think about it, a lot of the rules for a long time have been to make the game safer.  Clipping.  Grabbing the facemask.  Late hit.  Cut blocking. 

Concussions are obviously the big issue right now.  We simply must make the game safer at all levels.  A lot of the major rule changes in the NFL are to address the concussion issue.  Moving the kickoff line forward (lots of injuries occur on kickoffs),big fines for shots to the head, those sorts of things.

Other NFL rule changes are also intended to make the game safer--making all chop blocks illegal and creating the horse collar rule.

Rules are also necessary to level the playing field, to make things fair.  Look at college athletics.  If there were not rules governing recruiting, the schools with the most money would always win.  They could put more resources into the process.

There would be no Western Michigan or Appalachian State in the bowl games like there are this year.

Athletes at most levels have limits on the amount of time that they can be required to practice.  Think about that one.  Without those rules, practices might go on and on.  Except for those few that play professional sports, most athletes are also in school. 

Now I'm not naive enough to believe for a minute that football players from Clemson or Alabama spent too much of their focus on their academics last week, but limits on the amount of time that a team can practice gives some balance to the student's life and allows some focus on the academic side.

Without rules our games would have no structure.  They would be chaos.

While I was an undergrad, we used to meet regularly to play a version of volleyball that we called "jungle volleyball."  Oh, the basic structure of the game was about the same but the rules that make volleyball fair and beautiful were largely ignored.   And yes, it was chaos at times.

Rules are necessary to make sure the game is the same in different locations.  Imagine a soccer team that passes really well and makes the best use of the entire field.  Now make that team play on a football field, which is certainly smaller than a regulation soccer field.  Is that quite fair?

Or a basketball team that is really tall and/or jumps really well.  Would it be fair for their opponent to raise the goals to 11 feet?

The bottom line is that rules are necessary to our sports.  Sure, there will always be those that stretch the rules, break the rules, or ignore the rules.  There should be consequences for those. 

Just like in life.