A Championship Effort

Today I had a great conversation about “a championship effort.”

This particular conversation was about basketball, for the simple reason that we were both working at a high school girls basketball game.  The game was one that saw one team shoot out to a substantial lead in the final game for both teams.  We were chatting about what it takes to overcome daily obstacles and how young people often struggle when they seem to be facing insurmountable odds.  

Now, this got me to thinking.  Having been a coach of many different sports over a good many years I have often seen my teams in a situation that they saw as insurmountable.  Huge deficits that seemed impossible to overcome.  Teams that have been a nemesis for years that we always struggled to beat.  Terrible weather.  Illness or the suspension of a teammate.  Dissention or team drama that makes it difficult to perform.  Individuals who don’t manage to perform up to their level of expertise for whatever reason.  This is true not just in sports, but it is part of the adult world as well.

In the whole scheme of things this whole sports discussion transfers to the daily lives of each and every one of us.  We are all a part of something bigger than ourselves that requires that we do what we do to reach a particular goal or objective.  Each of us must learn to cope with a difficult boss, office relationships that do not always go smoothly, and days or weeks in when things do not go the way we want them to go or help us get to our desired goal.  We have to work hard, practice hard, and play hard when competition presents itself. 

In retrospect, I would have to say that I might suggest to one of may athletes who did not play or perform up to expectations, or who was upset about an outcome that they were probably asking the wrong question.  Instead of discussing excuses and trying to explain why we did not play well , they might have been better served asking themselves if they had given their championship effort. 

So often I am afraid that we get sucked into the world of results instead of focusing more on how much effort we had put forth that particular day.  There are a million and ones ways to make a difference and it seems to me that the best scorer, the best rebounder, the best hitter, runner or swimmer all have days when they do their absolute best to contribute. Often, things that we do might not always measure up when we look at results show up in the daily box score or in the daily memo at work. 

I am positive that that statistics are important to the people who analyze, magnify, and glorify such things.  They believe that stats tell the whole story.  That is their job I guess.  Stats, both good and bad, are a great story but they are ephemeral and NEVER tell the WHOLE story.  Don’t get me wrong, stats do tell a story, but we must remember that that never tell the whole story.  There are so many things for which there are no statistics but absolutely have a huge impact on the outcome or result.  

My message today is for all of us who fall into the statistics and results trap.  It is for each of you who might be sad or bad that today was not your best performance. 

Winning and succeeding are important in our society today.  You know it and I know it too.  We have a lot less winners than we do those who fall short on any given occasion.  There is always ONE champion and everyone else finishes somewhere outside the record books.  I love champions and have always aspired to be one as a teacher and as a coach.  I lost my fair share of sporting events, and some of my students did not make it through my class. .  In spite of all these events that might be deemed failures I can honestly say that I made sure I was prepared each day to do my best, tried to keep my brain and my body fit, and worked and coached with a high level of enthusiasm.  We must find ways to glorify those who always play or work hard yet for one reason or another they never manage to reach the mountaintop.  You will never have a chance to win a championship, win that scholarship, or close that big deal if you do not do all the little things day in and day out to put you in a position to reach for and grab that brass ring. This is championship effort!!   

Be sure to not forget that you cannot possible have your best day every day.  There will be more days when you fail in one way or another than days when you succeed and meet the expectations of coaches, bosses, parents, and even friends.  The fact that you fail is not any where as important as the manner in which you evaluate your EFFORT.  Playing hard and working hard are not something that we generally measure.  Effort is priceless and oftentimes make the difference.  It is instead something that you must measure when you get home and look in the mirror and ask the most important question you will EVER have to ask.  Did you give a championship effort today?

The world of school, work, and even family can also be looked at from the championship effort.  Working hard at what you do and working hard when no one is watching can certainly be part of the effort associated with being the best at what you do. When all is said and done those of us who are committed to the championship type of effort will always be WINNERS.  Never be afraid to smile when you know that you might not have given your best performance, but you gave the kind of effort that champions give every single day.  The mirror should never lie!

By the way……they team that fell behind by a significant margin, came back to close the gap to just a few points!  They did not win the game, but I am positive that their coach is going to chat with them about their championship effort and what it all means for the next time that they play.  I hope they don’t forget to look in the mirror tonight and ask the question.

Be sure you don't forget either!!!