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We find something we love to do.
And we do it. For decades.
It’s exhilarating. There are wins, trophies, championships. And losses. Nobody wins all the time — not even the masters of their universes. Bad stuff hits everybody.
And all of it – the teams, players, careers — whiz by at the speed of a commercial airliner.
Then, things start to slip. It’s harder to work as many hours. The body isn’t as cooperative. Losing becomes the norm. Or something else happens. It’s tiring. The body starts to give out.
Someone says it’s time for you to go. Or you just say “I need to stop” to yourself because you feel the weariness and it’s intensifying.
These have been my reflections during these past 24 hours as two of the greatest football coaches we have ever seen, Nick Saban and Bill Belichick, reached emphatic endpoints in their coaching odysseys. I’m reminded that one day not too long from now I will be doing the same, reaching that mind-altering crossroad, as you will too, whether we want to or not. This is what happens when you get older.
We now think of Saban and Belichick in the past tense, in one important sense. Their glory days are now history and there will be no more. Belichick may get another coaching gig and do great things, but that seems far-fetched without his QB being Tom Brady.
What these two guys will be remembered for, what should be on their tombstones when that day comes when they pass on?
On Saban’s, I think it should be something like “focus on what you’re doing right now and doing it as well as you can and get better every day, and stop worrying about the outcome, the wins and losses.”
Such simple advice yet sage. He won seven national titles. Players listened to him and it worked because the message was easy to grasp.
On Belichick’s tombstone, it would read something similar like “Do your job and everything else will take care of itself.”
These guys ascended to be kings of their professions communicating similar teachings: “Just do your best right now, today, and do everything in your power to make sure you’re becoming as great as you can be.”
It’s so simple. Yet powerful. Life is intriguing that way. The simple stuff is often right in front of us and we overthink things and make them too complicated and hard to process. Let this be a lesson: stick to the basics if you want to be successful. Simplicity is the path to soaring.
Extremely successful coaches like these two guys often aren’t complicated in how they approach their jobs. They distill life down into manageable tasks and then stress the discipline to repeat it every day, all season long, in the off-season, and into next season.
UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, winner of seven national titles, started every season teaching his players how to put on their shoes and socks the right way because he wanted them to embrace the mindset of approaching greatness in basketball by focusing on the little things, paying attention to details.
DeMatha basketball coach Morgan Wootten would say over and over “Repetition is the great teacher.” He meant repeat the act of shooting a free throw 100 times a day, then 200 a day, then 500 a day. It’s the repetition that makes you great at your craft. This couldn’t be more straightforward, and couldn’t be more effective.
Wooden and Wootten – the greatest college and high school basketball coaches ever – passed on but the simple lessons they taught live on this page today. Embracing what they taught, I apply these lessons daily to get better at my craft and to strive to be all I can be. I hear them.
Fortunately, Belichick and Saban are still with us, and what they taught resonates now, especially today. As striking as they are, it’s not all the championships they won that ultimately matter for mankind overall. It’s what they taught us about how to live well, to make the most out of what we were given, every day.
Here’s my big salute and thank you to these four extraordinary men for helping us live more fulfilling lives.
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
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