Change is going to happen, did you cause it or are you the cause?

It’s funny how one day I am contemplating what makes me giggle then the next I am knee deep in the discussion of why we make changes. The word change evokes multitudes of thoughts. It can be as simple as the stuff we keep in the console of our cars or what we need to do with our clothes after a hard workout but the change I am speaking about is the paradigm shift that is occurring with the FSC tennis team. Change is part of life and happens every day but as a society we like things as our perceived normal and really don’t embrace it when something takes us out of our comfort zone. I am a creature of habit. I coach in a laid back style with most of my process being done on the practice court and through conversation with my players. This style has worked for me well but over the last couple years I have become too comfortable and putting the emphasis on what the players wanted to do versus what they probably needed to do. Being a realist I also decided that if they truly wanted to make changes with where they were they would initiate the process on their own. I was wrong. We have steadily declined in the national rankings over the past 3 years and that has not settled well with me. I really hate losing but really hate not reaching the full potential that I see available in my team. This led me to research my methods and see what I could do to help facilitate a change in the direction the team is headed. As creatures of habit change is a painful and not always fun process. We get comfortable with where we are and the way we approach what we do. We always feel that we are doing everything we can do and that maybe we just don’t have what it takes to make the next step. When we are honest with ourselves we know that there is more we can do, we know we can work harder, and we know that there are sacrifices we can make. But, damn that word, we then think what happens when I make those changes and I still don’t succeed? That in itself is one of the main reasons we stop right there. The fear of failure when we step out of the comfort zone keeps us from changing. If we keep the status quo we can justify our failure but as soon as we put in the extra’s and still fail what is the excuse then? That’s the problem; there then are no excuses and we must admit we failed. Change will happen but it doesn’t mean it creates success. Sometimes change teaches us that we need to make other changes but failure isn’t the problem. Failure is a great teacher because when the pain is great enough we will change out of necessity. The FSC men’s tennis team is my job and I too enjoy being comfortable. The process of changing the way I approach coaching is one of the most challenging and uncomfortable things I am currently tackling. I want my team to be as successful as they are capable of being but more importantly I want them to be as successful as they think they can be when they know they have done the work necessary. If I fail as a coach I can live with that when I know I have done everything possible to be successful. Sometimes success isn’t the wins or losses but getting people to become uncomfortable and realizing their comfort zone can be moved and that in time they will be better.

Things that make you giggle

Some days we see things that baffle us, amaze us, or just make us giggle. This past week I had a couple of those moments and boy do they make you glad to be a part of society. The first was the senior citizen couple on their Harley I saw Thursday. They were just enjoying a great Thursday morning ride. They had the wind in their hair, or at least her hair, and no worries about what was going on in the world today. They turned off the highway with the women’s hands flying through the breeze like a kid with his hand out the window and the world they had created in front of them. Friday on campus was fairly uneventful. The barn was my first stop of the day and once the horses were fed it was time to head to FSC. The only thing that had any importance for work on this particular day was the team meeting to introduce the men to what they could expect. College campuses are a great place to keep a smile on your face. People watching is almost as good as the mall or airports because the youth do amazing things and the older folks like me also do some amazing things just to try and keep up. One of the best examples of putting a grin on my face happened as I was leaving campus for the afternoon. It also made me feel really good about becoming older and still having an eye for the ladies. Not for any other reason than just knowing that I will find them pretty. Here is how it went down. Two young ladies were walking towards the cafeteria while two male students and a father were walking towards the library. The son was giving his father a tour of the campus when they crossed the path of the two co-eds. The two guys just kept on strolling through discussing the buildings but the dad; the dad did a complete 180 and strained to get a look at the two ladies as they strolled by. The old geezer was just truly checking out the girls and more than likely dreaming of days gone by. I walked out to my car and I think I smiled all the way home. The last thing that really made me giggle happened Saturday morning on the way to the golf tournament. Is it really a golf tournament when you are there to hit and giggle with your dad and brother? We want to win but really when they have coolers of beer every 3 holes we definitely have a major handicap. We shot 8 under but really don’t have a clue where we finished. That however is not why I am telling this story. On the way to the course I had to stop at the ATM to fill the pockets for the day’s events. Going to the ATM at your local bank is really an easy process. Pull up to the kiosk, put your card in, press the buttons, get your money and then haul ass. Well, the lady in front of me decided to make the process a whole lot more difficult. She pulled up, rolled down her window, and then opened her door. Okay, no problem, she couldn’t reach the buttons from where she was. She was going to get out to handle her transaction. No, she got out and then stuck her head through the window and used the ATM. I actually couldn’t believe what I was seeing so I contemplated taking a picture. After 3 minutes I had contemplated enough and snapped a picture just so I could have proof. Yes, it’s now on facebook, instagram, and twitter. I took out her license tag out but really, I needed that laugh at 8:00 am in the morning. We all find pleasure or awe in different things. Sometimes two different people find two different emotions from the same thing. Don’t walk with your head down, there is too much out there to see.