Self-imposed Limitations

Last week I was listening to one of the last few days of the Mike & Mike sports talk show on ESPN radio. (I am going to miss those guys.)  They were interviewing Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the head basketball coach of Duke University, better known as Coach K.  It is very early in the college basketball season, but his team, #1 ranked Duke, had just beaten then #2 ranked Michigan State.  They asked Coach K. what he felt like he knew about his team and if it was too early to determine the identity of the team.  I was impressed by his response.

If you have already said who you are, you may not become what you are supposed to be.

-       Coach K

Isn’t it true though?  He went on to say that he did not want to limit the team by establishing an identity too soon.  They might appear to be a good defensive team now, but they might ultimately be a great scoring team.  I thought it was a great answer!

Are you guilty of this?  I know I am.  If you say you are a $5 million revenue widget sales company doesn’t that prohibit you from becoming a $12 million widget and accessories sales, distribution and installation company?  The same is true of our personal identities and goals.  Don’t limit yourself.  Don’t box yourself in without allowing for time to develop.  Don’t keep your team from becoming what it is supposed to be!

Thirteen Years of the MMM!

I wrote the first Monday Morning Minute on November 21, 2014.  This week marks thirteen years of sharing thoughts and challenges with you all on a weekly basis.  I hope somewhere along the way you have found something motivating, encouraging or challenging, maybe all three.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving and a great start to the holiday season.  Be blessed my friends…   

Perspective

Perspective can be powerful thing.  A little dose can make one's own problems or situation seem quite insignificant, or at least totally different.  The tragedies we have seen in this country in the last three months are difficult to understand.  There were the natural disasters of three major hurricanes striking the USA and its territories causing the loss of lives and untold damage. Then recently there were the human inflicted mass shootings, of which there have been two horrible episodes within weeks of one another.  The loss of life and degree of mass destruction is difficult to understand.  Some of you may have been impacted by these events.  But if you are alive reading this MMM, and did not lose a loved one, you were not impacted to the same degree as many.  It is a reminder of just how little we really understand and really control here on earth.  Our plans are not God’s plans and our understanding is not God’s understanding. 

These events, and the perspective gained from them, can make a person really see their own challenges in a totally different light.  What you do in your job or daily life is important.  How you spend your time and your resources is importantly and hopefully positively impactful on others.  But, the next time you become frustrated by the challenges of your job, your boss or co-workers, your kids or family, or just an inconsiderate driver, consider a little perspective.  Consider what they may be going through.  Better yet, consider what you have been blessed enough to not have had to experience.  Perspective is powerful.

#houstonstrong

How about them Astros? Congratulations to the team and the city of Houston. This championship is great for the city. Championships are always great, but given the long drought of titles for Houston, never having a baseball title, and all we have been through with Hurricane Harvey, this one is special. Great job Astros! Thanks for what you have done for this great city!