Champions have the Courage to Dream Big!

I like people that dream big and take action to achieve their dreams. These people inspire me to dream big and get moving too. 

In order to reach our dreams, we must take action steps. A dream without action is just a wish. Put another way, we must pursue what we wish to possess.

Let's look at some examples of people that pursue what they wish to possess...

• High level College or Pro athletes: Athletes of this stature have trained beyond levels the average person can comprehend. They practice, lift weights, run, watch film, study. visualize, eat for optimal performance, etc. They do this day in and day out for years and years. Yes these people are athletically gifted, but they have made a choice to pursue a dream and complete the action steps necessary to achieve the dream.
• Post Graduate degree: People that have earned post graduate degrees have worked for years going to school. They have had to attend classes, conduct research, write papers, complete assignments and practicums, etc. This takes a great amount of commitment, determination, and grit. 
• Successful business: In order to run a successful business, one must dedicate time, energy, and effort. This successful business person must have a plan, take action, and be willing to push themselves beyond normal levels of comfort in order to achieve their goals. They must dream big and then go to work!
• Good parenting: Being a good parent is not easy. It is a full time job and takes practice, training, intentional effort, and a lot of prayer! In order to become a good parent, one must pursue the job with passion!

Side Note: Those are just a few examples of people who Dream Big and take the necessary action to fulfill their dreams. The list could go on for days and this is a blog, so I'll leave the list as it is now.

Here are a few questions for you to ponder...

What is your Dream and is it Big? 
What action(s) can you take toward fulfilling your dream?
Are you willing to pursue what you wish to possess?
When will you start?

Only you can answer the above questions for yourself. Only you can decide if you want to pursue your dream. Only you can decide when you want to start.

Below is a video of Olympic Wrestling Champion Jordan Burroughs. This young man is the best wrestler in the world at his weight class and probably the pound for pound best wrestler in the world as well. Jordan has Big Dreams and He works hard to reach them. Jordan takes the action steps necessary to to reach his dreams. He daily pursues what he wishes to possess. Jordan inspires me and so many others around the world. This video was shot before he won his Olympic title. 

Let me encourage you to be like Jordan Burroughs and pursue what you wish to possess! Go out and make more than a wish today. Decide in your heart to take action steps and turn your Dream into a reality!

God Bless,


Coach P

P.S. No one says it better than Will Smith!

How We Went 133-35 in Football

This is a tough blog post to write. Why is it tough? Well, because it is about the closing of a major chapter in my life.

I have decided to retire from coaching middle school football (at least for now). That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to me.

I am a coach's son. My dad coached football and wrestling for over 30 years in Oklahoma. I literally grew up in locker rooms, on the field, and in gymnasiums. These places feel like home to me.

Twelve years ago I started my middle school football coaching career and it's been pretty awesome. I have been Blessed to coach with incredible coaches that are also my best friends. I have had the honor to train great athletes and build some excellent teams. I've also worked under supportive administrators that helped me to grow as a coach and person.

I won't get all mushy in this blog post, because I could on this topic.

What I will share are some ideas and actions that have allowed my teams to accumulate an overall record of 133-35 in 12 years (this is A team and B team combined).

1. Passion- People don't care what you know until they know that you care. My coaching staff cares about our athletes and our athletes know it. If you want to push your athletes toward greatness and get them to respond positively, then you better care about them. 

2. Develop a Purpose- Why are we coaching this team? What are our goals this season as a team for the individuals on the team? As a coaching staff we show up everyday to win. I like to win, it's fun. Losing is not fun and it is not motivating. But you may not win everything everyday and this is a life lesson. Therefore we must have a purpose deeper than just winning games. 

3. Everything is on purpose- Why waist time? Practice planning, game planning, game execution, etc. Every facet of the game has been broken down and the most efficient plans put into place.

4. Think outside the box- This is a passion of mine. Those who have been around my football program or wrestling program know that I not only think outside the box, but that the box doesn't exist. This isn't done just to do it. As a coaching staff, we have been flexible and looked for ways to succeed that might not be listed under the norm. I love coaches like Chip Kelly, Mike Leach, and Kevin Kelley. These guys are not afraid to break the mold and get creative.
Most coaches coach how they were coached. They do what their coaches did and don't stray far off that pathway. This is fine if your coach or maybe your coaching mentor was awesome. If this is the case, take their awesomeness and implement it into your program. Believe me, I take what I have learned from great coaches and run with it. No need to totally reinvent the wheel in every area. But football, like all sports, is dynamic. The game changes, the kids change, and coaches must therefore change. By the way, I'm not saying to abandon basics, but maybe re-think how you teach them. 

5. Be flexible- Being flexible is related to thinking outside the box in my mind. Each season we run a little different offense and defense than the season before. Why would we do something crazy like that? It's simple, each team has different kids with different skills. 
We may run a system real close to the season before, but we always make the necessary adjustments in order to bring out the best in each team, each season.

6. Keep it simple- Sports in general are complex activities. Football is a sport that is complex and often made more complex than it needs to be. Our coaching staff has tried to take this ultra complex sport and figure out ways to teach it so that kids can "get it". We do not cut corners as I believe details are vital. Details can take a player from average to good, good to great, and great to exceptional! But, how you teach and implement the details doesn't have to be super complex.
About 6 years ago we developed a simple system of hand signals for our offense and defense. This is not a novel idea, but we are the first middle school to do this in our area (and our area has good football). These signals allow us to run a no huddle offense and defense. We can therefore play with speed, like the big boys do.
These hand signals look complicated to the untrained eye, but they really are simple. We can use the hand signals for any offense or defense that we chose to implement in a season. Oh yeah, we don't have a playbook either. We have hand signal sheets. Once you learn the system, the playbook is literally endless. The coaches are the ones that have to think fast in this system, allowing the athletes to slow down their game mentally. 

7. Keep it fun- Football season can get long, drawn out, and beat you up. That's why we work super hard, but also have fun. Each week we add new plays to keep our athletes minds stimulated. Some of these plays are crazy too. I love a good trick play! I know our opposing coaches work on defending some of the plays we "trick" them with each season. You can hear them yelling it during the game. 
We have run a few so tricky that even the officials had no idea where the ball was until we started yelling Go, Go, Go as our player ran through open space and into the end zone! I have a huge smile on my face right now just thinking about it, oh so Sweet!
We also scrimmage a lot during practice. Nothing allows a young player to learn better than drills and then getting to use their new skills. This allows us coaches to make adjustments and take advantage of teaching opportunities during practice too. Again, this is fun for the athletes and fun for us coaches.

8. High expectations- We walk into every season expecting to go 7-0 on both the A and B team (14-0 that season). It doesn't always happen, but we expect it to and this helps build a great culture. Our players know from day 1 that they will work hard, be pushed to their limits, compete every single practice, and also become students of the game.
Setting high expectations has allowed us to take many teams and play above their actual skill level. It has allowed us to teach the players about heart, grit, and mental toughness. It has allowed us coaches to be encouragers and believe in our players until they believed in themselves.

9. Real life application- All sports should relate to life. When we coach our football players, we strive to teach them as much about the game as we can in a 9 or 10 week season. We also strive to teach them lessons through football that relate to real life. We strive to teach lessons like the following list:  value in team work, personal responsibility, hard work, grit, having fun, being your brothers keeper, Taking Care Of Business, and love. 
Nine or ten weeks may not be that long, but I'm willing to bet that in 9 or 10 weeks we have changed some lives for the better!

10. The Stud- One good running back at the middle school level can win most games for you or kick your butt.  The game is about more than just one good player, but I'm telling you from experience... One good running back is a game changer. 

Well, that's about it for this blog post. I didn't sit and compile this list for days, weeks, months, or years. I sat down here and started typing and these 10 areas came to mind. You see, I can't squeeze 12 years of coaching football into a blog post. All the lessons learned, the good, the bad, etc. I can't fit in all the information about players that I love, big plays and games that I remember, or all the great times I've had coaching with my buddies. 

But, maybe these 10 ideas will somehow help you or at least let you step into the world of this middle school football coach for a brief moment.

Below are some stats I'm proud of during my football coaching tenure. These stats don't reflect my coaching genius, but that of a great coaching staff, great athletes, and lots of love!

• Overall 12 year football coaching record (both A and B teams): 133-35
• 3 undefeated seasons on A team and 6 undefeated B teams 
• Most points scored in a season with the least allowed (A team stats only): 240 points scored and 38 points given up (2013). In 2010 we scored 240 and gave up 42, still pretty Awesome!
• Greatest disparity: 208 scored and only 6 points allowed in a season (in 2004 when I coached at Jardine MS in Topeka)

Stats are fun to look at, but they are just stats. It's the people that making coaching fun and worthwhile.

I can say that I have put my heart into coaching football and loved it. There have been ups and downs while coaching, but that's sports (and also life). 

I want to say thank you and give some shout outs:

Thank You to my wife Laurie for always being there for me. You have allowed me to spend time away from home for practice and games for 12 years. You have allowed me to study film, watch Saturday college football and study (yes, every game is a study session for me), and spend countless hours drawing up plays. Most important, you have been there to listen to my joy and frustrations throughout this coaching experience. I love you and am grateful for all you do.

Thank you to the awesome guys I have coached with: Jeff Albers, Jason Brown, Carvel Reynoldson, Pat Buchanan, Chad Brown, and Robert Daniels. Coaching football with you guys has been a real blessing in my life. I have become a better coach and a better man because of working with each of you. You guys do more good for our youth than anyone will ever know. 

Thank you to my dad for helping me learn the game of football and also how to coach. Your influence is greater than words can state. My passion for coaching started by watching you coach. 

Thank You to Coach Robert Gonzales for helping me get the job at Shawnee Heights many years ago (even though it feels like yesterday). You are one of my best friends and a rock in my life!

Thank you to my middle school AD's: Brad Mickens and Brad Synder. I appreciate your guidance, support, and backing during my time as  a football coach.

Thank you to Coach Jason Swift for running Summer camps, Summer weights, and for supporting the middle school football program. You have always given me sage advice when I've asked for help. 

Thank You to every athlete I've coached on the football field. You are the reason I coach and love it. Watching each of you grow into young men is Awesome. I was not only your coach, but also your biggest fan!

Thank You to all the parents that invested time into our teams and into your athletes. You are the foundation for these players and I appreciate you allowing me to build upon it. 

For those of you wanting to know specifics on my offenses, too bad. Coach Brown will still be running them with great success. I may also coach football again someday and will put some beat downs on people with the offenses that we implement! So that information is still top secret people!

God Bless,

Coach P

P.S. I'm still coaching Wrestling, so no worries to all my wrestling peeps! 

The Man!

One of my favorite singers right now is +Aloe Blacc. If you don't know him, then "You gon learn today!"

Mr. Blacc has a great song out right now called "The Man". When I heard the first 10 seconds of the song, I was hooked. If you have known me very long, then you know that I love good soul music... I Love it!

I was listening to "The Man" this evening while hanging out with my 15 month old son. That's when the lyrics to the song really hit home for me. I'm a lyric guy, so I already liked the lyrics. But in an instant they took on a meaning that I hadn't previously perceived.

The song starts off saying "You can tell everybody that I'm the Man"! YES! I love that and not in a cocky way either. I love it because I believe all men should feel this way. I want every man I know to be able to look in the mirror every morning and every night and say "I'm the Man".

On T.V. today, men are often portrayed as idiots, chauvinist, terrible fathers, and bad husbands. Guess what, it's not true people. I know a lot of men that are down right great human beings. Don't get me wrong, there are some nut jobs out there and no one is perfect. But the images assigned to men today don't do us justice.

I see this song being for us men what Katy Perry's "Roar" is for woman. An anthem that fills us with pride and a sense of self worth. Not a song bragging and proclaiming I'm the man to let people know that we are awesome, but a song that allows us to say inside our heads and heart... "I'm the Man"!

The bridge of the song hits me hard every time I hear it. It hits that place that makes me pump my fist and sing along. The lyrics to the bridge go as follows...

Stand up now and face the sun
Won't hide my tail or turn and run
It's time to do what must be done
And be a King when Kingdom comes


This is what we men must do today, stand up and be Kings. I've heard it said that you can't be both pitiful and powerful at the same time. I believe this statement to be true. Men must stop tucking their tails and running when things get hard in life. They need to stand up and be strong leaders in their homes, their communities, and this great nation.

As a follower of Christ I know that my strength doesn't come from me alone, but rather from my God. I also know that my God is Strong, He's the King, He's the Man! Look at the Heroes of our Faith... Samson, David, Elijah, Paul, and Jesus (to name a few). These men were not weak and timid by any means. They were strong in the Lord. Yes, a couple of the guys on that list messed up from time to time... they are human. But, ultimately they were strong, confident in God's plan for their lives, and they didn't shrink back when they needed to stand.

As I wrap this up, I want to refer back to my 15 month old son. I want him to be strong and confident. I want him to know that God gives him strength and that he is to be a King when Kingdom comes. I want my son to stand up tall, stick out his chest, and say with confidence "I'm the Man"!

Now do yourself a favor and watch the video below!

God Bless,


Coach P

TRUE GRIT PART 2

When I wrote the blog post TRUE GRIT (Read here), I wasn't planning on writing  a part two.

To be honest, this topic is a passion of mine and I could probably write a book about it (maybe one day I will). Yet my intention in writing the original post was to share the meat of the study on Grit from Dr. Angela Duckworth and also  a few ideas of my own.

But, I have decided to write TRUE GRIT PART 2 for one simple reason... Kendric Maple. 

Kendric is a Division 1 Wrestling National Champion for Oklahoma University. He is more than just a National Champion though, he is an amazing human being, a great student, and possesses a world-class mindset. Kendric is the kind of guy that changes the atmosphere of a room for the better when he walks into it. 

He is the kind of man that people name their son's after. No really, his high school wrestling coach (Michael Church, my former college teammate) named his son after Kendric. To that I say, well done Coach Church. I can't think of a better young man to name your son after!

Kendric reads my blogs and often sends me feedback on them (thankfully it's always positive). He says he's a fan and follower, but really it's me that's a fan of his. So when he sent me the following information about Grit in a text, I felt I should share it with others in a follow up blog post (with his permission of course).

Kendric Maple's thoughts on Grit and it's connection to success in sports and life...

I completely believe in Dr. Angela Duckworth's study results, that grit is the key to success. I also feel that your input relating grit to sports, family, and life adds to its' wisdom. 

Your grit building methods are right in line with my beliefs as well. Kids ask me all the time how did I get where I am today. I've been looking for a word to give them. I knew it wasn't just about being somewhat athletic or having amazing coaches (which I did). 

It was also some desire and strength that was pushing me to the top (Grit). When I look back to think of how I got my "grittiness", I think it was everything you listed... like working hard for my dream, encouragement, and depending on God. I also learned grit from what I perceived from my dad.

As a kid I always saw my dad chasing his dreams. I saw him give up a lot of things and work above and beyond what other people were doing in order to reach them. 

So for me, the key to building grit was just finding my dream (wrestling) and I already knew how to chase it.

Thanks for the wisdom! -Kendric

AWESOME! 

I love the fact that Kendric's dad modeled grit in pursuing his dreams. This in turn has allowed Kendric to pursue his own dreams and model grit for others.

The world needs gritty people like Kendric and his Dad that have passion, big dreams, and are willing to stay the course to fulfill their dreams. This inspires everyone around them to be better and to have some TRUE GRIT!


God Bless and Boomer Sooner,


Coach P

Imperfect and Fine with it.

I'll start by saying I have a smoking hot wife that thinks I'm good look'n.

That being said, I have some Idiosyncrasies...

My right ear is bigger than my left ear.
My right leg is smaller than my left leg.
My nose is big too.

You see, I contracted this weird vegetable disorder in my ears from wrestling. It's called cauliflower ear and it can be contagious in combat sports. My right ear caught it worse than my left ear somehow.

My right leg is healthy and strong, but it has never caught up with my left leg. I had a little accident with my ACL in Jiu Jitsu a few years ago that caused my right leg to atrophy. It goes away after awhile I'm told (Yep, I workout).

My nose has always been big. At least as far back as I can remember. Breaking it multiple times during my college wrestling career didn't help anything either. Now it's big and a little lumpy.

Guess what, I'm cool with it all. Most of these issues were really self inflicted since I chose combat sports as a way of life.

I'm mostly cool with it though because my value doesn't come from perfection. My value comes from The Lord.

I do believe every person should take care of their bodies, try to be their best, and feel good about themselves.

But, our true value is more than skin deep. Our true value as people comes from from loving ourselves, loving others, and loving God.

Your imperfections don't make you imperfect. They make you unique and maybe they even have a good story behind them.

When you come to this realization, then you might just marry up and get a spouse that is out of your league like I did!

Checkout my right ear as a baby and now that I have my own baby. Dang wrestling!

God Bless,

Coach P

TRUE GRIT

Could this be the most important key to Success?

According to Dr. Angela Duckworth (Bio here),  GRIT might be the most important factor for Success in life.

Dr. Duckworth and a team of researchers intentionally traveled to some of the most challenging settings available in order to study both children and adults in search of predictors of success. The studies were conducted with two key thoughts in mind: Who would be successful in these settings and Why?

The studies were conducted on cadets at West Point,  contestants at the National Spelling bee, rookie teachers in tough neighborhoods, and employees of private companies. Data was collected in multiple areas during the studies and one characteristic stood out above the rest as a predictor of success.

The top characteristic that led to success in all the studies wasn't social intelligence, good looks, physical health, or IQ. It was plain old Grit.

So, what exactly is Grit? 

Dr. Duckworth describes grit as passion and perserverance for very long term goals. She also states that grit has the following attributes or markers:

• Stamina
• Sticking with your future day in and day out for years.
• Working really hard to make that future a reality.
• Living life like a marathon rather than a sprint.

Wow! I like it!

As a long time athlete, coach, and teacher, I believe in grit. I believe in grit and understand that is does lead to success. My dad (a long time educator/coach) always said "Standardized test can't measure a persons work ethic and intestinal fortitude. But, those are the things that make a person succeed in school, sports, and life." 

Basically he was saying what Dr. Duckworth's studies have proven... Grit leads to success.

The question left unanswered by Dr. Duckworth's study is this, How do we build grit? Dr. Duckworth says she is not sure and therefore we must be gritty about studying grit. Good answer.

Here are a few of my thoughts on building grit for yourself, your team, your family, etc. 

• Paint Vision! This means building a dream, allowing others to dream, and having a plan to reach that dream. When people can connect a dream to their passion, then they are more willing to persevere for a long period of time. Action steps also need to be attached when you are painting vision. You don't have to see every stair, but you need to know where the staircase is located.

• Encourage others and yourself. This means to literally be their courage. You need to believe in them until they can believe in themselves. You also need to believe in you, even if you don't think anyone else does. 

• Fill your mind with good. What you take in produces what comes out. 

• Last and most important in my book: Realize that you can't do everything yourself. Ask for help from people that inspire you, are good at what you want to be good at, and that care about you. Also, ask for help from God as He is truly our source of strength. God will do what you can't when you've done what you can.

God Bless,


Coach P

P.S. Below is a link to the TED Talk on Grit:
Click Here for Dr. Angela Duckworth's TED Talk on Grit

People are Watching You

People are watching you...

Okay, not like Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory, but they are watching. 

Everything you do in life matters and it speaks. You may not like it or ask for it, but people are watching you. They are watching your actions, listening to your words, and reading what you write (ahem, social media). 

You may not believe you are a leader or that what you do has any affect on anyone else. You may be like some of the Pro athletes we've seen over the years that act up and then state that they are not a role model.

Guess what? If someone is following you, then you are a leader and a role model. That someone might be your son, daughter, relative, friend, teammate, etc. Any or all of these people may be watching your life and trying to figure out how to live their own based on what they see in yours.

Let me make a couple things clear...

I don't believe you should try to impress people. I don't believe other people's opinions about you are any of your business. I don't believe you have to be perfect in life (I mess up all the time, more than I'd like to admit).

That being said, I do believe you need to be the best you can be. You need to do it for you and for the people that are watching you. I believe you need to practice excellence in everything you do because that speaks volumes!

Look at David in the Bible. Most of us know that David killed Goliath and was boost to national prominence (1 Samuel Chapter 17). David was excellent with a slingshot. He was gifted with the sling and he also trained for excellence in using it. Do you know that David was also gifted on the strings? He trained for excellence on the lyre (it's like a harp) and others were watching him. 

King Saul said to his servants "Find someone who can play the lyre well and bring him to me". One of the servants replied "I have seen the son of Jesse who knows how to play the lyre." 

Notice the servant didn't even say David's name, he called him the Son of Jesse. He might not have known David's name, but he had been watching him. He knew David was a bad dude on the lyre, he could rip up the strings! Based on the servants word, Saul sent for David. David played the lyre for Saul and Saul liked him. Saul liked him so much that he made David one of his armor bearers (1 Samuel 16). 

How did David gain the confidence of the king? He practiced excellence and his life spoke of this fact. People where watching and they liked what they saw in David. 

Overall, the point is this... practice excellence because people are watching. Your actions not only influence your world, but also the world of others whom are watching and emulating you. Practice excellence because it's the right thing to do for you and others. 

Oh yeah, you never know when someone with your exact skill set is going to be needed by the king. Practice excellence in all areas of your life and doors that you never imagined might open up for you along the way!

God Bless,

Coach P

P.S. This guy might be watching you and believing you are watching him!

Failure Cannot Happen Without Your Consent

(This is a guest post by my Dad, Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach Martin Parks!)

Failure Cannot Happen Without Your Consent!

1) What is failure? Repeated mistakes. Making mistakes but never making a change.

2) What is consent? Permission. You allow the mistake to become a part of your life.

3) What is life? The process of developmental changes. These can be physical, spiritual, and mental.

Let me make this clear, losing is not failure. However, never making the effort to understand and correct your mistakes is failure.

There will always be someone bigger, stronger, faster, or better than you in a given area. You may not win everything, but you can give yourself a chance by studying, practicing, conditioning, and trying to improve on a daily basis.

My question to you is this: "What are you doing right now to improve?"

Are you waiting on the coach to show you the magic move or trick? I will tell you right now - it does not exist. Are you waiting on your boss, mentor, pastor, etc. to give you the secret key to success? I will tell you right now- it does not exist.

If you want to improve, you must take intentional action. Below is simple action step that will lead to improvement:

Take the time to practice!

For example, if you you are a wrestler, you can be hitting your best takedown 10 times each day before and after practice. You can also work to perfect your setups and finishes for that takedown before and after practice.

This same principle applies to any arena of life where you wish to improve. Each day you can practice important skills for your job, marriage, or parenting that will lead to improvement. This practice can take place on your personal time upon waking, over lunch, or before bed. Practice is a vital factor to avoid repeating mistakes over and over, thus leading to failure. 

The point is this - YOU MUST WORK INCH BY INCH TO IMPROVE !

Failure Can Not Happen Without Your Consent. IT TAKES THE SMALL THINGS TO MAKE THE BIG THINGS HAPPEN!!!!


God Bless,


Coach Martin Parks

4 Keys to Success

One lesson I have learned and implemented over the years is this... "Find out what successful people do and follow suit."

That being said, I want to share four keys to success that Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach Martin Parks (my Dad) has incorporated into his life for years. These keys have helped Coach Parks reach success personally and with many athletes that he has coached. 

These four keys are not the only ideas that Coach Parks teaches to achieve success, but they will help you gain ground in your success journey. Keep in mind that these keys can be applied to every area of life where you desire to succeed, e.g. sports, fitness, work, marriage, and parenting. 

Key #1: Dedication

In order to be successful in any venture, you must be dedicated. Dedication separates those who merely talk about it from those who are about it. Dedication requires guts, grit, fortitude, and the ability to stick no matter the circumstances.

When you are truly dedicated, you will show up and get to work. When you are dedicated, you will do your best even when no one else is asking you to do so.

This quote about dedication by legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant says it well...

"If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards." - Paul "Bear" Bryant

Key #2: Discipline

Discipline takes effort, that is why so many people lack it. Discipline allows us to do to the little things right each day. It is kryptonite to the lazy and the secret to success for the achiever.

Discipline will allow the below average to become average, the average to move beyond average, and the above average to become great. 

Discipline can start small. For example, make your bed each morning. That is not too much to ask because it's easy and you have total control over it. This is important since as we add one discipline, it becomes easier to add another. 

"The pain of discipline is easier than the pain of regret." -Ron Reynolds

Key #3: Direction

The man without direction has no idea where he is going or when he might arrive. The wild part is that there are a great number of people that live like this each day. They wander around aimlessly and then can't understand why they aren't getting better results in their life. 

I don't believe you have to plan everything to a tee in life, but I do believe you need direction. Only God knows the plans he has for our lives, but he has also given us responsibilities that we must tend to each day. 

Living without any sense of direction is like flying with a pilot that says this to you upon departure...

"Hello this is Captain Lostman speaking, welcome aboard and thank you for flying with us today. I know you are hoping to get to Hawaii this evening and I hope so too. I don't have directions, so I'll just take off and we'll see what happens. Again Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for flying Don't Care Air, where our motto is... Well, we haven't thought that far ahead so it's whatever you want it to be."

I'm sure most of you wouldn't want to be on that plane or fly with that pilot. So why would you live your life in the same manner?

Key #4: Desire

This one is on you. Other people can help you with dedication, discipline, and direction. But, desire lives in your heart and only you can fan that flame. 

My Dad has often said this about coaching... "Sometimes you will want it more than your athletes." After 13 years of coaching, I know this to be true in a number of instances. This doesn't only apply to coaching, it applies to life. 

Some people have no desire to do what it takes to succeed. They want to, they would like to, it sounds like a good idea, but they don't have the desire it takes to actually succeed. 

Desire is that burning passion in your heart that wakes you up each morning and gets you out of bed. Desire creates the voracious attitude that keeps you employing dedication, discipline, and direction each day. Desire makes you keep going when the going gets tough. 

When you have desire, you will go above and beyond the call of duty to succeed. Therefore I implore you to fan the flame of desire today!


There you have it, the four keys to success: Dedication, Discipline, Direction, and Desire!

I challenge you to apply the 4 keys to Success in your life and work toward becoming your best you this year!

God Bless,

Coach P

"Blessing Marks"

(This is the first guest post by my lovely and intelligent wife Laurie. She's a bad mamajama!) 

I have been married for 11 ½ years and I am a mom of three children. It was a few months ago that I realized I had done the unthinkable…neglected to have professional family photos taken!  

Don’t get me wrong, I have had photos taken of my children, but never any PROFESSIONAL FAMILY photos.  For years, our family photo consisted of my sister taking a photo, usually with our iPhone. (Honestly with three kids, I am lucky to get out of the house with shoes on, let alone remember my nice camera.) We would all stand together and beg the kids to smile. Yelling “cheese” over and over, while my mom, or other family member, would hop around in the background trying to get their attention.

Exhibit A

I probably would have stayed in my “non-traditional, anti-family photo” mode, had it not been for my sweet friend Jacqueline. She was working on expanding her photography business and was looking for families to photograph. I hesitated at her offer, but eventually accepted for three reasons. 

First, Jacqueline is one of those people that would do anything to help a friend. If letting her take photos of my family helps her business, I’m in. Second, she is a joy to be around. This gave me an excuse to see her, even if it was only for a few hours. Third, my kids and husband are drop-dead gorgeous. I was causing a major disservice to them and our Facebook community by not allowing them to be photographed.  (Me? A little biased?  Duh!)

After completing the photo session, Jacqueline said she would have the photos edited within a few weeks.  My husband Chad and I were like two kids at Christmas, anxiously waiting to see the finished product. I was in bed when the first two “sneak-peak” photos popped up on my Facebook notifications. I was overcome with so much joy as I looked into the eyes of these precious, perfect babies staring back at me. 

Everything was beautiful about these photos and I studied each in detail. I memorized each photo! Every line of their face, every precious dimple, every hair out of place that somehow managed to look perfect. Every long dark eyelash and crooked little tooth. Every brilliant shade of those insanely gorgeous blue eyes and every cracked little lip (cause her Mommy forgot to pack the Chap Stick). The more I gazed at these perfect little faces, the more obsessed I was to see more. I just knew our entire family portfolio was going to be exactly like these…perfect. 

          

A few days later, we were sent another “sneak-peak” photo. This time, it was a photo of the girls and me.  Now before I discuss the photo, let me be real with you. I hate having my photo taken as I am rarely satisfied with what I see. Here is my internal dialog when I look at a photo of myself... “I look too pale.  Why does my head look so big?  My hair looks too flat/puffy/greasy/grey etc. Why didn't someone tell me how ugly that outfit is?  My nose is so long, I’m surprised I haven’t poked Chad’s eye out! That angle makes my stomach pooch look like I am pregnant. Is my butt really that big?”  

Now, I know all of those statements are silly and vain, and I’m not proud of them. However, those are the lies that I heard in my head. 

Okay, back to the photo. I click on the image to enlarge it. I begin to examine it, just as I had done with the previous photos of my daughters. Next, I zoom in on my face and sit stunned, thinking...“Who is that old lady? What happened to my eyes?!?!  My eye lids are all droopy!  And, what’s with all the wrinkles and lines?  When did that happen?!?!”  I looked at the photo at few more moments, then quietly said to myself, “Well, at least my teeth look really white.” (spoken like a true Dentists daughter)     

The next day I decided to view the photo on my computer instead of my phone. I enlarged the photo to full-screen size so I could really study it. The photo had been on my mind all day.  As I looked, I still saw the wrinkles and lines. Only now, they were enlarged to full-screen size!  

It was in that moment, that I felt the Lord speaking to me. “My beautiful, precious child. I love you no matter what. I look at you the same way you look at the photos of your girls. I know every line of your face.  Every color in your eyes.  Every hair on your head.  Every tone of your skin.  Every smile line.  Every laugh line.  My love for you is endless, pure, and perfect.”  

As I let the truth set in, I began to look at the photo differently. Those lines and wrinkles didn't symbolize old age and ugliness. No! They symbolized years of blessings and unending love from my savior, Jesus Christ! In that moment, a new joy and perspective came over my heart. What a beautiful photo of a mother and her precious children!  My face full of pure joy, as my sweet daughters bless me with kisses. Just as I believed my photos would be...perfect. 

Now when I look at this photo, I see what I have dubbed “my blessing marks” and what those lines symbolize. Those lines symbolize the grace God has shown me, in my hours of despair. The forgiveness He has given me, when no one else would or could. The gift He has given me in my husband, who helped save my spiritual life. The comfort He has given me with the unexpected loss of a child. The joy He has given me as we welcomed three beautiful children into this world. The passion He has given me for my husband, children and family.  Finally, the greatest blessing of all, my salvation. 

It is my prayer that when you look at your “blessing marks,” you are reminded of how much Jesus loves you and you can say, “Jesus loves me, wrinkles and all.”

May God Bless You,

Laurie

   

3 Quick Thoughts

You cannot be Powerful and Pitiful at the same time.

Faith trumps Fear.

Never take encouragement lightly as it carries with it a significant weight.