Crush ‘em! Kill ‘em! Gooooooooooooo!!! Fight!!!! Win!!!!
If you’ve ever been to any sporting event, I’m sure you’ve heard these or similar sentiments shouted from sidelines and stadium stands. The anxiety and adrenaline simultaneously rise within you. You feel your blood rushing through your veins and your heart bursting through your chest as your home team crosses the finish line, scores the winning goal, or makes a final touchdown—but what happens when they lose? Do you drop them like a hot potato or approach the situation with a “you’ll-get-‘em-next-time” mentality? The same questions can be asked at non-sporting events. When faced with a tough loss, how do you remain hopeful and optimistic? How do you keep searching for the sunshine when you may be in the middle of a storm? And how do you encourage others to do the same? Coach.
Coaching is not limited to the field, but rather can and should be applied to our daily lives. Growing up, we’re all taught how life should be: peaceful, happy, limitless, but the reality is that this simply is not the case for many individuals. From divorce, violence, and homelessness to heartbreak, a bad grade, and low self-esteem, the reality is that life comes with a number of ups and downs, and we can either let these moments defeat us or lift us higher. Sometimes we get crapped on, but even flowers need manure to bloom. In order to push through, we have to learn how to coach ourselves through difficult moments. Essentially, we have to learn to be our own coaches so we can be a better coach to someone else.
In order to be the coach you both want and need to be, I suggest you follow these four steps:
Step One: Take a deep breath. When I’m angry or upset, I start to get emotional. I can feel my blood boiling beneath my skin and my voice getting shakier and shakier. Has that ever happened to you? Well in those moments I find it best to relax and calm down by focusing on my breathing. During times of stress and frustration, think of your negative emotions as toxins, and in order to heal, you must rid your body of them. Inhale that negativity and remove it from your system as you exhale. Once you feel at ease, go to…
Step Two: Recognize the source. Ask yourself, “what’s bringing me down?” Is your best friend getting on your nerves? Is a school assignment not turning out the way you intended? Are your teammates upset that you missed the winning shot? Once you’ve identified the source, move on to…
Step Three: Reclaim your power. When we allow an assignment or people to upset us, we give them the power to control us. When we let people affect us, we give them our energy. Don’t. This is probably the most difficult step to follow, but it makes all the difference. When you allow someone to get the best of you, you let them win. Don’t. Remember your worth. Remember your power. Don’t stoop to their level. Don’t let anything dim your spirit. Instead, let your light shine. Once you’ve done that, finish with…
Step Four: Just keep swimming. Remember, the storm only lasts for so long, and sometimes these storms are simply tests of our faith and tests of our character. If you stumble and fall, it’s fine to recognize that it hurt, but you must get up and keep moving. You have work to do, lives to touch, and adventures to experience. Believe in yourself and encourage yourself because at the end of the day, you’re all you’ve got!
Kermit Says... 