March Madness

Ahhh...March, the mad month to experience agony and ecstasy. March Madness is the concentrated hype of 65 invited teams (64 for women) vying for college basketball's biggest prize--the National Championship. This is the month when millions of American sports fans remain glued to their television sets beginning on March 11 aka "Selection Sunday" through the first week in April when the final two men's teams battle it out in Atlanta and the final two women's teams do the same in Cleveland for the National Championship title. Over the course of the upcoming weeks, fans will pore over the NCAA brackets, cheer on their favorite basketball team to victory and sweat, cry and scream during those last-second, buzzer-beating baskets. There is a roller-coaster ride of emotions during any given game--the euphoria of winning to play another day to the agony of losing and going home. San Antonio plays host to the semifinals so in the coming weeks there will be basketball-buzz in the air and on the streets of the Alamo City.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!
There is nothing quite like the NCAA Basketball Tournament with its blaring bands, screaming fans, bright lights and announcer Dick Vitale's creative use of the English language (i.e., "diaper dandies" and "dow joneser" among others). It is single elimination basketball where every team has a chance to grab some glory and make their mark in basketball history. There's the hype of legendary powerhouse teams like Duke and North Carolina and the surprise upsets caused by the Cinderella teams like last season's George Mason University.

Common to each and every team playing for the final game next month is Goal Setting (not to be confused with goal tending). Each team has set a goal and has been dedicated to achieving their goal. Every young man and woman has put in long, sweaty hours of hard work to get to where they are today. Each player has practiced free shots until he could do them with his eyes closed. Each has run miles and miles up and down the court this season. Players have pored over tapes of their own plays as well as those of the opposing teams. Every team has a coach who has drilled and shaped them into a lean, mean, basketball-rebounding machine. As you read this issue I invite you to think about what you can do to set the stage to achieve your own personal championship this year.

Eyes on the Prize
In his book "Think and Grow Rich" Napolean Hill stated that the starting point of all achievement is desire: "Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat." With this thought in mind, the first step in goal setting and achieving your dreams is to become very clear about why you want to achieve a particular goal. Ask yourself these questions: What will my future life be like when I achieve my goal? What will change in my life? How will I be different? When you are clear about your reasons for making a change in your life and you become aware of the benefits of your future self, you will be more likely to work towards achieving your goal, particularly when things become difficult. Keeping your eyes on the prize or envisioning your future self, will help you stay focused and motivated. If you can't picture yourself achieving your goal, chances are you won't.

Put Me In Coach!
Moving from the relative safety of the bench to becoming a participating player requires you to be willing to take risks and to learn some new moves. When you decide to participate in achieving your goals you are willing to sweat a bit and learn some new plays in order to move you closer to your goal. A good coach uses strategy and provides fluid, instructional steps to his players to help them become their best. Just as any player knows how to read and interpret the coach's X's and O's, achieving your own goals is easier when you design your own play-by-play moves. What this means is breaking down your big goal into attainable mini action steps. Create a blueprint of your goal and identify the steps you need to take in order to get there. Take some time to develop your gameplan and commit to your goal by putting it in writing. When you put your goals in writing and outline the steps you need to take to achieve the goal, you make a deeper commitment to goal attainment than simply letting the words pass through your lips. As you create your gameplan, think about the equipment you may need to help you to stay in the game. Once you complete your goal and gameplan, make several copies of it and post it in areas where you will be able to reflect on it often in your day and before you go to bed at night.

The Magic of Cinderella
The NCAA tournament is known for its tradition of Cinderella stories--these are the lower seeded, underdog teams that appear overmatched but make an inspiring run and achieve unexpected success. Miraculously, the team pulls together as a whole, working in sync in order to beat the odds to win. Each player exhibits steady persistence in spite of the obstacles placed before him. Hard work goes into being an athlete and hard work goes into creating the life you desire. Perseverance is required to achieve your dreams, on or off the court. Perseverance means "steady and steadfast persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief or a purpose." Hanging in there and maintaining focus on your purpose or goal is easier when you have others around you who offer encouragement and support. A good team remains focused on their goal whether it means gutting through a tough workout or winning the game in overtime. Finding team members who will be there to cheer you on with encouraging words or give you a boost when you are struggling to keep your eyes on your particular ball is key to your success. Not one Cinderella player would be at the Ball without the other team members. Who can you recruit to be on your team this season?

Check Your Stats
The selection committee reviews the stats of the college teams before determining which ones will be invited to the Big Dance. Fans compare the number of wins v. losses of the teams as when they complete their office bracket pools. Keeping track of your stats as you progress toward your goal achievement is important as well. Often we forget to celebrate our small achievements and focus only on the big prize. It is easy to become disillusioned by slow progress, however, each day offers you an opportunity to learn about what is and isn't working. If you feel you are not making progress, then experiment, make a change and see what happens. Returning to the basketball analogy, imagine if a player wanted to work on improving his poor free throw percentage but he never changed his stance or release. Chances are his percentage would not improve. Instead, if he played around with different foot and hand release positions, reviewed films of his technique and made changes accordingly, his free throw shooting would likely improve. In relation to your own goal, think about what you may need to alter to create the results you desire. There are always going to be peaks and valleys in the course of a game or season and there will be times when you won't be "in the zone"--instead of throwing in the towel, regroup, reanalyze and get back in the game.
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Thought for the Day: Alright sports fans-- Are you ready to gather your team, create your gameplan and join the game? If you need some help from the sidelines, be sure to give this coach a call. Good luck to your favorite NCAA team and wishing you the best in your personal game this month!

"The game is my life. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace. "
---Michael Jordan