Big Picture Thinking (next post 9/21)

Do you ever feel bogged down by the to-do list?  It seems like no matter how hard we try, the list just keeps growing.  Even on the rare and glorious days when the list gets completed, it's way too easy to look ahead and begin thinking or even taking care of some of the things on tomorrow's list.

I heard this illustration last week, and even if you've heard it before as well, it's worth thinking about again.  Three stone cutters were working side by side, and each of them was asked, "What are you doing right now?"

The first said, "I'm cutting these stones".  The second, "I'm earning a paycheck."  The last one replied, "I'm building a cathedral."

The point here is easy enough to catch.  All three were being completely honest, giving answers that were 100% true.  But which one of these workers do you think was most motivated?  Which one was most likely to press on through adversity?  Which one did the highest quality of work?

In the world we live in, with all the demands placed on those who coach young people, it's not hard to get caught up in the frustrations that inevitably come.  But it certainly could help to ask ourselves questions like these: when you're on the practice field, or on the sideline on game day, are you blowing a whistle?  Are you drawing up plays?  Are you checking paperwork, taking inventory of equipment, dealing with rulebreakers, folding socks, sorting through 50 emails from parents and administrators, or watching film?  Are you earning a paycheck?  Or are you building men and women who will change the world?

80's Lyric

So when you sense a change
Nothing feels the same
All your dreams are strange, love comes walkin' in

- Van Hagar (1986)