Most of my friends know me as a basketball coach, a basketball junkie. Some might even say a "basketball lifer" although I feel in some respects my life is just beginning.
But it is where life started: On the first day of Dad's summer basketball camp.
It's where life was nurtured: My sister and I took naps in the ball cage as infants.
And it is where I was raised: After school I walked across the street to watch my dad's team practice.
I did homework on the scorer's table while dad lectured his teams, about basketball, yes, but mostly about life and character and being a good human being. Whether he realized it or not, he was lecturing me too.
Then I went to college and played basketball and listened to another Hall of Fame coach lecture about basketball, but mostly about life and character and being a good human being.
The two most influential men in my life both coached basketball. But both believed their true calling was to invest in and develop people. Basketball was the vehicle to speak to a deeper mission.
That's what I was raised to believe: A coach is a teacher.
And that - coaching - has been ingrained in my DNA.
Playing basketball is fun.
Winning games is fun.
Competition is fun.
But if you're only trying to win games, it becomes a shallow pursuit. If it doesn't change your life, does it really matter?
Or more importantly, it will change your life if you are fully engaged in it. Is it changing it for better or for worse?
Our experiences are constantly shaping our brains and the narrative we tell ourselves about the world, about who we are, and about who we are becoming. How we think about and interpret those experiences will change the way act, react, behave, and decide.
So, as I reflect on my journey, I notice that every great transformation in my life started with one shift:
A change in the way I think.
Sure, the self-disciplines added, the habits broken or rebuilt, and the community involved aided those transformations, but all of those actions followed a change in thinking.
The realization for me became: If I want to make a lasting impact on people's lives, it has to start with helping them shift the way they think.
Shift the way you think
Transform the way you live
Playing, pursuing winning, and competing reveal truths that transcend basketball. They transcend sports. They transcend any one sector of life.
Truth is truth.
Whether it's found in sports, at work, or at home; whether it's applied to developing yourself, leading your family, or engaging in community; it knows no bounds.
But...
I'm tired of the regurgitated self-help library.
I'm tired of the same old leadership fads.
I'm tired of hearing about the 3 easy steps to changing your life.
Here's 1 step to changing your life:
Change the way you think.
It's not always easy.
But it's worth it.