Fast Five: Becoming Our Best

"There are two kinds of best, THE best and YOUR best." - Kevin Eastman

As a young (baseball) player, I dreamed of playing college baseball and making it to the College World Series. As a walk-on Harvard freshman (frosh ineligible for varsity at that time), I pitched batting practice for a team that went to Omaha. That's the closest I got to Omaha. Talent matters. 

1. We all need a process to get there. It starts with attitude. Are you ON the team or FOR the team?

2. Become  Matthew Kelly's "Better Version" of yourself. We can all improve. But it starts with process and that starts with habits. What's your plan to improve today? 

3. When in doubt: THINK. 

4. How do you know if you're improving? Measure it. Think SMART goals...specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely. 

5. Plan your work; work your plan. During Pulmonary training (lung disease), we used to talk about the Bruce Jenner Protocol - diet, exercise, sleep, supplements (meds), meaning (something to work for). I am NOT mocking Caitlyn Jenner, just providing historical reference. If you have GOLD MEDAL DREAMS, then you need a GOLD MEDAL PLAN. 

A young player (from Nigeria) sought my advice online. Here's part of the conversation. 

How can I match my work to my dreams.?

Commitment, discipline, and measurement. Are you spending time (e.g. video games) or investing it (reading, working out, studying your area of interest)? Read TWO hours a day and in 3 months that's 180 hours of expertise that the next person doesn't get (40 percent of Americans NEVER read a book).

that's a start...measure it...if you take 100 free throws are you making 90? Are you getting better month by month? Measure what you do.

Do you contain people off the dribble, deny cuts to the ball, block out, set great screens, communicate on D, take charges, get 50-50 balls, limit turnovers, find open teammates, set up your cuts, play hard all the time? Do you make teammates better? Are you a great teammate? You can be.