How Much Do You Want to Succeed?

How do we define success? 

Coach John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" does as good a job as any, recognizing you worked diligently to become your best version. Coach Wooden's UCLA basketball teams won nine national championships in a ten-year period. 

It's worth studying the pyramid, noting hard work (industriousness) and joy (enthusiasm) as the cornerstones, and the triad of conditioning, skill, and team spirit the core. Faith and patience (belief and time) flank the top. Greatness takes time. 

What's your goal? There is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer for an individual, but for the team, set the bar high. Without ambition, high achievement is unlikely. 

Actor Samuel L. Jackson advises that you, "present the best version of yourself." If you do that consistency, you might not land this role, but it increases the chance of getting the next. 

Making the team matters, but most players want a contributing role on the court. You should know that practicing hard every day to make teammates and starters better counts a lot. 

But why not train with the intent of becoming a starter? Coach Scott Celli plays the players who fit together the best to help the team win. That has always been the case. 

Why not compete to become an All-League player or even more? If that's important to you, go for it. 

What is your level of commitment? Elite athletes do not look like the rest of us or train like the rest of us. They "obsess the product." LeBron James spends a million dollars a year on nutrition and training! He sleeps twelve hours a day. 

Here's the deal. To maximize your chances improve:

• Skill - that gets and keeps you on the floor
• Strategy - know the game, what succeeds and fails
• Physicality - get quicker, faster, stronger, more explosive
• Psychology - maximize focus, resilience, competitive drive 

What does that mean practically?

• Play volleyball. 
• Build general (e.g. platform) and specific skills (e.g. attacking, blocking) appropriate to your position. 
• Work on the athletic skills (e.g. jumping) outlined here every day. 
• Consider a home mindfulness program of 10-15 minutes a day. It's online and it's free.

The Fourth Agreement is "always do your best." Our best may not be THE best, but it frees us from regret. 

Lagniappe. You don't need a full-sized gym and net to work on footwork. Challenge yourself to work on footwork and foot quickness every day. Success is your choice.