MVB - Touching Daily Milestones Fuels Long-Term Dreams "How You Do Anything"

"Champions do extra." - James Kerr in Legacy

One success equation is:

ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME

What you accomplish over decades is the sum of your daily inputs. Break it into smaller parts. 

1. Take care of yourself. Get at least seven hours of sleep every day. 

2. "Always do your best." Our best won't always be "the best" but it leaves no space for regret. 

3. THINK. This is harder. When speaking, leave more metaphorical room between hearing and responding. THINK =

True - is it true?

Helpful - make it helpful?

Inspiring - elevate others

Necessary - say what must be said

Kind - "it is better to be kind than smart"

4. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read nonfiction. Read fiction. Read quality prose, quality content as part of the process of better thinking. Study great thinkers like Penn's Adam Grant. 

Investing even a half-hour in extra reading a day adds up. One of the greatest books I've ever read was The Boys in the Boat, which weaves a tapestry among the Depression, the 1936 US Olympic crew team, and the rise of fascism during the early 1930s. 

5. Learn every day. Learn better. Sit down and take a course on learning (I did). 

What does any of this have to do with MVB? 

• How you do anything is how you do everything. 
• Invest your time don't spend it. 
• Don't cheat the drill. 
• Be a great teammate every day. 
• Become the hardest worker. 

Melrose volleyball graduates have achieved immense success after high school. They earned that by following the 'simple' principles above. 

Lagniappe. Different organizations with the same function operate radically differently. In the Navy Medical Corps, we were told not to run at lunch because the patients could be upset seeing doctors not doing core work, seeing patients. On loan to the Army at the old Walter Reed, I was told, "Doc, you run at lunch. Everyone commits to PT." Commit to being in great condition. 

In the postseason, if a team has a less robust offense, expect it to have a tough defense. Expect to play longer points. If a team has a dominant offense, they may have a vulnerable defense. Every point has offense, defense, and conversion (exchange of possession). Serving is the only part of volleyball a team fully controls.