The Stories We Tell

Every day we tell ourselves a story. "Everyone is necessarily the hero of their own story."

Some are "if only" or "if I ruled the world" stories. Being firmly grounded isn't always helpful. 80 percent of people say they are better than average drivers. The 20 percent who do not have higher rates of depression.

Morgan Housel writes that pessimism is seductive. It's easier to believe the narrative that this or that will fail than the "Hakuna Matata" optimism story.

All the great coaches I know lived in the positivity space, even when they saw something else.

As a player, you can only be as good as your self-belief. Rick Pitino wrote a book, "Success is a choice." The most successful students leverage some ability with great process. The most successful players usually have a measure of athleticism and physical gifts (e.g. size) with acquired, hard-earned skill.

Coaches want motivated, ambitious players. The player who shows up for optional skill development, who commits to strength and conditioning, and studies the game is a magnet for coaches.

There's a saying about the 'curse of unlimited potential'. So many athletes without 'the golden arm' could only dream about having it. When you have a gift, find the motivation.

Lagniappe. Your story starts with belief. The future MVB athlete was twelve, leaving for a graduation ceremony. She said, "I promise that I will be the valedictorian someday." She kept the promise.