The Only Agenda

'Don't use your talent and be average.'

"You have to have talent.
I can't give a player talent.
That's something you inherit. It's a gift.
Don't use your talent and be average.
Your talent is a gift - don't waste it.
Average doesn't win. It's excellence." pic.twitter.com/woE8NJaT2M

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) April 18, 2025

"Learn a few quotes while young. "That which we are, we are, and if we are to be any better now is the time to begin." - Tennyson

Coaches can't make anyone a great player. Coaches show players the path and players decide whether that is for them.

Everything is a choice. 

• Do I eat that sugary treat?
• Do I exercise/work out? 
• Do I get eight hours of sleep? 
• Do I study with focus and intent? 
• Do I carry out my chores at home well and on time?
• Do I invest even three minutes in mindfulness? 

Your coaches can't do any of the above for you. How you do anything is how you do everything. Excellence is a choice, your only agenda in team sports. 

Lagniappe. "Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." - Werner Herzog

What's on your bookshelf? I just finished "The Program" by Erik Kapitulik and Jake MacDonald. I'm rereading parts of "Luck" by Ed Smith, former selector for English National Cricket. I'm trying out an audio book from Hoopla (online via Melrose Public Library and the BPL.org) "Uncultured" by Daniella Young (about growing up in a commune/cult). 

"The difference between who we are now and the people we become in five years is the people we meet and the books we read."