Approach

BLOG POST - Approach

A few years ago we brought in a guest speaker to our football team – Jenna Everhart – and she talked about approach. Her speech stayed with me and over the years I’ve really used what she spoke about in my everyday life and it became apparent to me how important approach can be. If we can anticipate how and when things are going to happen, then we have a better chance of a successful endeavor and we will enjoy the experience much more.

Every job has its difficulties and mine is no different. I live a dream and get to coach football for a living and impact young people, but it comes with a cost. Any time you have 100 plus people in your organization, you are going to have a lot of issues that come up. Especially with 18 – 22 year olds who are trying to figure out how to be adults. Roughly 90% of my days are loaded with difficult situations and issues that come up unexpectedly, while 10% of my days go smoothly and work out just right.

When I first started my job, I would get angry when unexpected situations would throw me off of my routine and I could not get the work done I planned to get done. So that means that I was angry 90% of the time! My approach was to expect each day to go as I had planned, but it would get interrupted almost every day. Because I anticipated smooth days where I could get work done and not be interrupted, I was constantly angry and defeated by the normal daily interruptions that were bound to occur.

Being successful is hard! It’s extremely difficult to be successful, achieve goals, and every parent knows how hard it is to keep your sanity. So why not anticipate things to be difficult? Why not go into your day or your job with an approach that you are going to face difficulties and challenges and have a plan to overcome them? I started expecting my day to be completely interrupted and when it did, I would find a solution. That way 90% of my days were just normal because I approached each day expecting difficult situations and I was ready to overcome them. The other 10% of my days felt great because I would get a lot of work done and had no interruptions or difficulties.

If you are working towards a goal, trying to be the best parent you can be, or just trying to do your best at work, then you are bound to face difficulty along the way. Approach each day with an expectation that you are going to face difficult situations. When they show up – as they inevitably do – have a plan ready to overcome the challenge and find a solution. I love using a self-talk phrase for this! Have a phrase you say to yourself every time one of these difficult situations comes up. For example, right now when difficult situations arise I tell myself, “Always strong, always positive, always a growth mindset.” If you don’t face a difficult situation, then celebrate a little bit at the end of the day and feel grateful that you had a great day!

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