The EASY vs. The HARD

Great Teams - Better Leaders - 123. 1 Thought; 2 Quotes; 3 Tweets. Newsletter about Leadership, Culture, Teams, and Success.

ONE THOUGHT...

First: We have over 100+ NEW Subscribers! Thanks to all 436 of you who are receiving this newsletter! I hope to make these newsletters meaningful for you all. Now, to my thought...

Life is always about choices. Many times these choices come down to an EASY Choice vs a HARD Choice.

Below is a wonderful poem about these choices from legendary basketball coach, Don Meyer.

The Easy and the Hard:

Sarcasm is easy. Sincerity is hard.

Reaction is easy. Action is hard.

Following is easy. Leading is hard.

Losing is easy. Winning is hard.

Talking is easy. Listening is hard.

Flab is easy. Muscle is hard.

Lying is easy. Truth is hard.

Sleeping is easy. Waking is hard.

Falling is easy. Getting up is hard.

Criticizing is easy. Taking criticism is hard. 

Letting go is easy. Hanging on is hard.

Pride is easy. Humility is hard.

Thoughtless is easy. Thoughtful is hard.

Dumb is easy. Smart is hard. 

Cowardice is easy. Courage is hard.

– Don Meyer

Coach Don Meyer reminds us that nothing worthwhile in this world comes easy.

Unfortunately, too many people tend to look for the easy way out of doing things. They want a quick fix. It just does not exist.

There is no substitute for hard work.

My favorite saying, which is the mantra for our entire basketball program, is:

No Deposit - No Return.

Which means...

Here’s a reminder that no one has yet found a way to get something for nothing. All worthwhile goals come at a price, and the coins with which we pay are concentration, persistence and desire.

You get out of everything that you put into it. And the great reward in this life is for those who understand this, do the work, do it the right way, be persistent, be humble, stretch and grow, and become great. They do the HARD.

Great players have made their deposits and they reap the benefits of the return. Great coaches have put in the time and hard work. They model this to their athletes and have success because of it.

I call it "Relentless Consistency". Create positive daily habits and then do these habits longer and more consistently than anyone else.

Many people only see the end result of all of this hard work, but they do not see the time, work, and incredible effort that goes into it behind the scenes. They pass this greatness off as just raw talent or a gift. The reality is...great players may have been given a baseline of talent that allowed them the potential to be good, but that greatness is always earned through the grind, the work, and the day-to-day effort that these athletes put into their craft.

They live in the HARD.

Life is about choices. And each choice we have can be easy or hard. When in doubt, make the hard choice. Choose to: Be Sincere, Take Action, Show Leadership, Have a Winning Attitude, Listen, Gain Muscle, Tell the Truth, Wake Up, Get Up When you are Knocked Down, Take Criticism, Hang On, Be Humble, Be Thoughtful, Be Smart, and Be Courageous.

Always remember to live in the HARD. Nothing worthwhile comes EASY. When in doubt, choose the HARD.

TWO QUOTES...

"If you know what your virtues, values, standards, philosophies, and non-negotiables are in your life. Your life will change forever." - Steve Weatherford

"People are not going to follow you as a leader unless you show them that you're real. They are not going to believe you unless they trust you. And they are not going to trust you unless you always tell them the truth and admit when you were wrong."Mike Krzyzewski

THREE TWEETS FROM OTHERS...

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  • No Deposit - No Return80-8 Rule

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