If It's Easy, It Probably Isn't Worth It

Sorry it's been a couple of days since my last post, but I was EXTREMELY worn out from all the football games that took place Saturday...in 95 degree heat.  I wasn't quite sure what to write about until I glanced over at ESPN.com and read a couple of articles.  The article centers around the University of Texas' quarterback battle.  Any college football junkie can tell you that quarterbacking at UT is a very...very big deal.  The story was about Garrett Gilbert and how he had to actually win his starting job back.http://espn.go.com/colleges/texas/story/_/id/6901299/leading-mattered-most-garrett-gilbert-remain-texas-starting-quarterback
So hold up, you're telling me that you DESERVE to start.  This is your third year of college so the job is AUTOMATICALLY yours?  In other words, you don't have to WORK for it...ok, I see you ESPN.  Let's give the youth more of a sense of entitlement.  Now don't get me wrong, I feel as if everyone who plays a sport, no matter how long you have been around, still is subject to competition.  Now does Gilbert deserve to take all of the blame for UT's poor record in 2010...no, I don't think so.  Should his job as the starting quarterback for the University of Texas be up for grabs...yeah, it should.  This is a lesson that I think every child, kid and teenager could use.  Garrett Gilbert "chose" to go to the University of Texas.  This is a decision that he should stick with.  The lesson that should be learned is that, even though there are tough times, and these tough times may be because of YOUR own decisions...you have to put on your big boy/girl pants at some point and deal with it.  The easy route for Gilbert would be to transfer to another school and parlay his past accomplishments into a starting job.  But Gilbert, to me, demonstrated what I believe H.E.A.R.T to be.  He has enough (in my mind) attitude to say, "I'm not going to quit, and you can't make me".  The resilience he showed after almost leading his team to a National Championship, to quarterbacking a losing record the next year, to having to EARN his job back, proves that he can bounce back from any set back.  I think the toughness speaks for itself...Garrett Gilbert stuck with his decision and dealt with the consequences.  I respect him for toughing out the hard times and driving forward.  This is a lesson that young and impressionable kids take to H.E.A.R.T and apply in their own lives when the time comes...instead on transferring out, quitting or just giving up.  NEVER GIVE UP.

Sometimes, It's Just Not About You....

If at some point in your life you played a team sport, you have either run into or may have been, that individual who could care less about the team goals and just went for self...These individuals may or may not "get" the TEAM concept and it is this difference in philosophies which will either cause the team or the individual (possibly both) to crash and burn.  I constantly hear people talk about sports being a metaphor for life, and they don't really explain their thoughts clearly.  To me, as an athlete in Grade School, High School and College, I honestly didn't feel that way.  Now that I look back at not only my athletic career but life as an adult, I truly believe that sports can be used as a metaphor for life.  IF, the metaphor is reasonable and relevant to the individuals current situation.  Example, if I told you that the two free throws you have to make at the end of the game, to win the game are a "life and death" situation...well, then I'm going a little too far and this isn't truly the case.  Because unlike death (where you DON'T come back), there will probably be another game where you can redeem yourself.  On the other hand, there are situations where a sports metaphor is true and can be used to see your current situation in a sports theme.  Let's take for instance me and my wife Lindsay.  There is no doubt that we are a team...no doubt in my mind.  Whatever I do affects her and whatever she does affects me.  We work together for common goals and we help each other with our individual goals as well.  We're also there for support and motivation.  I'm bringing up the theme of sports metaphors in real life because I had to use it Wednesday to ensure that my wife Lindsay had a great day off of work.  You see, my wife loves to be outdoors and hike.  I'm more of a city person, but I don't mind being outside; I just don't love it as much as my wife does (*BLOGGER NOTE* Everything in brackets is how I feel sports metaphors relate to real life).  So my wife wanted to hike to Marlette Lake up near Tahoe.  If you have ever been, you would know that this hike is 4.5 miles all uphill...so, we're looking at a 9.0 mile hike round trip (just like 2 adays).  This is what my wife wanted to do and while I wanted to spend time with her, I also wanted to make her happy during the process (team cohesion).  What you don't know is that we actually tried this hike about a month ago and I basically had enough after 1.5 miles...I actually quit, it was that rough (quitters never win, winners never quit).  I knew Lindser was upset but took the high road and didn't really complain about it.  I knew I had to get my shit in order in the next couple of weeks so I could make this hike (dedication and resilience).  So I worked out harder the next few weeks, weight training, running, plyometrics, whatever (voluntary summer workouts) to get in better shape to complete this hike (giving my TEAM the best chance to win).  So we went on this hike Wednesday 24AUG11, and it went as planned.  We both made it, so did our dogs and it was a great view.  Were there times that I wanted to quit again...sure, but I would be letting down my TEAM and at some point you have to pull up your skirt, grab your nuts and say, "fuck it, it's going to hurt but it's not going to hurt forever".  And that's what I did, and we had a great hike and Lindser had a great day off (Win).  Although most people have misguided views on winning and losing, in my opinion its not about the win or loss column, it's about how much effort and how far you are willing to go to achieve a win.  The "W" is mostly the results of the hard work that you have put in for you or your team (depending on the sport), but it's not about the destination, it's about the journey and the lessons you have learned before you get to your destination.  That hike wasn't about me, it was about my wife and making her day off the best day off she ever had.  This is a lesson that I learned from sports, even though at the time I learned it, I didn't even realize that I had.  So remember, if you look at the big picture, it doesn't matter what the wins or losses column says.  It matters how big is your H.E.A.R.T is and how that translates into the effort you gave to achieve your or your teams goal(s).  Play hard, play with H.E.A.R.T.

Words of Wisdom from Chad Davis

For the past four years I worked for one of the smartest, hardest working individuals I have ever met.  He didn't take shit from anyone and he most certainly never gave up on anything.  While working together he would counsel individuals who needed his guidance and just about every single week (if not day) there was at least one person who wanted to quit or give up.  Since Chad Davis doesn't believe in quitting or giving up, he wasn't about to nurture these feelings the individual had and allow them to quit.  He considered himself the "motivation officer" of our company.  Chad would continuously tell these people that, "if you quit today, you are setting a precedence for the rest of your life".  Some people see it, and some people don't.  That precedence that they were attempting to set was that of quitting when it starts to get tough.  I say that to say this, everybody is going to encounter something, someone or some situation that is unpleasant...if you quit, avoid or run away from these instances, you always will.  At some point you have to pull up your skirt, grab your nuts and say, "f-it", let's get it done.  If you don't you will always be a doormat and the dreams you want to achieve will be just that...dreams.

Nick Gavin

A couple of days ago, one of my Mom's and I were emailing each other back and forth.  She told me about how my little brother had made the Dean's List (I'm not surprised, he's a real smart dude, sometimes he's just a little lazy) and how he planned on playing football again at Stevenson in the Fall.  When I think of Nick Gavin, the first thing that comes to mind is that he is one of the toughness bastards I have ever met...EVER.  Not only is he focused (when he wants to be) but he has this determination that is just relentless.  I mean the kid has one hell of a motor.  To really understand Nick Gavin I have to take you all the way back to 1993...yeah '93.  This was the first time I met Nick.  He was maybe 4 or 5 years old and he wasn't really that big.  Honestly, like me, he's pretty small, but tough...don't forget tough.  After a while he tells me that he wants to play football when he gets older and wants to play for the Lancers (*Blogger Note* Playing for Linganore is a privilege, not a right).  Being that I played football, I run him through some drills in his living room.  This is where I first took notice that this kid was something special.  I put him through the basic 45 degree tackling drill.  I was the ball carrier and he was the tackler.  I don't know what went through my mind, but my instincts kicked in and I juked him...the poor kid went head first into his fireplace...a BRICK fireplace.  Needless to say I almost shat my pants because this was the first time I had ever been to Tim Gavin's house...uh oh.  Well, Nick cried for about 3 maybe 4 minutes.  And the kid had the nerve to say, "Ok, I'm good, let's keep going!".  I was completely shocked.  A four year old kid just took a header into a fireplace, has the lump the size of Saturn on his nugget and he STILL wants to tackle.  If that's not H.E.A.R.T then I don't know what is.  Let's fast forward to the now.  Being that Nick took a couple of vicious hits, he suffered a few concussions.  He went through a down time like most football players do when their career is over.  But Nick, being the resilient and tough guy that he is wouldn't take that for an answer.  He worked hard not only in the classroom, but in the weight room and also in his personal life with his relationships.  Nick took the bad that was thrown his way and never gave up.  Even if he doesn't play a single down at Stevenson this Fall, it doesn't matter.  It shouldn't matter.  The only thing that truly matters is that he took his lumps, dusted himself off and got back up into the fight.  I can't even express how proud I am of this little guy because I always knew he had it in him.  Even when he didn't believe (and I can tell when someone doubts themselves), I believed in him and now he's proving me right...even though I knew I was right.  Lol.  Nick, I love you man, I'm very proud of you and I'm so happy that you MADE your own second chance.  Just remember where you were and how you never want to go back.  You have the biggest H.E.A.R.T I've ever seen.

P.S.  You're without a doubt my favorite Lancer...ever

Motivation vs. Showering

It doesn't matter how motivated you are on Monday, if by Tuesday afternoon you're back to the same place you were Sunday evening...think about that.  Being motivated, whether it's to pass a test, take on a pulling guard, go to work, start your own business or whatever, you have to constantly motivate yourself in an attempt to reach your goal.  Let's look at taking a shower.  Taking a shower works (for most people) for a specific amount of time (this is why we shower EVERYDAY).  What good would it do to take a shower on Monday and then proceed through the rest of the week off of that one shower.  I'm guessing, and this is only a guess, that the rest of the week wouldn't produce the results that you were looking for.  The same goes for motivation.  You have to get up in the morning, each and every morning, with the thought that motivating yourself is the same as when you get up, brush your teeth and take a shower.  I understand there are going to be times when you don't want to do it and it seems difficult, but imagine that same train of thought when it comes to brushing your teeth or taking a shower.  Would you step out of your front door and converse with people in that instance?  Treat motivation like a daily chore you do everyday (eating breakfast, brushing teeth, showering, etc.) and sooner or later, you'll be up and running like a well oiled machine.  Although at times well oiled machines need maintenance, it's usually running at a high level constantly and this is what you should strive for.  This is what I strive for and what my company hopes it can make YOU strive for.  So in short, get up, get going and go get it.

Having a dream and goals are essential to progress.

The most outlandish goal I had as a kid...well, I had two.  The first (and I was always told to shoot for the stars, but I'd rather shoot for another galaxy!!) was to be the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft.  I used to always say to myself and outloud, "With the number one overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles select...John Harris, Running Back, USC...".  The second was to play college football.  Well I think it's obvious that I didn't go to USC or get drafted, but I'm not defeated by that.  The goal to play college football which would hopefully lead to the chance to play professionaly was all I could think about.  Football consumed every minute of my day, and I was good with that.  I had friends, talked to girls and participated in other activities, but my main goal was to play college football.  And with blinders on, I proceeded to make this dream a reality.  By the grace of God I was actually able to play college football and contribute on a high level.  But as we grow older our goals change but the intensity that we use to achieve these goals should never change.  Over four years ago I was talking to a great long time friend and decided that we wanted to start our own company's.  I'm pretty sure that nobody would have believed in us or given us a second thought about what we KNEW we'd become.  Well, it is now the present day and we both have established the company's that we said we would four or five years ago right outside of Lawnside Park.  Although we are far from our end goal, we are on our way to getting there.  That same intensity that I used as a kid to get to the collegiate level of football is the same that I'm using in the business world.  Without goals and a dream you will just end up spinning your wheels in the same place.  Anything worth having is worth working hard for.  If you grind out each and every day, you're on the path to success.  Call it, your Daily Grind.  Keep your head and your eyes open.

High School Two-a-Days are here!

I spent the bulk of my morning watching Wooster High School in Reno practice today.  I don't know how good they are/were/or are going to be...and that doesn't even matter.  What matters is that these kids are out practicing in 90 plus degree weather.  They don't get paid and will probably never be on television.  But they're still out there because they love the game, if they don't love it then they at least have a great fondness for it.  Now, if a kid who receives NOTHING for playing can get excited about pre-season practice, why can't a Profesional?  At least the Pro gets paid, and it's usually a lot more than any regular American will ever receive in any given year.  My point isn't to beat the drum of "Pros don't love the game", because there are plenty of Pros who do and play their asses off.  But these kids are playing their asses off regardless.  And I think that they should be applauded for it.  By the way, the Tennis and Soccer teams were out practicing as well.  I takes H.E.A.R.T to practice in the desert.

Why H.E.A.R.T means so much to me.

As a kid, I never knew what the meaning of "heart" meant, but I always played my hardest even though I wasn't the best player on the field.  In the town where I grew up there were plenty of athletes who could run circles around me.  I'll name a few because they deserve to be acknowledged...Andre Coard, Tracey Moore, Mike Starks, Nai Moore,  and Rich Still to name a few.  Even though they were better, I still believed that I was a quality player and NEVER gave up on my dreams of playing College Football.  From 3rd grade to 8th grade, to put it nicely, I was a "scrub".  I wasn't neccesarily a bad player, but compared to these guys, I wasn't on their level...yet.  Before my 9th grade year I made a promise to myself that I would train harder, focus and start BOTH ways, even if it meant that I was going to severly injure myself in the process.  I didn't know it then, but the H.E.A.R.T that came out of me during those two-a-day practices stemmed all the way back from not getting alot of playing time and being fed up about it.  This brings me to the current day and how I want my company H.E.A.R.T Athletics LLC to inspire other athletes.  I now know the meaning of "heart" and I want to share my vision and thoughts through clothing and products that will enable others to understand and express themselves the same way I do.  I hope you guys can get an understanding of who I am and how I think through this blog and I hope you enjoy it as well.  Thank you and always keep your head up.  Because Having Enough Attitude Resilience & Toughness isn't just a phrase to me, it's a way of life.