One of the things that most of us struggle with are bouts of selfishness. It is counter-intuitive to put others before ourselves. In this struggle it is easy to forget about where we really stand on the totem pole.
It is important that we stay away from thinking, "What I am doing only affects me. It shouldn't be anyone elses concern." This statement can be said regarding a lot of things in which the severity differs: practice habits, school work, behavior in the classroom and at home, smoking, alcohol, drugs...you get the idea. What we do and say has a rippling effect. Everyone has thrown a rock into a body of water. The individual is the spot where the rock hits the water, the size of the rock is our behaviors and actions. It doesn't matter how big or small the rock is, there are still ripples, and those ripples can travel quite a distance.
Anyone who has played for me has heard me say this at one time or another, and will probably hear me say it again, "As individuals we are not at the top of the totem pole. Everything we do effects others." At Helias our totem pole should look similar to this (from top to bottom): God, Family, Helias High School, Helias Softball Team, then Ourselves. We represent a whole lot more than just ourselves. There really is no choice in where we truly lie on the totem pole, although many are selfish and put themselves on the top which only leads to a certain fall for the individual and ultimately the team.
If we have a servant attitude, putting others above ourselves, there are few limits as to what a team can accomplish.
"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
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3 comments:
hey Bryndyn i think an article on natural talent vs achieved talent would be great for your players
i agree that most the the time you shouldn't but yourself high on the totem pole, but at the same time you also shouldn't put your self last. It could result in loss of confidents. Therefor you could not play as well as you know you can. So as a result you shouldn't always put yourself last and other above you, but at the same time you shouldn't put yourself first. Team before yourself!
I understand fully what you are saying. Remember the Totem Pole is about representation and service, not ability. If a player uses their talent, and work ethic, to positively reflect on others it will have a positive effect on them as well. Also, I have been thinking about the totem pole, and what is important to realize is that it doesn't stop with you on the bottom. I just ended it once we got to the individual because each individual will have vastly different things below them. I would venture to say that if we went down another level God would be there as well. How great is it that we can serve others yet we still have God as our base to support us. Thank you very much for the post. Keep them coming!
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