Good Morning Guys!!! This week’s message is for anyone who has ever opened a newspaper after a game and felt sick at what you read.
My first year as a Coordinator I was talking to my Head Coach about our game plan. Somewhere between Punt Coverage and the weather report we decided to get lunch. I mentioned a local restaurant and he said, “Don’t Eat There….The Food is Great…But The Conversation Sucks!” I was dumbfounded. He was warning me that if I went there… I would soon be the victim of gossip. And as a member of the community in the “spotlight”, I needed to be conscious of that. The Head Man was trying to help me filter out negativity!
I don’t care who you are…when a teammate, media outlet, fellow church member, or even a neighbor say something negative about you…it is simply not a good feeling….OK..OK..it flat out irritates you.
Negative talk, or “low-hanging fruit” as Bishop T.D. Jakes refers to it, is energy-consuming and sadly, a part of our lives. It can destroy our teams, friendships, and marriages. As student-athletes and coaches, we all must confront “low-hanging fruit” at some point and learn our own method of filtering it out.
Think back to the last time you had to handle a similar situation yourself. Was it a friend? Journalist? Teammate? Significant other? Was the person close to you? Does the person even know you? The world will tell you the right thing to do is confront the slanderer and call them out! You know….flex YOUR muscle and let them know what’s up!!
Let me suggest something else. Put your mind on important things in your life and GRIND your GAME! Focus on your daily itinerary and even the tasks you don’t want to do!! Go to the gym, find your Young Jeezy playlist, and do work!!!!!! Get your MIND RIGHT! And Get OVER IT! Your grind and success is what put you into the spotlight to begin with! Stay away from the negativity and stay out of the mud! This quote still sits in my office, guys:
“Don’t wrestle with a pig. Both of you get muddy…but the pig enjoys it!”—George Bernard Shaw
A perfect example of “low-hanging fruit” takes place in Numbers 12:1-16. Enter our man, Moses once again. Moses had been on the grind for quite some time. God had been using him for a while at this point. God had used him to direct the Israelites through some perilous situations including obtaining food, water, escaping slavery, etc…And God always does with a flavor for the dramatic…Seriously, a staff turning into a snake and back into a staff!
Even with all of these provisions and miracles….the people complain! And complain. Moses knew God…and he knew his people….and he was doing he best to lead. Each complaint was personal! Each complaint was directed at Moses ability and leadership. As the story goes, one day Miriam and Aaron speak negatively about Moses and his relationship with God. GOD STEPS IN!! God calls all three of them in for a “talk”. Imagine getting that summons!!!! He asks Miriam and Aaron why they spoke negatively about Moses…a person to whom “God Speaks Fact-to-Face”! In today’s language, “Now you know Moses is my chosen boy…you mess with him and his calling….and you are messing with ME!” God stands up for Moses and bluntly sends a POWERFUL message to the world for centuries to come! Moses and his game plan is being directed by ME! Read it for the details!
This is important!! As difficult as it is and as wounded as you may feel…you have to trust in your faith and your work ethic! When someone has slandered you…or broke your loyalty….keep your head in the “high-hanging fruit” and let God take care of the rest. I’m pretty sure He is qualified. The sooner we learn this skill the better off our lives will be! More importantly, when we hear someone speaking negatively about someone else, we need to stand up and leave the conversation. When you step in and stand up in those scenarios…you will find that those conversations do not happen as often in your presence.You will become a person who “DOESN’T SUBSCRIBE“.
So, as these situations arise over the next few weeks…use these meditations and focus on them:
“I will only value the feedback of those that truly matter…that I have identified…and that truly matter! My Confidants!”
“Other’s opinions of me are none of my business and I will not SUBSCRIBE!”
“Is my current conversation high or low-hanging fruit?”
“What am I thinking about? And if it’s not positive, find something that is!”
And my favorite:
“Don’t let my worry level go outside my pay grade!”
Real Talk: Relationships can get messy. Teams and their chemistry will go through many seasons and cycles relationaly. We are going to be hurt from time to time…but just MAKE SURE WE ARE MAKING NEW MISTAKES…NOT OLD ONES!
Make it our mission to keep our team’s conversation positive and goal-oriented! Champions are wired that way!
I love you guys! Be Men of Character and keep our words in the high-hanging fruit this week!
CoachKD
#moveweight
coachkd.org 