Everywhere you go…….everybody is staring at their cell phones. Grocery store, GYM, SCHOOL, WORK, cell phones everywhere….And if you watch closely you will see the funniest thing in culture today:
The “is anyone watching me before I take a selfie” glance…..
And all of you know exactly what I am talking about….most of the well advanced selfie takers can scope the immediate area out for a few seconds nonchalantly before even opening your Instagram….or even your camera app!
And then comes the checklist:
“is my hair right?”….
“is anything in my teeth?”…..
“is there anything inappropriate in the background?”……
“is this something for facebook or Instagram?”…….
oh, and the ever important…..
“Who should not be able to see this?”
Once the “run of the mill” selfie (with or without others) has been taken…..the byline is added. You know, something witty and funny to “tie-in” the selfie to something worthwhile and memorable. Something that screams, “Look at my life!”…”Look at my gains!”….or “I’m not where I want to be!”
Some are educational….
Some are promotional….
Some are just plain delusional….
And most are just “for fun”…..
Any way you look at it…..its a way of showing the world the portion of your life that you want to project!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when it hit me! When I was growing up, I didn’t have a cell phone. Heck, I didn’t have a laptop. Honestly, we didn’t get a desktop computer until my stepdad figured out that it would help our business….And I was in college…(maybe that was a good thing)!
I didn’t get my first cell phone until I was a freshman in college! Yes, you read that right….a FRESHMAN in COLLEGE (and that was because my gf at the time pressured me into it)! No facebook either….no Instagram, no Linkedin, no SnapChat….and wait for it guys….NO TINDER! …it was tough….you actually had to talk to people!
It was a very different time…
And here is the point. On my wall growing up? Pictures of things, places, and people.
I had a picture of Peyton Manning in Tennessee Orange.
I had a picture of Billy Graham from a Revival I attended at The Georgia Dome.
I had signed pictures of Michael Jordan (the GOAT),
Deion Sanders (in a Braves Uniform),
And I had a picture of two campuses hanging up in my closet:
The University of Alabama….my alma mater dear!
And The University of Tennessee…..still a fan!
Can you see it? I had reminders of my goals around me! When I woke up….Billy Graham and Michael Jordan reminded me of the process. The campuses in Tuscaloosa and Knoxville reminded me that only a select few will be granted that opportunity. And the others, reminded me of the importance to “Be Different”. What I was doing….was reminding myself of the importance of the small, everyday decisions that affected …..
THE HUNT!!!!!!!
True competitors! True Kill Shot Takers (someone who doesn’t back down from a Mike Linebacker in A-gap on 4th and inches on the goal line)! True Gamers! They all understand and are ADDICTED to the HUNT! Plain and simple! If you were to ask Kyle Nagel at Buffalo, Pat Dill at Duquesne, Keith Byars at Purdue, Michael Reives at Averett, and any of my guys at Alabama…they would tell you that I want and seek players that are addicted to “The Hunt” in life, football, and the weight room!!
I look for guys with pictures of crazy, impossible dreams on their walls! I recruit kids who have legends on their walls….not because they are worshiping them…but because they want to BEAT THEM!!! They are addicting to….THE HUNT…..you know….King Leonidas type stuff….
The 5am workouts in the snow…
running hills in a storm in upstate New York….
running at 430am in a cemetery……
studying chemistry for an hours and then watching film for an hour at 1 am….
watching clips of 11 personel over a 5 year period …to be prepared…
turning down a party….because leg day is tomorrow…
being different….
being one-of-a-kind….
being hungry…
being a kill shot taker!
And being 100% Addicted to “The Hunt”!!!!
Have you ever asked yourself what it would take to make you want to skip the band party on Friday night? Have you asked yourself what in your life….are you so passionate about that you would put everything else on hold….just to learn more!? What is it?
I guarantee that when you answer that question….you will miraculously find that you only have pictures of your goal in your mind…theres no room for selfies…only your process in that goal and the path of the HUNT! If you ever want to see focus.. If you really want to see what dedication to the hunt really looks like in reality……watch a video of a lion hunting in the wild. Nothing else matters in pursuit of that goal!! NOTHING!
-JM….You may have to move to Montana to take a coaching job!
-You may have to drive to Kansas without AC in June for an interview.
-You may even have to leave your safety net of home, friends, local church, or neighborhood poker group to find your Goal!
Is there any dream or goal that you say you want THAT BAD?!
I would place a video of a lion hunting right here… “I would”…but we all know that certain “sweater vest” people would say that is inappropriate! Those people are not “kill shot” takers when their opportunity comes to pursue their goal! They have never been in a HUNT! And in turn, I don’t want them anywhere near my team!
ARE WE DIALED IN YET!?
Speaking of those “sweater vest” people. Don’t you pity them?! So easily offended and concerned for everyones lifestyle choices…. I often wonder what the heck they think biblical stories were like. Our culture is so hyper-sensitive but we tell and re-tell the stories of David and Goliath…..Jonathan and his armor bearer….and the crucifixion with pretty little coloring books and study guides. Let’s get this straight:
Those stories were brutal and graphic! Those people involved were KILL SHOT Takers! And there wasn’t a sweater vest for another thousand years! And mean, seriously! Read this story…
1 CHRONICLES 11:22
22And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant manf of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubitsg tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 24These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men. 25He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
Did you see it!? A FREAKIN’ LION! HE KILLED IT…IN A PIT…ON A SNOWY DAY! I am willing to bet that Benaiah was the type of guy you would want standing beside you in a battle……a bar fight even!
Benaiah was the type of guy that didn’t spend hours wondering how to appease the hipster crowd while not offending the older audience. One that would skip the drama at the fraternity party……the gossip in the teacher’s lounge? He was addicted to the HUNT! He saw his moment and was ALL IN! And the best part of all, sports fans….God had his back during it all!
Sweater Vest That!
Ive made my mind up! I want to be surrounded by driven, motivated, focused, HUNTERS! People that will sacrifice for what they want and dream of…..
So, as we wrap this weeks message up…let me ask you a few personal questions…
-What do you have posted on your bedroom wall?
-What dreams ands goals would you skip the party for?!
-What will it take for you to become like Benaiah Son of Jehoiada and be a true HUNTER?!
-When you become that LION that is dormant inside you…are you going to care when people whisper behind your back? ( they are gonna!)
-When you awaken your LION……are you going to seize the moment….or are you going to put a sweater vest on…sit in the lobby of the church or school…and talk about how other people should be living?
Dont be that person…..Be a HUNTER…Be a Kill Shot taker!
So…..why don’t Lions take selfies….they are too busy focusing on their GOAL!
GO TO THE PIT AND FACE YOUR LION!!!
I want all of you to know…I know each and every one of you have a genuine LION inside of you…deep down in places that you don’t talk about with others. My goal as a coach has always been to …..whisper at first….then wake the LION up with a bull horn at 430am!
I hope you met your LION!
With love..
#COACHKD
#YOURLION
coachkd.org 
You’re doing great with this blog, Kevin! Love and miss you, buddy. Proud of you!
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