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Archive for June, 2013

When People Don’t Appreciate You

There’s a saying that no good deed goes unpunished. You do your best, and there’s always someone there with criticism, second-guessing or blame. What do you do, especially since William James, the father of American psychology, says the deepest human need is to be appreciated? You can take some advice from Mother Teresa. Wait a […]

Stop Asking Stupid Questions

You’ve probably heard that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. You’ve heard wrong. There definitely are stupid questions, and if you keep asking them, you will keep getting stupid answers. Here’s an example: “Why does this always happen to me?” Exactly how do you expect your mind to answer when you ask a […]

The Hard Makes It Great

Barring a playoff, today marks the final day of this year’s U.S. Open. There’s no doubt that today’s round will add to the Open’s rich history of great stars and clutch golf shots. Even so, nothing about today will rival the best moment in U.S. Open history. That moment came not on the course, but […]

What Your IQ Means

Neha Ramu says her IQ should not count for much. It takes a smart person to know that. Neha, 13, scored the highest possible score on the Mensa IQ test, higher than Einstein or astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. She refuses any comparison to them. “Stephen Hawking and Albert Eistenstein, they’ve achieved so much that I couldn’t […]

How to Become a Champion

If you want to get to the top of your field, you can find a great example in tennis star Serena Williams. She’s at the top of hers, after beating Maria Sharapova to win the French Open. One year after losing in the first round, Williams rebounded to capture her 16th major title. “It’s all […]

What Coaching Is All About

The more I coach, the more I realize that sports is about giving. Athletes give their time, effort and attention. Coaches give encouragement, hope, and even love. It’s not perfect. Nothing in life is. Better to try than not to try. “Give what you have,” said Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “To someone it may be better […]

What Basketball Taught Bobby Hurley

With 25 state titles and a spot in the basketball Hall of Fame, Bobby Hurley has helped countless youngsters learn the game. But he’s learned, too. He talks about it in his book, “Chasing Perfect.” “Here’s what I learned from the game of basketball early on: if you kept at it, you got better. If […]

How Deep is Your Commitment?

One morning the barnyard awoke to great excitement. “Good news,” cried the hen. “Today we are having ham and eggs for breakfast.” All the animals greeted these words by racing to the table. All the animals except the pig, that is. “Why so glum,” the hen asked the pig. “Don’t you know we’re having ham […]

Where Success Begins

Day One of Hurricane Season brings to mind a story about your future. Once there was a farmer who needed some help with the chores. Many people answered his ad, but he always felt they were more interested in getting paid than in actually doing the work. Finally a young woman knocked on his door […]