“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (Philippians 2:5)

There are two things within our control: our attitudes and our efforts. This mantra is something that I preach often both in the classroom and in sports at all levels, yet it is one of the most difficult concepts to remember myself and to get my students and athletes to buy into.

In 2012, I had just taken the reins of the Louisburg High School wrestling program. Three Wildcats qualified for the state tournament, and one of them capped his senior year with an undefeated state championship. The next two seasons, we qualified no one for state. It was the first time I'd ever been "skunked" at the regional tournament, and the first time I'd ever been a part of a team that finished a tournament in last place. It was humbling, and I think lots of us have experienced seasons like that – seasons that might cause us to question whether or not we should continue at the helm of our respective programs. We like to call them "rebuilding years," but despite the positive twist we try to spin, it's tough to stay hopeful, isn't it?

Gene Zannetti's Winning Mindset programs repeat the phrase "Mindset makes the difference" in all of its sub-programs. What a simple and powerful concept! It goes back to the idea of our ability to control attitude (mindset) and effort (actions), and in our daily walks as coaches, if we want to provide our athletes a model of living a Christlike life, we need to remember the scripture from Philippians.

Things happen for a reason, and there are so many things beyond our control that affect the outcome. What we need to do is focus on those two things we can control.

In the New Testament, we read about how Jesus went about spreading His word. Many times, the text reads, "Jesus went…" He went out to spread His gospel, and He expected both success and opposition as He went out.

It's about going out and it's about movement. Adopting the same attitude as Jesus, we can rebound from those "rebuilding" (or lackluster) seasons by keeping positive and focusing on what we can do to improve on things next season. A mindset that I picked up from a previous pastor of my church, Reverend Dan Rhodes, is that, like our church, my program needs to be outward-reaching. My duty as a coach is to be out in the hallways, making appearances in the elementary schools, and putting the program out there in the community. Not only do I need to be visible, but the program – and the athletes themselves – need to be in a position of visibility.

Just as Jesus knew that there would be all sorts of opposition to Him, He also knew that out there would be those who would accept Him. To continue to fulfill our role as servant leaders and coaches, we need to be willing to go out and try to spread our influence. Which is better, to fail to try? Or to try something and fail? It is vital that we never fear failure in our roles. The confidence and persistence will pay off, and we must stave off the "what if" questions that will pop in our minds.

When we go out into the community to build our programs, expect to be successful. If you go fishing out on the lake, don't you expect to be able to catch a fish? In the same way, go out and expect to succeed. Their acceptance is not on us; that's up to them. We can only do our best to sell our programs.

Moment of Kaizen:

• What strategies do you have to reflect and improve upon "failing" performances?
• How can you enable the positives to outshine the negatives in these situations?
• What steps are you willing to take in order to keep your focus on your attitude and efforts and not on those things beyond your control?

Related Passage: "And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Acts 20:35)

Remember Christ's words – our roles as coaches require us to give of ourselves, and we need to maintain this mindset. As servant-leaders, we must model for our athletes how to focus on what we can control – our attitudes / mindsets and our efforts / actions. Our hard work and focus will provide a guide for our athletes to live Christ-like lives.

July 18, 2021

This article is a part of a series of Coaches Devotionals that I will be writing over the course of the next year. Please click here if you would like to receive email notifications when a new devotional is published.