I know everyone is busy, but spend 7:33 watching this video and you will be happy you did.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/good-sports/201202/still-scarred-two-wars-american-hero-daniel-rodriquez-chases-his-football-dr

Go as hard as you could?

Play with passion?

Respect the game?

Respect your teammates?

Get the job done to the best of your ability?

let somebody know, good enough never really is?

Learn from a mistake?

Let one at bat be one at bat?

Play for your teammates?

Not worry about your personal numbers?

Pick up your teammate after he made an error, instead of using it as a reason you should be starting?

Put the haters in the background?

Motivate yourself?

Get mentally prepared to play?

Make it personal between you and your opponent?

If you can do all of the above, you may or may not be successful on the field of play, but I would bet on you to be successful in life. Isn’t that what really matters anyway?

Currently I have as much interest in writing this post as I do letting you kick me in the face…Zero.

I was going to skip it and just say who cares, I’ll write tomorrow, but then maybe I don’t and next thing you know it has been a week, month, 2 months, etc.

Point is, when you feel like sitting on your couch you are missing the best time to workout, take swings, shoot jumpers, catch passes. People who are truly successful are able to motivate themselves when they would rather just chill and put things off.

No big deal right, you will just go recruiting tomorrow or visit the client later, oops. Now the recruit is going to another school, and the client is now with another firm.

Today is the best day to accomplish what you want to accomplish. I learned a valuable lesson today while writing this post, and more so in the time I spent debating whether or not to write at all.

You can look at a swing and see that something looks wrong, you may be able to say what exactly is wrong, you know that a 1-2 count is a good running count, you know that when the game is tied and there is a man on second with nobody out, and you are the home team you should bunt with your 8 hole hitter, you can argue your point about why the 1st pitch is the best pitch to squeeze. You know all of these things, but….

Can you coach?

Most people know all of the above, the average baseball fan can tell you all of these things, and even a little more, but I ask again, can you coach? Obviously you will not say you are a bad coach, but your opinion does not matter.

Watch you players, watch how they respond to you, watch their eyes when you are talking, watch how they perform the fundamentals you are trying to coach; if they are looking around, chances are they are not listening to you Why? Because they think you are a fraud. They might not even think you are a fraud, they might simply think you can’t get them better. Remember, it doesn’t matter what you think, it matters what they think. If they are not performing the fundamentals the way you want them too, either you did a bad job explaining them or you recruited or kept the wrong players, either way, it is your fault.

The first step to being a good coach is understanding, no, completely understanding what you are trying to teach. The next step is having the ability able to explain it, in a manner that the players can completely understand, and then motivating them to do it at the level you expect it to be done.

One thing to remember is great Head Coaches have great Assistant Coaches. Again, if you do not, then that is your fault too.

The most important thing to remember is saying the same thing you just said only LOUDER, does not help.

This is how people should say it, but all to often they ask,

“Do you want to go to the gym”?

When the response comes back “No” or not right now, people often just sit around and end up not going. This is what happens if you lack self motivation. Instead of asking your friend first, just say

“I’m going to the gym, you want to go” or better yet “I’m going to the gym, see you later”.

Take initiative, be self motivated and you will be able to motivate others, and those you cannot motivate will be left in your review mirror fading fast, wishing they would have followed your lead.

Lead by example, because when you do this, your words become more powerful. If all you do is talk, people will stop listening because they are not seeing the effort that you want them to give.

Just take charge, work hard, and go to the gym, go to the cage, start shooting extra jumpers, all of these will make you better, and hopefully your teammates are motivated enough to follow your lead.

Do you motivate you, or do you need someone else to do it? What are you doing when the Stadium is empty, when the weight room is dark and you are the only one there? What are you doing when everyone else is sleeping, playing video games, hanging out with their friends eating junk food and gossiping?

Are you right there with them? or are you taking advantage of the opportunity to get better, and then meeting up with them later? This is what separates the good from the great. Are you following the crowd because you are afraid to miss something? Are you lowering your performance because others are telling you that you are making them look bad? If someone makes fun of you for working too hard, work harder, for running too fast, pass them again, the point is to simply ignore them and continue doing what you are doing.

Never let someone else dictate how great you are going to be. Never let someone else dictate how great you are going to be.

You do not need hate, love, admiration, someone to push you if you have drive, work ethic, and the determination to be great. If you need those things, you will never sustain your greatness, because one day they will all be gone. Never let someone else dictate how great you are going to be.

Your ability does not separate you, your talent does not separate you, but all the things other people are not willing to do is what separates you from them. You have to take it to the next lever, push harder then you thought you could, when you think you are done do one more, and then one more, push, push, push, because these last sprints, reps, swings, ground balls, bull pens, jump shots, deep routes, corner kicks, and perfectly placed drag bunts are what is going to separate you. Your desire to be the best you, you can be, your drive to do more than even you thought you could is what is going to take you to the next level. Never let anyone else dictate how great you are going to be.

Ignore the hate, don’t use it as fuel, you are the fuel, you are the one, you don’t need love to drive you to be great, and forget about admiration too, these are all things that come because you worked harder and pushed more than anyone else, all of these things are results of what you accomplished, they should not be the reason you are trying to accomplish. If they are, you have already failed.

Be great because you want to be great, Never let someone else dictate how great you are going to be.

What motivates you?

Is it the fear of losing, is it when others tell you that you cannot do something, is it the haters, is it when you are challenged, or dared, is it the money, the fame, the girls, the boys, is it the people who are right behind you, about to pass you? 

What motivates you?

If it is any of the above, where does your motivation come from once all that goes away? What happens when people stop doubting you, challenging you, they are no longer even close, let alone right behind you, what if you already won, have all the money, have the fame, the girls/boys?  Where is the motivation coming from when all this happens, or do you just stop now?

One thing I have learned is the only motivation that never goes away, is self motivation. 

I motivate me, should be our mantra.  I know some days are tough, and some days you will need a push, but those days need to be “Some Days” not “Everyday”. 

Anyone that constantly has to have something from the outside motivate them, will spend more time and energy looking for the motivation, then actually performing the task that could change their life, or better yet, change others lives. 

Do You want to make a difference?  If so that is all the motivation you need.

Now you just have to go, move, dance, design, give back, start a business, start a non profit, write a letter to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, tell a stranger they look nice, say thanks, say no thank you, make a phone call, (not a text) an actual call where you hear someone’s voice. 

In case you need a little extra push, just know this:

we need you