With THE QB MENTOR out in ebook at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and the paperback available for Christmas delivery via the website www.qbmentorbook.com, I found myself reading through some of the old notes from the classes that Coach Wilson had given to my son Shawn over the past 18 months and something he shared in one class really hit me.
Coach recounted a conversation he had with one of his most celebrated students Pep Hamilton, formerly the very successful offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for Stanford University and most recently the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. Pep said "Coach, my goal is to get my quarterbacks to DO WHAT THEY THINK." I scribbled that down on my pad and then looked up for an explanation. Coach continued to explain that when a quarterback studies defenses and tendencies and has accumulated the requisite amount of information, he must then compute in his mind what the appropriate play to make is and then execute that throw. Thus, he must “do what he thinks.”
“Ok”, I thought to myself, “how does that apply to the rest of us in everyday life?” And as I contemplated the thought, it made more and more sense to me. In my business career, I was a successful sales person as a real estate broker for over 30 years, consulting with building owners and tenants on how to best manage transactions for office space. I have been asked many times "what are the traits that led to your success?" And the one I mention most was that I put myself in front of a lot of opportunities with potential clients. That meant that if I saw an article in the paper about a new company, I would call them the next day. If I was driving down the road and had an idea for a client I would jot it down and then send it to the client that afternoon. (Of course, those that worked with me knew it was actually my assistant or young-buck broker protégé who was doing all little bird dog work. And that would be true.) But, getting those ideas put into action was unquestionably part of my success over the years. To do what you think!
I thought back even further to my athletic career. People ask me all the time how I made it to the NFL because after high school, I was never the biggest, or fastest, or smartest or most athletic -I had to rely on another skill set. So I tell them my greatest skill became "being coachable.” And that means, I was able to do what I was coached and asked to do, and I could do it fairly quickly. In THE QB MENTOR, Coach Wilson stops a drill with Shawn and says “oh, I see, you are a three-repper. But that’s not good enough, we want you to become a one-repper, where when the coach tells you something, you can be the first one to do it right." And that is exactly what he was talking about, being able to "do what you think."
When I was in 7th grade I went to a Scuby Run basketball camp in the Pocono Mountain’s held by famous coaches Herb McGee and Jim Lynam. One of the guest lecturers was a man who could spin basketballs on his fingers like magic. It mesmerized me, and afterwards, when I tried it, I couldn’t do it. So, that night, I stayed up pretty much all night practicing spinning the ball on my finger, not even going to sleep. And at breakfast the next morning, I showed one of the coaches my new skill. I was so proud of myself. And I realize now that memory falls under the "do what you think" mantra.
And as I have gotten older, I can see the same principal still alive and well in my life today. I was a speaker and also an attendee to a recent Heart of a Warrior men’s retreat weekend at Lake Champion Young Life Camp in New York and I took detailed notes from all the speakers that I heard. When I reviewed the notes on the plane ride home, I set up a to do list of things that the conference had spurred in my mind and heart. Things like write my wife a love note, help more with the kids pre-school routine, offer to cook dinner once in a while, bring flowers home for the kitchen counter for no apparent reason, sit down and do a model with my son Leo, or artwork with Ella and Jordan. And you know what? I did all those things the first week I was back home. I DID WHAT I THOUGHT TO DO.
And just like I used to emphasize with younger brokers in our office, the more you can do, the more you can do. Often, it is not the most novel or ingenious idea that wins the day, but rather the simple execution of several solid and basic thoughts and ideas that you have that will separate you from others.
In life, if we can “DO WHAT YOU THINK”, we will play the game (whatever game you choose) from ahead of everybody else who only does what they remember or what is convenient.
I hope that makes sense, and helps you bring more success as well as more love, laughter and joy into your life at work and at home.
Amen and AMEN