All Posts

Know what a useful skill is? Practicing gratitude. Daily. And each day, finding something else to be thankful for. It can’t be something you’ve already said. It’s easy at first. Your family. A loved one. Waking up. Your health. Then, after about 10 days, you feel stuck. You actually have to work to find something to be thankful for. Something to be intentionally appreciative of. Now, you start looking back at moments throughout the day. The conversation that led to a better o

High Performers have coaches. Here's what to look for in a good one. They’re prepared. They focus on the details. The ins and outs. They know the game, the situations, and the moments that you’re going to face. They make the complex, simple. They take complex systems and boil them down into simple, actionable items for those around them to execute. They care. They want you to be your absolute best. As a person, athlete, doctor, etc. They want to see you do well. They communic

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? I don’t have an exact number for this, but I bet a majority of us turn over and immediately look at our phones. For missed messages, notifications, and to start scrolling to see what happened over the last 8 hours. Next thing you know, 15 minutes have gone by, you’re still lying in bed, and now you need to rush to get going. Day after day. Today, consider how you start the day. U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven is the author

The blank page. The empty canvas. The fresh start. Analogies we turn to when we’re looking to begin again. Sometimes, they can be daunting. You know how it is when you have to write an assignment, and you’re not sure where to begin. You just sit there staring, waiting for inspiration. Waiting for something to come out of nowhere and tell you what to write. The fresh start feels good at first until you start thinking about all the options and ways you can go with it. It locks

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are

“I just don’t feel like it today.” Ever said that to yourself? Pretty likely any high performer has too. Do you know what they do that most don’t? Get it done anyway. They might not succeed, but they make an attempt. In baseball, it’s a guy who might be struggling and doesn’t want to show up to the field. In basketball, it’s the person who hasn’t been getting playing time and, in their limited minutes, doesn’t do so well. Tough to want to keep going to the gym. In football, i

Pitchers and catchers report this week. Those are words for any baseball fan that bring joy and excitement to mind. That means Spring Training is beginning, and the regular season is about 6 weeks behind that. It’s an exciting time. Everyone has a 0-0 record. Fan bases are eager for an opportunity to cheer on a World Series run. Spring Training is also great because the weather is usually amazing and a break from the cold. A hope for warmer weather. Sunny and blue skies. Summ

To the victor go the spoils, but what if you haven't thought about what they really are? Last Friday, on my social media pages, I asked which is harder to handle: success or failure? There were some great answers and insights from both sides. The reason I asked is that I think it needs more digging into. My personal opinion years ago was- failure. Not even a question. Failing sucks. Losing, not performing, not getting an outcome after working hard, letting others down, and/or

If you’ve been following along the last couple of weeks, I’ve written about developing standards before you start. Last week, I wrote about the importance of reflection. This week, the focus is on the in between. The performance. Bringing consistency to that. I remember years ago working with a young player who was very inconsistent. One week, he’d be the best player on the field. Clear as day that he was going to play in the Major Leagues. Then, the next week, totally lost.

A secret of high performers

I’ve seen, heard, and been part of teams that reach for words when times get tough. I’ve sometimes delivered the words myself. In reality, what they needed was action. It often occurs when performance is poor. The team’s losing games. Someone isn’t taking care of their responsibilities. A leader isn’t sure where to turn. In those moments, a common response is, “We just need more motivation.” “We need a kick in the ass.” Sometimes, and I stress this carefully, sometimes, that’

Happy New Year! Much like the rest of the world, reflections have been had, goals have been set, ideas have been considered, and it’s time for actions to take place. That’s what this article is about today. For those of you who have subscribed to this newsletter, you’ll notice the name change from Pursuing Success to High Performance Strategies. This isn’t being done just to do something different; it’s to get myself in better alignment. I go back and forth quite often about