Reflection authored by: Marie Stefani, OLIH Bookkeeper
We’ve all heard the phrase: KEEP IT SIMPLE. When coaching, I try to keep this in mind. I was always told it needs to be easy enough for a Fifth grader to understand, although this chapter says a Sixth grader, same difference.
So I will try to KEEP IT SIMPLE: Love is Simple; Life is Simple if you: FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS. Again, as with coaching volleyball, if we focus on what matters (the fundamentals), our game is on point. When we lose our focus and our fundamentals aren’t sound, our game suffers. This is true at every level, whether it be grade school or college.
The same is true in life, we get caught up in what our friends are doing, saying or have; thus losing sight of what really matters. It doesn’t matter what our friends are doing, saying or have. We all know possessions aren’t everything and the most important things in life aren’t “things”. Possessions don’t make us happy long term.
When playing on a volleyball team or any team, you play better together when you have good chemistry. This comes from being able to trust your teammates and getting along “loving your teammates as yourself” so to speak. I always tell my teams: “you are best friends once you step foot on the volleyball court”. Fans should not be able to tell there is tension among players on the court. As a coach, there is nothing more that I would like to see than the tension on THE OTHER SIDE of the court! It helps my game plan and should work to our advantage. On the flip-side, if it is happening to my team, I need to “nip it in the bud” immediately because it can be cancerous. Loving your teammates like family or yourself allows them to focus on what matters at practice (improving fundamentals) and in a game (the win) in order to end up where they want to in the end (winning record, conference champions, regional qualifiers, state tournament).
So the take away from this chapter is Love/Life is simple and we make it complicated by worrying about unnecessary concerns. KEEP IT SIMPLE: LOVE YOURSELF AND OTHERS and FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS!