Where is My Time Machine

“Civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”  

– JFK

Today, we lack the orator whose words set sail the possibilities. Instead, we are constantly barraged by the rhetoric of the moment and the thoughtless meanderings of the foolish.

In these strange times, reflecting on the words of a great leader can sometimes provide us with a powerful string on a seemingly fast-rising balloon. 

President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address contains many poignant words worthy of remembrance.

……….Let the word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans–born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage–and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge–and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do–for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom–and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required–not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich………..

………..Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction………

………So let us begin anew–remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems that divide us……..

………In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again–not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need–not as a call to battle, though embattled we are– but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”–a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility–I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, and the devotion that we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice that we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds……..

I wish I had a time machine and I could go back and change what happened on November 22nd, 1963 for there is some part of me that feels like that moment in history was far more destructive than anyone could ever know.

I guess we’ll never really know the answer.

Greatness Starts with Character

Great players still pick up the pucks ”   

– Unknown

I recently watched a segment on a sports channel about the current Four Nations ice hockey tournament between Canada, the USA, Sweden, and Finland.  

The commentators discussed the end of Team Canada’s practice and how the powerplay group, which included some of Canada’s and the world’s greatest players at the time, Crosby, McKinnon, McDavid, Makar, and Toews, had stayed out to work on their strategy.

The players remained on the ice to work on the power play together. This was somewhat unusual to begin with, but when the session was complete, the players took the time to pick up the pucks.

That’s not something you would usually see at a full NHL practice, at least not from the best players on the ice. Maybe the rookies who stayed out for extra skating, etc., might do it, but most of the time, it’s someone on the staff who gets this job.

This subtle overture by these players made it so much clearer why they are Great.

Even so, in all the injury return skates I did over the years, or off-season workouts, these smaller practices always ended with the players on the ice, no matter the caliber, picking up the pucks.

Greatness starts with character.  You can’t teach character.

You can support it, model it, and provide space for it, but the people in life who become truly great at what they do either have it, or they don’t.

In life, like in hockey, some have success by all the statistical expressions.  The data says they are great.  They have the wealth, the positions, the status, the rank, the authority, or the All-Star jersey, but the way they treat people is inconsistent.

It reeks of agenda…….what’s in it for me?  They only treat others with respect when it suits them, when someone is watching, or when they just happen to be in the right frame of mind.

Truly great players as great humans treat people with respect and dignity no matter what the circumstances.  You can always tell a person’s true character by the way they treat the wait staff at a restaurant, or anyone in the service industry at large.

Great people do the little things that no one sees or even recognizes, simply because it’s the right thing to do.

Some people think those greats are weak, or soft.  Sadly, this is so far from the truth.  One of the greatest athletes of all time, Mohammad Ali, treated those around him with respect and dignity.  He was the consummate strategist, pushing his opponents through eloquent poetic jousts, but when it came to the regular Joe, he was kind.

In a time when this simple kindness and respect is bleeding from the character of many who we look toward for leadership, these simple overtures can reconnect us with what it takes to truly be GREAT!

Why does that matter?  Why does it matter to be great?

Good question, lots of people don’t care to be great, but I think everyone sees greatness, and recognizes it as a beacon of authority for how we deport ourselves.

Do we do whatever it takes, no matter what might be the outcome for others to be better than everyone else? To have more than everyone else?  Is that ok?

If it’s just about having more and being at the top, to me, that’s not greatness, that’s greed and excess.

Let’s celebrate those we believe have character in greatness, and place them in our highest regard.

The greats reach back toward us and help us rise with them.

18 Thoughts Before You Work in Professional or Elite Sport

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” 

– Steve Jobs

I recently posted a few times socially on the realities of working in professional or elite sports.  

It hit a nerve with many. I could tell that the readers, some of whom are still in professional sports, recognized the challenges and wanted to say the same thing, but it’s hard to say when you are in it.

I get it. 

This full-contact sports business world isn’t quite what one would expect.

So if you’re deciding if you want to work in professional or elite sport, here are some things to think about before you take the plunge.

1 – Do you know WHY? 

If you’re doing it because of the cache and the flex, then stop right now.  It’s not a good reason.

Professional or elite sports do have a real cache, no doubt, and you will experience many of the perks of being in it.  Travel, great hotels (not always), great food (not always), and many cool connections and experiences, but these things become a part of the day-to-day and soon wash into the background of your daily reality.

Unless you know your why, and you understand how it will express itself in such an environment, then you might be sadly disappointed.

Professional and elite sports are not as innovative as one would expect.  The reality is that at the highest levels of sports, there is less room, ironically, for risk. So if you are an innovator, or you wish to create change, be warned, this world is highly traditional and slow to move.

But at the same time, it is also a world of following the leader. So you will find yourself in situations where you are doing some things you don’t want to do, just because everyone else is doing it!

At the end of the day, I could go on and on in this area, but the quote I began this blog with is the key. 

The only way to do great work is to love what you do, and the only way to love what you is to do it, and if you are in an environment where you can’t express that, you will one day become disenchanted with the lavish eccentricities despite their cache!

2 – There are NO days off!

These days, in professional sports, it’s a year-long daily endeavor to support team and player success. You will get the odd day off from time to time, but it’s very hard to plan anything!

This is a truth that seems to be more and more demanding as the days pass.  Every sport is the same, off-season flows into pre-season, camps, and then the real season, and there is less and less of a defined respite from the demands of the daily grind.  

Even when one has time off, there is the need to invest in professional development or growth, and unfortunately, this can often get lost, leading one to become less and less innovative and cutting edge. 

Catch 22!

3 – You will work 80-hour work weeks, not even an exaggeration. 

This is just a fact, one that gets more and more challenging as the desire to have a family becomes a part of the equation.  Many people in professional sports are divorced, that’s just a fact. Relationships are hard to do, families are even harder to do. 

Be warned.

4 – Your salary might be good on paper, but when you factor in the hours, it’s not a great wage.  

The truth is, if you are making, let’s say for fun, $150,000 a year as a member of the performance or medical staff, let’s use 355 days as a true time reality and 10 hours a day as a simple example.  3,550 hours of work divided into $150,000 equals $42 an hour.  

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Add to the fact that to get these coveted jobs, one is at minimum, required to have a Masters degree, and more and more, a PhD.  

So you get paid this amazing wage to pay down years of student loans!

5 – You will get little or no feedback, and the feedback you do get will usually be negative.

It’s just the nature of the business, no one tells you that you are doing good work, the team only has success when it wins a championship, and that doesn’t happen often, so you need to understand how you find your sense of progress and value in an environment where there is limited feedback.

Most of the time, no feedback is good feedback.

6 – It’s often thankless work.  

The thank you’s are few and far between.  They do come, but you just can’t depend on them.

I think this one is pretty clear.  It’s just a truth.

7 – If you have kids and family, you will miss many important moments.

For those of you who do have or want kids, there is no way around it, you will miss a lot of their lives.  You can do your best, but you are “Married” to the team and if you wish to be great at what you do, that requires your full investment. 

Team first, family second, despite what the organization might espouse.  That is usually what they say before the season starts or at the team dinner at the end of the season. In the middle of it, there’s not much room for anything but getting the work done.

8 – It’s not about you, it’s about the player and the team.

You are expected to put yourself behind the team and the player as a priority.  This means finding time for personal growth, exercise, or rest is a full-contact sport in and of itself. You have to become dogged to make sure you take care of yourself in this demanding life.  

If you don’t, you will become unhealthy and alone.

9 – One day you might lose your job, and it might not have anything to do with the quality of your work.

You can be doing exceptional work. You can be a great part of the team.  But if a new management group comes in, and they like someone else.  That’s the end of the road.

I always used this metaphor to explain professional sports in the season and in the essence of it’s year-to-year.  

It’s like you are on a Japanese bullet train all year long, and then at the end of the season, or the end of your tenure with the team it’s like the train slams to a stop, you get off, and now it’s time to figure out where you stopped and what’s next.

These are just a few of my thoughts for you should you be contemplating the jump into professional or elite sport, or you have delusional thoughts about what it might be.

However, if you know why you want to do it, and you are prepared to give yourself to the work, professional and elite sports can be exceptionally rewarding and amazing. 

Here are some of my rules for making it a reality:

10 – Strive to be Great

Don’t just get good at what you do; strive to be great. That means going beyond your boundaries, overreaching, and exploring anything that can help the athletes you serve succeed.

As per above, this takes a significant amount of discipline because your self-development is always being challenged by your mandate to the team.  But you have to overcome it, and be the best version of you that you can be!

11 – Don’t be a One-Trick Pony 

Working in professional sports requires you to solve problems, and support things you didn’t go to school to do. You have to be versatile and able to contribute in a myriad of ways.

The more you know about other fields of practice, especially those you will work with, the better will be your conversations, and interactions, and the more you will find results. And this level of sport is ALL about results!

By the way, if you are a therapist or performance professional, Neuro Reconditioning is a great way to make yourself indispensable We teach and mentor fully online so you can build it into your work day, or you can join us in-person for mentorship – just saying!

12 – Live in the Background

Your job is not to be the center of attention or the focus; your job is to be invisible. You must keep the athlete focused on the task at hand.

This is not the space to create a personal brand or to shout out on social media what you are doing each day. In some ways, this is one of the challenges, which harkens back to my train metaphor. You won’t be keeping up with the world outside, and when the train stops, you might find yourself lost in a sea of external expertise.

These days, this item is becoming more and more challenging.  Just putting that there for your consideration.

13 – Never Stop Learning and Growing

You need to be diligent and tenacious about learning, exploring different ways, and being open to what’s possible.  Do not stagnate!

I said this once, and I will say it again, you must find a way to grow!

14 – Don’t be a Distraction

Keep your shit to yourself. Your stuff can never be a distraction to the athlete or the team.  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t talk to people when you are in a bad place, it just means it shouldn’t be the athletes’ problem.

Far too often professionals in sports bring their drama into the room. It has no place in the room. You can’t become a distraction to the mission of the athlete or the team.

15 – Be a Student of the Game

Whatever sport you work with, know as much about it as you can, and talk to the athletes, the coaches, and the specialists, you can’t understand what your athletes do enough, never stop learning!

This, for me, is a golden rule. It doesn’t mean you need to be a former player or athlete, it just means your vocation is only as good as it’s ability to transcend into the sport itself.  

Own it!

16 – Don’t Get Stuck in Your Own Ways

Be curious, learn from your peers, and be open, you will never know it all!  

Know it all’s are not welcome in professional and elite sport. You will find yourself alone and unappreciated very quickly.  That doesn’t mean you should not be confident. These are not the same thing.

17 – Be a Team Player

Be willing to do anything and everything for the cause of the team or athletes’ success.  Help others succeed so you succeed.  

Noted previously, this does have ramifications.

18 – Don’t Protect Your Job, Do Your Job

If you protect your job you will not be innovative and creative, and you will eventually lose your job because you have not grown.

If you’re going to lose your job, do it by doing the best you can do!

Despite everything I’ve said before, if you are in it, be in it to win it and do it with all your heart and soul.  

The reward is in knowing you’ve brought your very best.

I hope these help anyone who wants to explore this world, it can be very rewarding, but it is also very demanding and challenging, so keep your eyes wide open!

What Does it Mean to Be Friends?

“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” 

– Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States

I can’t speak for everyone, but friendship is a truly special part of being human. 

You choose your friends, you don’t choose your family.  You get to experience things with friends, and decide if the experience is a good one, or a bad one, and if you want to keep experiencing with them, or just move on.

You don’t have to be friends, you choose to be friends.

Some friends are in our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.  We don’t always know when a friendship will dissolve or change, but the ones that we really cherish and value, well they seem to always cycle back into our lives.

Those are the friendships that when you see the person again, it’s like time never passed. You are right back where you were last, and you are talking about everything and anything.

They know you, and you know them, despite the time that has passed.

The friendship between Canada and the United States could easily be described in this same construct. Settled by similar people and countries, pre-populated by rich indigenous cultures, these two countries constructed themselves on very different paths.

One country adapted and adopted the heritage and cultural differences of its forefathers, creating a rich hybrid of those two nations even though it caused great struggle and challenge throughout its history.

The other, created a new republic, preferring to distance itself from the roots of those who came to these new lands, in so doing creating the fabric of what would one day be a place much of the world looked up to and admired.

The War of 1812 between the US and Great Britain with the colony of Upper Canada was the last time these two would-be friends collided.  A scuffle now mostly forgotten by most, it wasn’t at the time.

But since that time, these two countries, as they self explored, and reiterated themselves always looked at each other as friends.  At times quite close, and at others rather distant.  But friends just the same.

We could fight our battles with one another on the field, or at the ice rink.  We got pretty good at giving each other a slap every so often in an international sporting event. 

But when serious harm came to one of us, a hurricane of drastic proportion, ice storms, or wildfires, we were always there for each other. Geopolitical entanglements usually require our collaborative investment.  We mostly saw eye to eye.

Just like friends in a schoolyard, when a scrap ensued, we knew what side we would side with, and despite our size, we Canadians always found a way to support our much bigger and stronger buddies.

We don’t get up after the fight and talk about equity.  I beat three guys, and you just got one.  We just understand we do right by being there for each other.

Have we had our disputes?

Of course, what friends haven’t had their moments.  But like most friends, we dust off, recognize where we went wrong, and figure out a way to re-invent our relationship.

When we win the hockey game, we still shake hands.

Friendship, after all, is the only thing that will really hold the world together.  Some friendships are stronger than others, some more like acquaintances than real friends.

That’s not the US and Canada.

I guess that’s what makes this moment in history much harder to fathom or imagine.  It’s not what we do. We might scrap with each other from time to time, but we don’t do it to harm one another, more like brothers, we do it to remember where we stand.

Together.

Nothing about our differences and challenges can’t be discussed or negotiated, but it seems despite that truth, right now, there is no choice in the matter.

We are not together in the schoolyard, but looking at each other as though we’ve suddenly become enemies…….

The schoolyard is not a safe place, and yet here we find each other walking alone.

All I can say is, why?

And I can’t seem to answer that question.

It’s like your best friend doesn’t want to talk to you anymore, they just want to yell at you and call you names.  WTF is going on?!

There are definitely seasons in life, sometimes things look pretty bleak in the winter, and then one wonderful spring morning, all is forgotten. 

I find myself hoping this IS just a season.