Competing for Playing Time

Bill Belichick, the highly successful New England Patriots head coach, has a rare philosophy on playing time.  In essence, if you don’t practice or play well you earn a quick ticket to ride the pine and somebody else takes your place.  We use the term ‘rare’ to describe coach Belichick’s philosophy, because many coaches, in sports, pick the starters and stay with them for an entire season.

We all know there are instances when the starting lineup should not be changed.  But, for non-starters a permanent starting lineup can be extremely frustrating.  In our opinion, it doesn’t do the starters any favors either. Sports are the essence of competition and performing under pressure is an understood part of that.  There are many motivators in the athletic world that can bring out the best in athletes.  One of the most powerful beliefs is that if you practice hard and improve your skills, you will be rewarded with playing time.  In too many cases, what an athlete achieves in practice or on the field doesn’t open the door. 

As a non-starter, you may have out played a starting teammate in practice or have watched them continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. Doesn’t it make you wonder, “Why won’t coach put me in there and let me prove that I can compete for a starting position?”  Some coaches will tell you that they don’t want to ruin a player’s confidence or mess with the team’s chemistry. However, putting a starting player on the bench occasionally, not only motivates the non-starters to feel like they can COMPETE for a position, it also prevents the starting athletes from becoming too complacent.

We can both recall instances where it was difficult to break into the starting lineup and starters felt they were entitled to their position. As a result, practices were never as intense as what they could have been and our game results showed much of the same. Never the less, the virtues of hard work and the value of competition bring out the best in people and allow them to reach heights they ordinarily may not have risen to!   

Happy Friday!!!

Happy Friday!!! We know most of you have been working/practicing for the weekend (some of you may even be working or playing this weekend)! We hope that this video can provide a little mental relief during your Friday and serve as a little extra motivation for you to do something incredible this weekend!

The video features a group of guys known as Dude Perfect who are constantly stretching the limits and proving what is thought as IMPOSSIBLE to be POSSIBLE. It's a little long but we encourage you to at least watch a little and try to do the same within your life---stretch the limits with something you're passionate about! Whether its proving doubters YOU CAN win a 4th state Championship (GO LENAPE!) in a row or building your own Photography Brand beyond what anyone believes, it's time for you to take action and DO IT---GO AFTER IT! Why not?! What a PERFECT OPPORTUNITY before the Holidays! :) We too plan to work this weekend and will be sharing something exciting with you soon!

Also, a special thank you (we know its corny..but true) if you are reading our posts, we hope you can find at least 1 thing to be useful in your life!

I've Got GOALS...and Soul

There is 1 important commonality in many instances of success. Any guesses? Think back to a time when you worked hard to achieve something that meant so much to you or your team. While you were working toward that special something, you had in mind or could visualize what it was going to take to get what you desired, call it a plan. Whether it was an A on a paper, a team award, a promotion for a job, or as simple as losing 10 pounds ---YOU were driven to get exactly what you wanted, and I can bet it was quite fulfilling when you finally did.

Those end results are what we would call GOALS (yes we are so profound) and everything that is worth anything in life requires setting goals. Whether it is being that successful athlete, successful coworker or building a successful family you must have the ability to dream up something magical (THE GOAL) and work diligently until it becomes reality (SUCCESS). Here is our recipe for GOAL setting:

G+O+A+L=S (success)


Go big or go home! Always shoot for the stars when it comes to setting your goals.
Organize a plan. How will you attain your goals and what do you need to do to get there? Think small incremental steps and picture the end result.
Assess. Take time to reflect and re-evaluate your goals. It’s okay to make changes to your plan, but never give up!
Love what you do. You’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to make your goals become reality.
SUCCESS, Cherish and enjoy the moment, then get back on the GOAL trail.