A simple, short post today. Last week my four sons were on spring break, and there’s probably no better week to be on spring break than the first week of the NCAA basketball tournament. For a few days in a row, my two oldest would roll out of bed, stumble down to grab some breakfast, wait about an hour, and then spend the next 13 hours watching games. I didn’t have it quite so easy, but for quite a few hours I was right there with them. It doesn’t take a biologist or a geneticist to understand that while those boys are unique human beings, they are going to resemble their Dad in many ways, for reasons both genetic and experiential.
As a Coach, a similar idea holds. Not the exact same, but similar. The people around me will be influenced by me. They will imitate my mannerisms. They will repeat my sayings. They will adopt my attitudes. All of this, simply because I am their Coach. They will then impart who they are and what they have learned from people like me on to future generations.
This is not new information. We know all this. But sometimes I can use a reminder to consider the opportunity we Coaches have to change lives and families for generations. It’s really easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life and lose sight of what matters most, but the reality is that very few people are going to remember 99% of us 75 years from now. So let’s do our best to use the time we have to do work that lasts.