Got It Made vs No Respect

Got It Made versus No Respect

I write and say a lot of things, some of it to learn myself, and some of it to send to others. I am witness to successful moments and successful seasons most every day of my career. My first warning would be to,

“Treasure the moment and use it as incentive to maximize your potential.”

There are basically two types of athletes in this business [“no respect" and "got it made”]. "No respect" and "got it made" people have to have the same mind set if they are to continue on the path to become what they, and others, believe they can be. One of them has a little tougher journey.Never forget your time on the bench or the wait to see if you will be recruited or finally be drafted by some NHL team.

Don't forget where you come from and how you feel about yourself, and your ability, as well as how others feel about you as a person and player. The most successful people in this game stay close and believe in those who care and believe in them.What type of confidence does it take to overcome a coach, scout or GM sitting you on the bench, failing to recognize your worth, failing to recognize your achievements or putting you on a fourth line when you know you are better? What type of confidence does it take to over come any situation you encounter that is similar to this? What happens when they shower you with praise or pile the negatives on your game? You will benefit from both experiences, but I would let the "no respect" mode handle both scenarios. Bottom line is your success in any setting comes down to "they believe in you and you believe in them". If every mentor could get this across to their players, there would be a lot more success stories in life and athletics.

“We are put on this earth to validate and anoint ourselves regardless what people believe, say, write or report.” Reaction requires an attitude, swagger, boldness and competitive instinct with a willingness to keep learning.Feeding off of “no respect" is an easy thing to do when you have talent. Anxiety disappears when you prepare in life, so difficult situations are easy to over come and you welcome critical moment opportunities to excel. People who have to deal with "no respect" have to continue to prove they belong. They have to prioritize and simplify the process by listing all assets and liabilities. They have to train year around and their game goes to unexpected levels because they are always trying to prove something to themselves and others.

This type of person is rarely satisfied because they know that with just one slip people who make decisions will say "I told you so." Why wouldn't a "got it made person" do the same?

Coming from where I come from, I believe I've always got something to prove. I've reached levels I never imagined and I want to keep reaching. My biggest reach is "Peace of Mind" knowing I did the best with the talents that the Good Lord gave me to function on this earth. Have I done anything great? No! I've just gone beyond what others believed I was going to be. I will do this by believing we never arrive.

When I think about young people with a talent, those who are fortunate to have things going for themselves, I think back to all of those who let complacency and sophistication creep in to their lives and game because everything was going right. In most cases it is a sub-conscious thing that we don't even recognize is happening to us. We need to learn to sort out the different levels of praise.

How many times will you hear; "They were at the top of their game and they let it slip?" For this reason, I believe that those who have it going have to have the same mind set as those who have "no respect". They have to wake up every morning knowing that one slip and they could be in the "no respect" category, simply because life has a way of doing this to people. They have to wake up every morning to be what they can be, and they have to guard against complacency.

People in charge have their own style of managing and judging you. Once they make that judgment, they are no different than the next person. They will try and prove their assessment of you is correct. Now the road to success becomes more complicated, however, it is possible to prove people wrong. An announcer choosing one player over another for an all star team will do anything to prove he is right; conversely a coach or GM playing one player over another to make their team or a line will do anything to prove they are right.Most athletes have to "pay a heck of a price" to be what they can be in life. Very few are born to be there. Why would they risk losing what they worked so hard to achieve? Recognizing and appreciating how they got there is one sure way to ensure that things will continue to go well for them. Paying a price in the off season is the other way to ensure success.

I could be pretty well satisfied with my life right now, and I could elect to take some form of retirement. I don't know that I will ever be satisfied with my life or my situation. Sometimes I wish I could change that part of me to make a better life for those around me. This is me and I have to enjoy being me before I can "help others help themselves" enjoy being what and who they are.The key words are "helping others help themselves". This means that no one is giving others a hand out in life or the game, no one is going to do it for them!

Live it and get it done!

I think back to Super Bowl Sunday. If you read all the clippings, there were super stars and great players on both teams, and both teams had a chance to win. I said before the game that there will be a best and the worst player on each team. Will the best be the one projected? Will the worst be the one projected? There will be a winner and a loser. Will the winner be the favorite to win? Bottom line, I would take pride in being the parent of the worst player on either team.There were two quarterbacks. One just happens to continue to approach life as a "no respect" guy even though he got rid of that label long ago. Who would guess that his eyes alone would be the difference between two great athletes? Who would guess that his ability to "look off and deceive" would be the difference in a victory and out playing one of his peers? This is just another reminder that sometimes tragedy creeps in with both success and failure. Keep the guard up and watch the outcome in future big games and then your career. It will play out!

Eyes tell a story. Maurice "Rocket" Richard comes to mind when I think about a pair of eyes that burns right though you. He embodies the word focus and concentration. You only need to look in his eyes once, photo or in person, to see the tenacity and burning desire to compete. Eyes have a way of telling others that you are a deep thinker, fierce competitor or always thinking. The eye concept lends credibility to maintaining your focus in life. Jackie Robinson is another athlete who comes to mind. His eyes, along with other assets, were full of determination, life and focus that allowed him to break the color barrier in baseball. You will always be able to learn from their eyes. There were enough pictures taken.

The other facet of eye training has to do with peripheral vision. You have, or will, hear the expression "eyes behind his head". All the great players have it. Their heads are always swiveling and they know what's happening all around them. "They see the ice" and they make the game seem easy. This type of head moment also improves "reaction time" in transition situations. They have a way of knowing everything that is going on around them without dictating their move.

You can improve peripheral vision by observing people in a crowd or players on the ice. This is a fun exercise; a way to pass the time of day constructively. Your awareness in all situations improves. You actually know what's going on around you while carrying on a conversation. This carries over to your on ice performance. All the great ones know what’s going on around them; on and off the playing surface.The eyes [ look offs ], hand drops, head and shoulder moves, ability to "freeze" the other players on the ice give you a better chance to complete a pass, get a puck to net, get pucks through shin pads and sticks, as well as gain space to give your teammates time to get to open ice. It takes energy to do all this. Lazy people do not add this to their arsenal.
Looking in to a person's eyes will also tell you the level of "life" they have in their work and game.

You are blessed with assets people can't teach. You are either born with these skills or acquire them from observing people and players on and off ice; then emulating them. Use your assets to maximize what you already have earned in life and continue to approach life as a "no respect" guy, one who has to get up every morning to prove he belongs where a select few don't want you to be.

This is the foundation for completing a good book on life a chapter at a time.

ã Copyright by Chuck Grillo, Minnesota Hockey Camps
24621 So Clark Lake Rd P.O. Box 90 Nisswa, MN 56468-0090
Phone 218.96.2444 Fax 218.963.2325 Email chuck@mnhockeycamps.com
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