Caring and Sharing; Foundation for Success

Caring and Sharing; the Foundation for Success

I just received a message fm one of our parents who spends time with us during the summer months because he cares about the future of his son and has developed a caring level for others competing with his son. He wrote a number of things but the beginning intrigues me the most:

Chuck,

I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments whether on your blog or on Facebook. I enjoy reading them all and look forward to seeing the next ones. I can relate to so many of the circumstances that you describe from my time as a player. He went on to say how he thinks about all of the things he could have done better.

My comments are simple:

I find it interesting you write this to me because I’ve been giving some thought to writing a blog on me not reaching my potential as an athlete and in real life. I don’t believe any of us reach our true potential and there is no better example than me. While it’s easy to rationalize, the plain and simple truth is we have all these unique skills and rarely maximize them. Most of us look back and are more likely to add the words “think I’m”, before critical words like curious, studying, working hard, training hard, sprinting hard, skating hard, playing hard. How many of us want to, and know how, to be a difference maker; go beyond our job description?

We have no way of knowing unless we find ourselves in a setting that WOWS us and opens our eyes to what is real in the sport or life in general. We need people to teach that perception and deception are deterrents to what is substance and reality. The biggest obstacle to overcome is thinking that simply showing up @ work, skating and playing games is going to do it for you. “I just do my job” doesn’t cut it.

When you know what it takes, and don’t apply, the rich only get richer. Those born to be there will be the beneficiary with less competition fm peers. I know superstars in the NHL that are performing well below their potential and I feel for them every time it gets played out in front of the world on TV or @ a game. None of this has to do with the skillset. They are obviously @ a skill threshold far beyond what they need. Most have blind spots that need to be exposed, and constructively critiqued, or they will never max out.

The pecking order can get altered real fast, especially during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Rules become guidelines in a playground setting that is as close as it gets to the old playground with no parents around. All you had was a group of kids, two leaders picking teams, and they always seemed to be able to pick them in the order deserved. It has been interesting to go back over our careers and see how it all played out. The fun ones are the last guy picked being the huge success story in life. The equally fun ones have been the leaders staying grounded, because of their upbringing, and maintaining the gap. I’ve been witness to more than my share of careers with an unhappy ending and even some that failed to get off the ground. I’ve also been witness to so many becoming what we believed they can be the first time we saw them.

Our camp is great for all ages but the results start coming in fast after puberty kicks in. Prior to puberty is a great time to form the habits we need to be successful. Once puberty kicks in, we already have the love and passion for training and work. All we need to do is in place. Improving gets to be easier and fun. I sincerely believe hard work is fun because I watched my parents working hard and having fun. My Marine Corps experiences taught me how to do things I never dreamed I could do and I am forever grateful for my time in the service.

The results get magnified when young people receive some sort of indication that they are good, but only if the results are incentive to work harder. Unfortunately sophistication and complacency “rule” in too many lives that experience success. Perception and deception creep in over substance and reality.

The key is you wondering what you were thinking when you describe a situation where you were sub-standard and didn’t know “what I was thinking”. I wouldn’t want to even venture a guess on how many times I’ve asked, “What was I thinking?” This is the necessary fuel to help others become what you believe they can be. I believe parents will always want more for their kids than they had @ the same age and they want them going way beyond anything they have ever accomplished. They want their experiences to be the reason their children do not make the same mistakes. They want them to have a better life but the smarter ones know better than to do all this @ the “hand out” levels.

All experiences are what they are; experiences good or bad. We are told to put bad experiences behind us. I believe we should put all experiences behind us. I like to call the bad experience part a “Goaltender’s Mentality”. Goal tenders are taught in the early stages of their career to put all bad goals and games behind them immediately. They do not dwell on the past. Why wouldn’t we all have a “Goaltender’s Mentality”? When you think about it, why wouldn’t we put all experiences behind us immediately after they happen; both good and bad? This will guard against complacency and sophistication and prevent the tragedy that surrounds good and bad experiences. Great experiences are supposed to be incentive to do better.

I find it real easy to “care” about our offspring. The “caring” that really counts to me is the “caring” that is visible when you really don’t’ have to “care”. It is easy to care about close knit friends and family. This is why Minnesota Hockey Camps is so dynamic. The standard of training your mind and body to be what we believe you can be is in place. There is no compromise and the only requirement is to come on board. You have a standing invite and license to “join our group”. Our goal is to create awareness by exposing assets and liabilities.

We even have a Template to follow that supports our beliefs and we do it unconditionally for all who attend. Our “caring” level extends far beyond friends and family. The “inner circle” has no limits. We become a part of the Board of Directors needed for you to have a great life. Your life is no different than a Corporation. You are Chairman of the Board for your life. There is always room for one more around that huge conference table you draw on a sheet of paper and we have no problem asking a non-contributor to give up their seat @ the table. You will need all of those board members as you move through life because there comes a time when your immediate family cannot help even though they are on the board.

The end results are even more friends for MHC’s extended family and more who grow up learning the value of “caring and sharing”.

“Be a detail person, one who cares and shares with others, before any personal gains. This foundation of a person will take you as far as you want to go.”

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 All rights reserved.No part of this book, blog OR template may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without permission in writing from Minnesota Hockey Camps