To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. - Winston Churchill

My entire life I've loved quotes. Motivating quotes. Deep quotes. Make you think quotes. Inspirational quotes.

The above quote by Winston Churchill is definitely one of my favorites, and it's also the primary motivator that inspired a change to what I'll be sending out each week.

Starting today, you'll continue to receive a copy of my weekly newsletter: The Deep Three. It will contain three quick thoughts/ideas/motivations that are applicable to anyone and everyone in the basketball world.

In addition, I'll be sending out a separate weekly email dedicated to each of the three main groups in our community: one for players, one for coaches, and one for parents. That will allow us to journey together on a deeper level each week, while also avoiding an even more crowded in-box. 😂

Without further ado, let's dive right in!

It's common for us to focus on the things we can't control in life, and it's also one of the main distractions that keeps us from achieving great things!

Decide to be special and focus only on what you can impact in the present moment. Not only will you improve your personal output, but you will also begin to IMMEDIATELY separate yourself from your competition.

Eliminate your distractions. Control the controllables!

It doesn't matter if you're a basketball player, coach, or parent. Body language matters! It matters during every moment of every practice, play, game, and interaction.

It's easy to maintain great body language when things are going well for yourself and others, but what is your body language like when things aren't going well?

Most people emotionally vomit with their body language when things go wrong. They do things like throw their hands up in the air, stomp around, yell expletives, or roll their eyes at the guilty party (even if it's themself!).

Be different. Find ways to inspire and motivate others with your body language, in spite of whatever mistake was made!

Bonus: Check out this incredible two-minute video with Draymond Green talking about the importance of body language.

Building a culture of excellence is necessary for any team or group that wants to be successful over the long haul. Unfortunately, most teams forget to include one key ingredient: COMPETITION.

Competing is the idea that if you're doing something, anything at all, it's imperative to do it as well as you possibly can, every single time. Think about it in the context of a basketball team. Anyone (even lazy players) will dive on the ground for a loose ball late in the 4th quarter when the game is on the line. But is your team full of players that will do it every singe time? Even when it's early in a game or if your team is down by 20 points?

As a child of the 1990s, I grew up loving the Chicago Bulls and was obsessed with Michael Jordan. There's a story about one time in practice when the Bulls were scrimmaging to 11 and Jordan's squad quickly got out to an 8-2 lead. At that moment, the coach stopped the game and put MJ on the other team. What did the 🐐do? Not surprisingly, he led his new team to a come-from-behind victory.

This competitive fire, an unrelenting passion to be the best you can be at every single moment, is a game-changer for any player, person, or team that desires an exceptional culture.

How often do you compete? Some of the time? None of the time?

Do you compete in every area of your life? What about when you're tired but there's still more to do?

Anybody can compete when it's easy. Special cultures understand that it's a full-time job!