Preseason

     Heard a great quote recently attributed to Emmitt Smith: "All men are created equal. Some work harder in preseason.". I think this is a great concept and I try hard to teach it to my children particularly my son where his sports are concerned. I tell him it's perfectly ok to play a sport recreationally. To show up once a week, play the game and let the chips fall where they may. However if you are going to complain about losing and you want to play better, win etc. it's all about how hard you work in between games. Despite what many in this world seem to believe you can't improve very much by complaining. You have to get up and do something. Practice, reflect, strategize, exercise, work on skills etc. depending on what it is you are trying to excel at. It's ok to dabble in something and just have fun with it. However if you are going to complain about your results do something about it. The time to do something about it is in preseason. For us everyday folk that means in between games, in the driveway or the basement gym when it would be easier to be watching TV, at work when others have slowed down and are spending the last hour of the day chatting, on Saturday afternoon when it would be more fun to be sitting around drinking beer etc. Work on your craft, work toward your goal and then you will beat the ones you started out equal to.