Just A Little Monday Motivation- Sometimes, It's Just About The Will

I posted this last summer for the Dman Club.
Thought it was a good one as you start to think about your summer training.


Guys,

This week's topic has nothing to do with technique, positioning or skill. 

It is just about will......

Hope it helps when summer training starts to get tough.

Enjoy!

Dmen. Shots Gotta Get Through

Dmen. Just some footage from recent NHL games showing the positive things that happen when shots get through to the net. It really isn't about how hard you shoot but how quickly you shoot and your ability to get the pucks through traffic. If you are trying to score from the point, you won't. Focus just on getting your shots through and you will end up scoring and being rewarded.
Watch these clips and look at how quickly the dmen shoot. Enjoy!!!





And here is an example of what can happen when you don't get the shot through.

Humble and Hungry

Humble and Hungry

Humble and Hungry. Two words that are key to a life and career of continuous improvement and growth. Whether you are just starting out and trying to make a name for yourself or you have achieved the pinnacle of success it’s important to remember to be humble and hungry.

BE HUMBLE

• Don’t think you know it all. See yourself as a life-long learner who is always seeking ways to learn, grow and improve.
• See everyone as a teacher and learn from everyone you meet.
• Be open to new ideas and strategies to take your life, school and work to the next level.
• When people tell you that you are great don’t let it go to your head. And when they tell you that you stink, don’t let it go to your head.
• Be kind to everyone and let people know that they matter.
• Live with humility because the minute you think you have arrived at the door of greatness it will get shut in your face.
• Humility doesn't mean you think less of yourself. It just means you think of yourself less.

BE HUNGRY

• Follow your passion, continuously improve, and continue to dream.
• Seek out new ideas, new strategies and new ways to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
• Invest the time, energy, sweat and dedication to be your best and let God do the rest.
• Be willing to pay the price that greatness requires. Don’t be average. Strive to be great.
• Become the hardest worker you know.
• Love the process and you’ll love what the process produces.
• Decide to leave a legacy. Even at a young age it’s important to think about what legacy you want to leave because knowing how you want to be remembered helps you decide how to live today.
• Don’t focus on where you've been. Focus on where you are and where you are going.
• Make your life and work a quest for excellence. Every day ask how I can be better today than I was yesterday?
• Make your next work your best work.

It's Not Always Just Hockey

Just some random things that I came across and felt like sharing. No specific reason. Just like them both. 
Where else can you get a hockey blog that references a native american warlord and Springsteen in the same post??? :)  
Hope it gets you thinking and you enjoy!

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and

demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,

beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a

friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all

people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy

of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only

in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones

to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are

filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep

and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
Tecumseh

Tecumseh was the courageous, legendary leader of the Shawnee tribe who inspired one of the largest Native American armies in the Great Lakes region and was killed in battle on October 5th, 1813. This is the poem that was featured in the motion picture Act of Valor.

And remember, we are in it together!!! Always moving ahead.....and never looking back.

http://youtu.be/Y_-LnaN7_BQ

5 Random Goals- Go To The Net

Guys,
Picked five random goals again from the NHL highlights. Focus on where the goals come from. You have to be willing to go to the net........that is where the goals are.

Set A Summer Goal

Your dream determines your goals.
Your goals map out your actions.
Your actions create results.
And the results bring you success.

Most hockey seasons have finished or are close to coming to an end. This is the time of year when everyone is making plans for spring and summer showcases, tournaments, training and things to do hockey related over the summer.
Here is a small piece of advice that I know can help you and will cost you nothing but some thought. 
Set a goal. 
Simple as that. 
With all the planning, exploring and running around chasing ideas and theories on what players 'have' to do over the summer, sometimes something as simple as setting a simple improvement goal gets lost. 
Players talk about working hard over the summer and doing this camp or that showcase, but how many actually take some time and identify what they really want to accomplish or should develop over the course of the summer? 
Here is what I suggest. Take an honest look at yourself as a player and identify something specific that you have to improve on over the summer.
Maybe you need to improve your shot. Improve your passing. Become a stronger skater. Get stronger. Get bigger. Improve footspeed. Develop better mental toughness....... The list is endless. 
But you won't improve on anything if you do not consciously focus on it and have an end goal. 
Whatever the goal is, write it down. 
The process of writing your goal down helps you to clarify what you intend to do, understand the importance of your goal, and commit yourself to making it happen. Writing it down makes you more accountable.

"No one ever accomplishes anything of consequence without a goal......Goal setting is the strongest human force for self motivation."

The SMART system is a good tool to apply to whatever it is you are going to strive for this summer. Take a look at your goal. Is it specific? Can you measure your progress from the start to where you want to be? Is it attainable and realistic? (You want to push yourself but need to know you can do it.) And is it time based? (achieved by the end of August)

"The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Goals help you determine your priorities and your priorities determine whether you'll reach your goals. The goal has to be your goal though. Not your parents goal. Not your coaches goal. Your goal.

The key to reaching your potential lies in your ability to continually improve. Activity is not enough, but if you set the right, specific goals and work to reach them, improvement is not only obtainable- it's inevitable.

The great thing is that once you simply identify and commit to a goal, you get moving towards it. It becomes hard to stop. Much like a train, getting it moving is the hardest part. A train standing still can be prevented from moving forward with one inch blocks of wood under each of it's drive wheels. Once the train is moving though, a concrete wall can't stop it.

Get your train moving. 

Set a summer improvement goal.

Tomorrow Is Leg Day

 If you ever wondered how a small, undrafted player ends up playing over 1000 NHL games....

Legs of Martin St. Louis

Get In The Gym

Think Like A Seal

I recently read some great material on The Navy Seals. Thought I would share some of the passages from the writings of David Rutherford. Not exactly about hockey but if an attitude like this is good for the SEALS then it is good enough for us.

David Rutherford is a Navy Seal and Behavior Training Specialist who served as an operator and instructor during his time with the Seals and participated in clandestine operations in the Middle East,  South Asia and Southeast Asia. Getting a brief glimpse into the minds of people that can and have operated at that high a level can shed some light on how to face any challenge. 

• "Making it through Hellweek was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life. The experience radically altered my perspective on the importance of having a positive attitude. In case you aren’t familiar with the details of Hellweek, allow me to explain. Hellweek is a 5 day ultra-evolution in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training that lasts from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon. During this ultra-evolution, trainees sleep for about 4 hours total, burn 7000 calories a day, run 4 mile timed beach runs, swim 2 mile timed ocean swims, conduct surf passage in giant surf and complete timed obstacle courses. Plus, they receive a constant hammering of mental and physical abuse from sadistic instructors…Imagine not sleeping for 5 straight days, suffering from complete sleep deprivation, hydrophobia and hallucinations, while trying to complete the normal and physical test of regular training while having to cognitively solve problems that have no real solutions from instructors who are trying to make you quit…..This seemingly insane gut-check is the ultimate gateway for the SEAL community."
• "….For 5 days we were beaten down and forced to test our intestinal fortitude. The instructors had to strip us of any previously learned cognitive or emotional limitations. It is critical to the success of the SEALS to filter out those individuals who lack the Self-Confidence to endure Hellweek……."

• "Our camaraderie and ability to convert a potentially debilitating situation into a positive one by simply using laughter and maintaining a positive attitude was just what we all needed to endure the next 24 hours of training ...."
• "By Friday we entered the SEAL Zone. Our individual Self-Confidence was completely redefined and our commitment to each other made unbreakable. When we finally reached the infamous Demo Pit, our new attributes had been forged. There was nothing we couldn’t do, alone or as a team. Hellweek SECURED!"
• "I truly understood that I could accomplish anything I wanted as long as I put the full force of my heart and mind behind my effort. Unbreakable Self-Confidence and an impenetrable positive attitude were the essential tools I used to finish Hellweek. This was quite a discovery because once you truly understand you have these abilities; there are no more excuses in your life."
• "When I was secured from Hellweek, that childlike ability to recognize my potential possibility was reignited in my soul. I knew that whatever I set my mind too was possible if I wholly committed myself to the task and accepted the fact that hard work is part of reaching any dream. I also realized that I was capable of so much more than I had ever imagined. My mind’s inhibition was causing fear that overwhelmed my heart’s desire. I made it through Hellweek because I anchored my heart to my mind."
• "Find your passion or dream and anchor it to your understanding of the incredible effort it is going to take to achieve mission success. This pure rational emotion will fuel your positive attitude like you have never felt before. This burning feeling will lift you out of the abyss of negativity you’re drowning in and set you on a course to achieving total mission success."

David Rutherford
NAVY SEAL

Letter To Our Team

Guys,
I just wanted to say thank you for the season. I wish work and family commitments hadn't restricted the time I was able to be there at times. Looking back I feel fortunate and blessed that I got to work with you all and know you not just as hockey players but as people.
Through the ups and down of any season there are always great memories and things to take away as lessons learned. That is the way I like to look at the game. I think that no matter how long your season lasts or what goes on during the season, there are things you learn about yourself and your team that will apply to all parts of your life. I know as a coach this season, that goes for me as well. 
The main thing I hope you learned was that when we played as a together as a team we were very good individual players, and when we played as individuals we were not a very good team.....that is a lesson that will apply to any team or business you are a part of in the future.
There are two other things I hope you can ask yourself and have the answers for now that some time has passed. They are:
"Am I a better player and person than I was at the start of the season?"
"Do I know more about myself, strengths and weaknesses, than I did at the start of the season?" These two questions apply not just on the ice but off of it as well.
I hope you can answer yes to them both. If so, then your season was a success.
I already miss you guys and hope you keep in touch. My email and cell are below and you better use them! (That's my last coach's order of the season!) If there is ever anything I can do for you please let me know.
I wish you success in hockey but more importantly wish you success in life.
Cheers!
Coach Huff

khuffman5@gmail.com

Team Huff Stuff

Cammalleri and Seguin BioSteel Commercial

Click to Enter Will Sports Group March Reading

Are You Committed?

Some interesting numbers showing just how willing and committed you must be to play NCAA Hockey.

There are approximately 28,000 high school senior aged or older players registered with USA Hockey or playing Jr. Hockey in the United States.

There are 59 D1 Teams.

There are 79 D3 Teams.

Each team brings in an average of 6 new players each season and about half of those are from the United States. That means that only about 408 of the 28,000 players will get a chance to play in college.

That represents about 1.5% of the players……

For Division 1 that represents about .6% of players.

How committed are you and what are you doing special to be in the top ½%  ???????

Remember those numbers when you are training this summer.

5 C's To Build A Great Team

5 C's to Build a Great Team

1. Communicate - Most teams, including teams at home, break down because of poor communication. Where there is a void in communication negativity fills it. Frequent and positive communication fills the void and begins the process of building trust. You can’t have a great team without strong relationships and you can’t have strong relationships without great communication and trust. Leaders must communicate with team members individually and collectively as a team and team members must enhance their communication with each other.

2. Connect - While communicating begins the process of building trust, connecting is what creates a bond of trust. Many teams communicate but the great ones also connect. They form bonds of trust that strengthen relationships and the team. They go deeper, below the surface level of communication, and communicate and connect in a more intimate and powerful way. Getting to know your team members, being vulnerable, sharing experiences together, facing challenges together, and working on projects together are a few ways to connect.

3. Commitment - Without communication, connection and commitment your team will not perform at a high level. Communication and connection build the trust that generates the commitment that fosters the teamwork that delivers results. Great teams are not only committed to doing great work. They are also committed to each other. They put the team first and are willing to serve and sacrifice for the benefit of the team.

4. Care - When you care you give a little more time, a little more effort, a little more energy, and a little more love to the things and the people you care about. You may be a good team but to be a great team I encourage you to care just a little more. Care about the work you do and how it contributes to the team. Care about the people you work with. Care about the mission of your team. Those who care build great things that others care about. 

5. Contagious Energy - Of course I’m talking about contagious positive energy. Great teams are filled with positive energy and it’s important for each person on the team to know that they are contagious. If you’re moody your negative energy is contagious and makes it hard for others to trust and feel comfortable around you. If you are positively contagious you make everyone around you better. There’s no "i" in team but there are two "i" in positive. This means "I" must be positive to be my best and "I" must be positive to help my team be our best. As a team member you can be a germ or a big dose of vitamin C to your team. Choose to be positively contagious.
by Jon Gordon

Yes, Hockey Did Win

One of the fun parts about writing is going back in time and looking at some of the things you wrote about. Some things you wrote about in the past just don't seem relevant at all. Then there are things that stand the test of time and seem to make even more sense today.
In early November I wrote a post titled ,"Yesterday, Hockey Won". 
http://hockeysummit.blogspot.com/2013/11/yesterday-hockey-won.html
A lot of people seemed to like it at the time and I received some really nice feedback on it. 
This entry is to follow up on that piece and I am happy to declare that yes, hockey did win.

In November of this past season, the team I have helped coach this season, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights u18s played team Comcast who had tragically lost a teammate just days earlier.  As I chronicled in the earlier blog post, I was amazed at the resiliency of Team Comcast as they valiantly battled and lost a heart breaking game to our team 5-4.  Obviously the results of that game were not important compared to what they were dealing with as individuals and a team mourning the loss of a close teammate. In my opinion hockey did win that day and gave the boys a platform to come together and try to begin a long hard healing process.
So how does that story relate to today?

Fast forward to this past weekend. The same two teams were locked in a tie for points and playing a deciding game in Wilkes Barre with a winner to go on to playoffs and a loser eliminated from the post season. The entire season came down to one game.
The coaching staff, parents and players from Team Comcast obviously had done a remarkable job pulling together and playing hard all season long to give themselves a chance to be in that position and continue their season. 
As the game was about to start and intensity filled the arena, I remember looking down at their goal and watching their team all kneel down in a circle with their heads down. I am sure it was to acknowledge their lost teammate. I felt myself get lost for a second in that moment. I forgot we were about to play a game. I found myself thinking of all they had been through. Thinking of those boys becoming young men and somehow learning to deal and cope with what they had gone through. Wondering how they got through it. 
Then the puck dropped.......
The game went on. Life went on.
In that earlier blog post I wrote about the healing properties that I believe exist in hockey. Never was my belief so validated than on Saturday. Team Comcast came into our team's building and managed to win the must win game 3-0. They played hard. They played smart. They played together. They deserved to win. 
Now of course I was upset for our guys. They played hard all season and wanted to win desperately. I wanted to win desperately. That is what players and coaches are supposed to do. 
But after the sting of losing wore off and I was driving home it hit me......
Maybe we all won. 
Certainly Team Comcast did. They accomplished a great deal. Those young men should be very proud of sticking together and doing what they had to after their loss of a loved one. A pain like that will never go away completely, but they played the next game. And then the next one. And then the next one.....
But I was thinking of our team too. I was looking for a positive from being eliminated the way we were and what I came up with was this; 
I hope our team learned a lesson that they can take with them the rest of their lives from our opponent this weekend.  Not just a hockey lesson, a life lesson. 
The lesson being that in life bad things can and do happen. Sometimes very tragic things. But you can't quit. You can get through things with friends, with loved ones, with family.......with teammates. No matter what comes your way stick together. 
You can be ready for the next puck to drop.....That is what I hope our guys learned.
If they did, maybe our team won too....

19 Hard Things You Need To Do To Be Successful

You have to do the hard things.

• You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
• You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
• You have to give more than you get in return right away.
• You have to care more about others than they care about you.
• You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
• You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
• You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
• You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
• You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
• You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
• You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
• You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.”
• You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
• You have to try, fail and try again.
• You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
• You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
• You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
• You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
• You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

You have to do the hard things. The things that no one else is doing. The things that scare you. The things that make you wonder how much longer you can hold on.

Those are the things that define you. Those are the things that make the difference between living a life of mediocrity or outrageous success.

The hard things are the easiest things to avoid. To excuse away. To pretend like they don’t apply to you.

The simple truth about how ordinary people accomplish outrageous feats of success is that they do the hard things that smarter, wealthier, more qualified people don’t have the courage — or desperation — to do.

Do the hard things. You might be surprised at how amazing you really are.

7 Random Goals

Guys,

I once again pulled 7 random goals from last nights games in the NHL.

Just like before, focus on the guys driving the net and where the goals are scored from. The goalies at that level are just too hard to beat cleanly and to score you have to be willing to go to those tough areas. Watch these clips and focus on the guys willingness to drive the net. Ask yourself if you are doing the same....... Sometimes it is not the goal scorer but the other guys who are doing it so someone can score.

90% of all goals are scored with someone in front or driving the net hard. It is the simplest thing you can do to become an effective player.

Enjoy! 

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013020843-18-h

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013020843-26-ingame-h

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013020843-448-h

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013020842-429-h

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013020842-705-h

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013020841-93-ingame-h

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/?id=2013020841-631-h

Take The Time

Although it is early to be thinking about selecting people for next year's teams, that time will be here before you know it. 

I love these words of wisdom from Coach Mike Krzyzewski that came from him during the period of him selecting the 2008 men's basketball team that won the gold medal. Maybe we can all learn something from Coach K when picking a team or doing business....

Take The Time

"Take the time to choose your people. In doing so, be sure that you are asking the basic but most difficult questions. Let the answers to those questions guide the selections that you make.

Remember that choosing your people is the first decision you will make as a leader. Take the time to make it a good one. Great teams start with a base of talent but consist of a mixture of experienced people who bring instant credibility and institutional understanding, and young players who bring energy and keep you fresh. But be sure that all these individuals are united by a foundation of character that will make them want to give of themselves to be a part of something bigger.

In choosing your people, remember also that you are establishing the foundation for trusting relationships. Take the time to conduct personal interviews, face to face when possible. Lay everything on the line. Be forthright about what is expected, and don’t be afraid to let your people know a little about who you are and why you believe in the team cause. These initial meetings are the first indication of how your team members will communicate with one another.

Leaders sometimes get caught up too early in what the mission will be. And the mission is crucially important. But your team’s people are the ones who are going to accomplish that mission. Before you get into the details of your strategy, your X’s and O’s, you have to decide who is the X and who is the O."

All the best!!

Positive New Year

Happy New Hockey Year. Hope you work to make it a great one!

20 Tips To Help Make 2014 A Great Year

1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can trust that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible. 
2. Take a morning walk of gratitude. I call it a “Thank You Walk.” It will create a fertile mind ready for success. 
3. Make your first meal the biggest and your last meal the smallest. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. 
4. Zoom Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask: “What are the three most important things I need to do today that 
will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions. 
5. Talk to yourself instead of listen to yourself. Instead of listening to your complaints, fears and doubts, talk to yourself and feed 
your mind with the words and encouragement you need to keep moving forward. 
6. Remember that adversity is not a dead-end but a detour to a better outcome. 
7. Don’t chase dollars or success. Decide to make a difference and build meaningful relationships and success will find you. 
8. Get more sleep. You can’t replace sleep with a double latte. 
9. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. 
Instead invest your energy in your purpose, people and the positive present moment. 
10. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone. 
11. Live with the 3 E’s. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy. 
12. Remember there’s no such thing as an overnight success. There’s no substitute for hard work. 
13. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences. 
14. Implement the No Complaining Rule. Remember that if you are complaining, you’re not leading.
15. Read more books than you did in 2013. 
16. Don’t seek happiness. Instead decide to live with passion and purpose and happiness will find you.  
17. Focus on “Get to” vs “Have to.” Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation. 
18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 
I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished____________. 
19. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants. 

20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it. 

Happy New Year Everyone!

Content by Jon Gordon

Believe

Just a little post about the power of believing in yourself.

The Bayonne Bleeder

You have to believe in yourself so strongly that you are willing to bank on it.

Chuck Wepner never learned this lesson. As a boxer he earned the name “the Bayonne Bleeder”, due to the punishment he took even while winning. In the boxing world he was what was called a “catcher” a fighter that uses his head to block the other guy’s punches…..Wepner continually pressured his opponent until he either won or got knocked out. He never cared how many shots he had to absorb until he could deliver a knockout blow to his opponent. His trainer Al Braverman called him, “The gutsiest fighter I ever met. He was in a league of his own. He didn’t care about pain or embarrassment. If he got cut or elbowed he never looked at me or the referee for help. He was a fighter in the purest sense of the word.”

When Wepner knocked out Terry Henke in the 11^th round in Salt Lake City, promoter Don King offered Wepner a title shot against then heavyweight champion George Forman. But when Ali defeated Forman, Wepner found himself scheduled to fight ‘The Greatest’. Mohammed Ali!!

On the morning of the fight Wepner gave his wife a pink negligée and told her she would soon be sleeping with the Heavyweight Champion of the World. 

Ali scored a technical knockout with only 19 seconds remaining in the fight. But there was one moment, one glorious moment in the ninth round when a ham-like paw to Ali’s chest knocked the reigning champion off his feet. Wepner recalled, “When Ali was down I remember saying to my ring man Al Braverman, ‘Start the car we’re going to the bank, we’re millionaires!!’ and Al said to me, ‘You’d better turn around…..because he is getting up….’

After the fight, Wepner’s wife pulled the negligee out of her purse and asked, “Do I go to Ali’s room or does he come to mine?”

That story would be nothing more than an odd boxing footnote except for the fact that a struggling writer was watching the fight. Suddenly it struck him, “there it is!” he said to himself. So he went home and started writing and he wrote for three days straight. 

That is how writer and actor Sylvester Stallone described the birth of the Academy Award winning movie Rocky.

The movie studio offered the struggling writer an unprecedented $400,000 for his script. But Stallone refused the money, choosing instead just $20,000 and the right to play the part of Rocky for actor’s minimum wage, a paltry $340 per week. He felt strongly that this script and part would catapult him to fame and fortune. He was right.

The studio also made an offer to Wepner since the movie was based on his life. He could receive a flat fee of $70,000 or 1% of the movies gross profits. Wanting the guaranteed payday, Wepner took the $70,000, a decision that ultimately cost him $8,000,000.00………

Chuck Wepner retired to Bayonne, NJ and worked as a liquor salesman.

The moral of the story? A few of things I guess……..

1. Marry someone with a good sense of humor.

2. You never know what your individual efforts will lead to or what results will come from your hard work.

3. Be willing to bank on yourself.

Happy New Year!

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

"The gift that keeps on giving the whole year."
Anyone who has seen the Holiday Classic, Christmas Vacation, recognizes the significance of the title of this blog. If you have not you can watch the video clip posted at the end. It never gets old....

Here is a great last minute gift idea for anyone who needs one. This is a unique gift that you can both give and receive at the same time. ...It costs nothing and can last not just for a month, but forever.

Recently I was given this early Christmas gift. I doubt the person even thought they were giving me anything......
I was paid a compliment by someone who I have become very close with. They told me that they appreciate my friendship and advice and that I was a good 'Mentor' for them. The feeling I got from that was as nice a present I have received in a long time, maybe ever. It made me think of all the many 'Mentors' I have had in my life and the ones that are now new to it as well. It really is a great gift. Either being a Mentor or being Mentored is something to be treasured. So this week I decided to look into further.
What exactly is a 'Mentor'?
^{You know you are on to a good topic when the word you are going to focus on is both a noun and a verb.}

¹men·tor

noun \ˈmen-ˌtȯr, -tər\

: someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person

²mentor

transitive verb

: to teach or give advice or guidance to (someone, such as a less experienced person or a child) : to act as a mentor for (someone)

The word comes from the Greek epic poem The Odyssey.
Before Odysseus leaves for the Trojan war, he asks his old friend Mentor to look after his family and his home. When Odysseus returns home twenty years later and needs some divine assistance, the Goddess Athena comes to his aid in the form of that same wise trustworthy man, and offers Odysseus advice and counsel. The idea to which this reliable old friend unwittingly lent his name has been passed on to us in the form that hasn't changed much since those times. And as Odysseus did, we often find those close to us being our 'Mentors'.

You can make a conscious decision to become a 'Mentor'. To sit down with someone and share wisdom, encouragement and experience. That is 'mentoring'. You can also become a 'Mentor' when someone else chooses to learn from you. Both unique, both are forms of 'mentoring' and both are special gifts.
People sometimes never even meet their 'mentors'. They can even be from the past.
That is what is incredible. You can be and also find sources of inspiration and guidance and never have interacted with the other person.
'Mentoring' also involves receiving. It is acknowledging that you need help, guidance and instruction as well. That is one of the wonderful things about aging. You begin to realize that you should have been more open to being mentored when you were younger. I know I sure do. And now there is something you can do about it.
You do not have to be perfect to be a 'Mentor'.
'Mentoring' is not just about celebrating your own insight but about sharing wisdom. When you pass on the lessons of your life with someone else, it's not you who are teaching, but your experience.

'Mentors' are not heroes.  A hero is someone you idolize. While a 'Mentor' is someone you respect. A hero earns our amazement. A 'Mentor' earns our confidence. A hero takes our breath away. A 'Mentor' earns our trust. 'Mentors' do not seek to create a new person, they simply seek to help a person become a better version of himself.
'Mentors' are primarily concerned with teaching. And a teacher is there to inspire.

There are many coaches I played for over the years who are now 'mentoring' me and they don't even realize it.

Over the course of a hockey season so many things happen in practice, during games and yes even away from the rink. Good times. Bad times. Ups. Downs. Challenges. Accomplishments. Setbacks..... It is funny how a hockey season in its' entirety is much like a microcosm of life. Hockey needs coaches, and life needs 'Mentors'.

If you look hard, they are all around us.
It is never to late to be 'mentored' and you are never too old to be a 'Mentor'. Never.

The example of Nelson Mandela and his recent passing comes to mind. I read a lot of the features on him and his leadership over the course of the last week and was inspired by things I did not know about him and his life.
That is the thrill of coaching. To give the advice that took a lifetime of going through things and being able to share it.

Some of the greatest coaches of all time have cited some of their 'mentors' as people from history not just the world of sport. All sorts of unique and special people from all walks of life. People like Abraham Lincoln, Mother Theresa, Winston Churchill, John Kennedy.....etc. And yes, even Clark Griswold......

So I hope this gift idea is one you share with other people and one that you are open to receiving. Give someone the gift of letting them know that they are a 'Mentor' to you. It feels great.
Jelly is good too!!!
Happy Holidays!

Fly Together

Just a little follow up piece on the post from a while ago about teams and people going through difficult times.

I saw a lot of Canadian Geese heading south over the last few days while I was travelling. So of course, originally being from Canada, it made me think of this and how it related to the topic on difficult times and sticking (flying) together:

When you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in a "V" formation, you might be interested in knowing that science has discovered why they fly that way. Research has revealed that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately behind it. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. (People who share a common direction and sense of community get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are travelling on one another's thrust.)

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone. It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. (If we as people have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation and so will those who are headed the same way we are.) When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the "V" and another goose flies the point. (It pays to take turns doing the heavy lifting....)
The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. (Are we positive when we honk from behind?)

And finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunfire and falls out, two other geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the goose until it is either able to fly again or dead, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up to their group. (If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that when times are tough......) 

So when things are heading south.....fly together.

And who says nature doesn't relate to hockey???

Have a great week!