Going into 2019... NO bad days, and MOST will be fun!

As hard as I try to stay positive, some days it is a battle. To help in that fight, I decided in December of 2017 that I would chart every day in the 2018 prep season ( I hate the expression "offseason". We have to improve on a day to day basis throughout the year.)  If it was a good day, I would list the date with a "+". A bad day would get a "-".  A great day would get "++".  Those results are listed at the bottom of this blog and there were no bad days!

I know Coach Cox and Coach Harris got tired of it, but I really enjoyed showing them periodically how we were doing.

So what was a good day?  It was a day when we improved, gave a good or great effort, held our guys accountable, and on a personal level I could look in the mirror and know that I had given my best effort to serve others and ultimately my Savior, Jesus Christ. (Colossians 3:23)

Can you have a good day and make mistakes?? Absolutely! I made a ton of mistakes this year, even on great days. There is a real simple way to eliminate 100 % of your mistakes... do nothing.

The purpose of this exercise was to give me some documentation that we were making progress. Sometimes due to circumstances, you absolutely "feel" like you are not making improvement and what is the point of all of your efforts. Those feelings are false. I wanted something concrete to see that would help me realize that in actuality we were getting better and we were productive.

When the season started, we were still having "good days." But, we started 0-3. That is not fun. And, then the "feeling" begins to creep in .... this is not fun... there is never an enjoyable day.... every day is a struggle, etc. And, many days there was truth to that feeling.

So, I began to chart everyday with either a P (Purpose) or F (Fun & Purpose).  Maybe a day was not fun. But, if I had served others and my Savior that day to the best of my ability, I had fulfilled my purpose. I am coaching football in my hometown which I love. My 2018 seniors were the first in school history to have the same head coach for four years.  It has been and continues to be a struggle to get us where we want to be. But, "purpose" is through the roof!  For the kids I coach, the old Hogs, Dogs & Titans in my hometown, my own son who will be a sophomore, making this program the best it can be is absolutely worth doing and giving it everything I have. And, we are making significant progress.

Even if a day was not "fun" , I took satisfaction in giving all that I had to the task at hand on a one day  at a time basis. Seeing those "P's" reinforced that I was serving God and making a dent in what had to be done.

Interestingly though, I realized that most days do have some fun! It might only be for a short while, and only one moment but there was something that I enjoyed. As I charted my days, I realized more and more days were being marked fun. In the beginning, most days had a P.

I am fired up for 2019. We just finished our best December, ever, in terms of guys working on their own. We have had them doing extra in the weightroom, on the turf in the complex, on the field, etc. Our guys are working to take our level of commitment and program to another level.

I will not be charting good days and bad days in 2019. They are all going to be good days. That CHOICE is up to us.

On Fun versus Purpose.... I will either continue to chart that, or decide that there WILL be something fun each day, and look for that moment, no matter how short it may be.

If all of this seems excessive, insane, etc. that is ok with me. The top priority (Matthew 6:33) of this is a desire to serve my Lord and Savior everyday who sacrificed His life for me. I don't want to let HIM down. Part of this also is that I HATE losing.... more now than ever before. I can handle it better on the outside but on the inside it is tougher than ever. And, I want to do all in my power to help our kids win, help our community win,  & bring honor to the great players and coaches from the past at old Harrodsburg & Mercer County HS.

I would also stress, I am not the Lone Ranger! God has a GREAT plan for all of us! What can be better than to invest our all into serving Him for 2019 to be all that He has called us to be, to glorify Him?!

2019... make it all good or great days (your CHOICE), serve God and others, and have FUN a long the way!



2018 Prep Season Chart:

W 1/3: ++
Th 1/4: +
T 1/9: +
W 1/10: ++
TH 1/11: +
TH 1/18: +
F 1/19: +
M 1/22: +
T 1/23: +
W 1/24: +
TH 1/25: +
F 1/26: ++
M 1/29: +
T 1/30: +
W 1/31: +
TH 2/1: ++
M 2/5: +
T 2/6: +
W 2/7: +
TH 2/8: ++
M 2/12: +
T 2/13: ++
W 2/14: +
TH 2/15: +
T 2/20: ++
TH 2/22: ++
M 2/26: +
T 2/27: +
W 2/28: +
TH 3/1: +
M 3/5: +
T 3/13: +
W 3/14: ++
TH 3/15: +
F 3/16: ++
M 3/19: +
T 3/20: +
W 3/21: +
TH 3/22: ++
F 3/23: +
W 4/4: ++ Xenith
TH 4/5: ++ OL breakout
M 4/9: +
T 4/10: ++
TH 4/12: +
M 4/16: +
T 4/17: ++ (Xenith)
TH 4/19: +
M 4/23: +
T 4/24: ++ (intervention)
W 4/25: +
TH 4/26: ++
F 4/27: +
M 4/30: +
T 5/1: +
TH 5/3: ++
M 5/7: ++
T 5/8: +
W 5/9: ++
TH 5/10: +
F 5/11: +
M 5/14: ++
T 5/15: +
TH 5/17: +
F 5/18: +
M 5/21: ++ max out
M 6/4: +
TH 6/7: +
M 6/11: +
TH 6/14: +
M 6/18: ++
TH 6/21: ++
SA 6/23: +
SU 6/24: +