Are You Stuck on Good? A Look at 2011

Do You Dream of Greatness?

For me, it has been a turbulent yet exciting and fast paced year. I went from having the best senior year in college anyone could ask for to looking for a job in business, to making a major life change in deciding to pick up and move to get my teachers certification and masters. I have learned a lot about myself throughout this past year; some good and some I want to change.

One thing I enjoy doing each day is reading a blog post or two on leadership & change from popular leadership blogs. One that I stumbled upon last week revolved around the idea: "Are You Stuck on Good? What Is Holding You Back? ” The thesis of this article analyzed the one key difference that makes good leaders great. That key element is the “willingness to change and challenge oneself.” Good leaders are happy with the status quo. Many times they resist change. The great leaders embrace new opportunities and they challenge themselves every single day. Below are several things I want to improve upon this 2011 to make myself into a better, more suited person for my family, friends, and my job.

1.       Like many of you, waking up in the morning can be a daunting task. Most of us are grumpy and say to ourselves many times over this is going to be a long, crappy day. This is the wrong attitude! What if we woke up every morning with ten positive thoughts for every negative one we had? Instead of telling ourselves how bad the day will be, we need to tell ourselves that we are going to make a difference today, learn something new, meet a new friend, and share a lot of laughs. By changing our attitude we change ourselves.

2.       We have a lot on our minds all the time. One thing that frustrates me is that throughout the day, I always forget the dream(s) I had the night before and many of them were pretty interesting. One of my goals this year is to keep a log by my bed and record all my dreams when I wake up. Through this, I feel I can someday write a book that has never been written. People, I dream some crazy stuff!

Like me, I know you have a lot to share you just never write it down. I strongly encourage you before bed to take some time to write about things you learned that day, things that frustrated you, or things you would like changed. Trust me, it takes a lot of weight off your chest and relieves some much needed stress!

3.       I grew up around pasta, fatty lunch meats, and lots of yummy snacks. As I begin to get older, I am starting to realize my body can’t handle all the “goods” anymore. This year, my goal is to eliminate one of the “bad” things from my diet each month. By 2012, I should be able to say NO to prosciutto, fried chicken, Doritos, Oreos, and many more! Along with this goal to eliminate some goodies, it is my goal to continue to push my body to places it has never been before. By February 28^th, I wish to be done with the whole Insanity program. It will be tough but I have to do it! In reality, most health issues we have can be cured with a good diet and plenty of exercise. Many of us just find it to darn hard to do both of those consistently!

4.       For you that aren’t spiritual, you can ignore this one but I really need to get more in tune with my spirituality. At church this Christmas, our priest made an excellent point. Why do all of us come to church on Christmas but many of us throughout the rest of the year forget to celebrate Jesus and his teachings? What are we so scared of? We feel like many times we can do everything on our own, but if we took a moment or two and let him into our hearts, I feel like our lives would be much fuller! This year, I want to practice more random acts of kindness like Jesus did. Give for no reason, and find ways to make new friends.

5.       It is amazing how much we can learn by simply listening and observing others actions. One thing I have learned this year is that I am obviously not always right and it is important to always look at things from other people’s perspectives. A great saying that I love is that “you should never judge a man unless you have walked in his shoes.” Throughout this New Year, I want to make sure I listen and observe before I make haste judgments.

Some other things I want to try and improve are:

*Encouraging others to reach for things they never thought possible.

*Be a better coach and teacher through studying my craft.

*Spend more valuable time with my family.

*Be more adventurous and try new things such as cooking new dishes or visiting a place I have never been before.  

*Read for at least 10 minutes a night before bed. Finish five books this year. Knowledge is power.

*Learn something new every day from a person, article, book, or adventure.

As the New Year is upon us, I encourage you to take a look at yourself and ask: “Are You Stuck on Good?” If so, how can you make yourself and the World around you a better place?

HAPPY 2011!!

-RD

Leading to Perfection: Dallastown Football

10 - 0 Undefeated Div I Champions

Last month, November 2010, the Dallastown football program did something it hasn’t done in 30 years; win the Division I York-Adams title outright and pitch a perfect regular season. I couldn’t be more proud for the district, coaches, players, and community. I know it was a truly special season for all that were involved and the team will go down in history. What people don’t realize though is what it took to get to that Friday night 38 -36 win over Red Lion to go undefeated.  

Five years ago, 2006, I graduated from Dallastown as a member of the football team. It was Kevin Myers first year as the head varsity coach. We went 1 – 9, were laughed at by opponents, and the program was all over the place. The next year, the varsity went 1 – 9 again. The kids played very hard. Competed in a lot of games, but the result was the same.

In 2008, the team started 0 – 3. Parents and community members questioned if Kevin knew what he was doing. They questioned his character, they questioned his staff. The questioned everything about the football program. I remember talking to Kevin over the phone after that third loss. He was upset that the team lost, but you never heard any negatively or defeat in his voice. Their next game was against the powerhouse South Western whom Dallastown hadn’t beaten in a very long time. The team had two options: Quit like they usually did or work harder. I remember that week being the toughest week of practice I ever saw. There was high intensity, hard hitting, and the kids competed.  The senior leaders stepped up. They were tired of being associated with losing. That Friday night, they pulled out a 20 – 17 win over South Western which in my opinion was the game that changed the program’s culture. From that game on, DTown never looked back. They went on to win the last 5 out of 6 games to finish 6 – 5 and make the postseason for the first time ever. Since then, the program has had a winning record every year, most notably this year’s undefeated season.

Through being associated with the program over the past four years through coaching, I saw many great things that I believe changed the football culture and made Dallastown into a respected program once again.

1.        In leadership, anytime you want to change something, you have to have a plan or vision. Kevin had a plan for success in which he believed in. He had to handle a lot of unjust criticism but he stuck with his plan until it came to fruition.

2.       He surrounded himself with knowledgeable, credible people that had integrity and class. He put together a coaching staff that he knew would do whatever it took to not only win and make the kid’s better people, but carry out his vision.

3.       Many people don’t understand this, but in a high school football program, it starts from the bottom up, not top to bottom. Kevin did something that was never done before in the program. He developed a great relationship with its feeder program, the Cougars. Before Kevin took over, the Cougars and Wildcats didn’t coordinate together very well. Part of his plan was to get the Cougars to run his offense/defense and instill his philosophies. Many programs don’t do this because it takes a lot of work but the payoff is awesome.

4.       Coaching isn’t all about X’s and O’s, it is about the Jimmies and Joes. There is nothing more important as a coach than investing in people and having compassion for others. Kevin and his staff do a great job investing in the kids, making them into better people, and motivating them.

5.       I had an opportunity to coach at a well respect school district this year in Mt. Lebanon in Pittsburgh. One thing that I missed very much was the family atmosphere. Kevin made sure that all coaches no matter what were welcome to practices, games, clinics, etc. I personally feel that feeling of family amongst the coaches trickled down to the players.

6.       I like marketing a lot so I have to point this out. When I played, we had beat up uniforms and a timid Wildcat on the helmet. Kevin rebranded the Dallastown Wildcat; from the DT logo, to the helmets, to the jerseys. I hate to say it but those little things make kids want to play. Also, he connected with the community like no other coach or person I ever saw.

7.       Lastly, I have to give credit to the players. Coaches constantly preach hard work, responsibility, respect, attitude, etc but if the players don’t take leadership to do them, it is all wasted breath. The program has been fortunate to have a lot of great young leaders which I know will continue because of the coaches that instill those positive characteristics in them.

Life is a continous learning process. I have been blessed to have learned so many great things from not only Kevin, but the coaches I have coached with and the players I coached. The Dallastown community and football program is a truly special place. The bar has now been set. Now it is time to continue a tradition of excellence!

-RD

Facebook Etiquette: Plase Raed Cafurly

It is no secret that we on average spend one to two hours daily on Facebook checking statuses, chatting, viewing pictures/video, and commenting/liking other people’s posts. I, like many of you, enjoy using Facebook to keep up on friends and family. Lately though, I have noticed some  disturbing trends that I personally feel people that use Facebook need to be aware of and think about. Some of these things just bug me and I need to get them off my chest. 

1.       When posting a status update or comment, please check your grammar unless you are trying to make an error on purpose. People don’t realize that others will judge you on something as simple as your grammar. Check before you post.

2.       Please DO NOT post an update everyday that you went to work then came home ate dinner and went to bed.  Personally I don’t care and many others don’t either. Try and make yourself a person of value and post meaningful, thought provoking posts or quotes, links, movies, etc. I am not saying it is bad every once in a while to say, “Excited to see Harry Potter tonight,” but don’t bore the rest of us with your monotony.

3.       In my opinion, over 70% of the status updates I see are negative such as, “I hate school,” “my life sucks,” “I hate my job,” “This isn’t right,” etc. People please,  understand that others aren’t sympathetic with you, most are glad you have problems. The more you tell yourself things suck, the more they do. The more you give yourself positive self talk and have a bright outlook on things, the more vibrant the world seems.

4.       Lastly, it is amazing how much time we waste on social networks. I had a teacher in high school who taught me a lot about maximizing our time. Many of you like me have very busy schedules with a lot to get done. Instead of checking Facebook, Twitter, email every fifteen minutes, use that extra time to get your paper done or take time to read a book or article.

If you have a comment  and want to share your opinion, I would love to hear your thoughts. As always, thanks for reading RD’s Readz!

-RD