#028 – Be Common in Nothing
Be Common in Nothing. First, not in taste. O great and wise, to be ill at ease when your deeds please the mob! The excesses of popular applause never satisfy the sensible. Some there are such chameleons of popularity that they find enjoyment not in the sweet savours of Apollo but in the breath of the mob. Secondly, not in intelligence. Take no pleasure in the wonder of the mob, for ignorance never gets beyond wonder. While vulgar folly wonders wisdom watches for the trick.
What are you working for as a coach? Do you want your team/program just to be OK? Too often we let the voices around us dictate our happiness in progress. We need to set higher expectations than that of the public. We can not let outside motivation decide if were are good, or even if we are getting better. That must come internally and drive us for more. While it is great to get acknowledgment from others, those moments should not be what defines you or your program. What should drive you are your goals and your reflection on the work done. We may fall short of our ultimate goals from time to time, but that alone does not define a coach, player, team, or even a season. Look to be uncommon and not rely on what the public feels your value and successes are. Do it for you, your team, and the journey.
This blog series is based on the book “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” by Balthasar Gracián. This book was written for advice on how to achieve personal and professional success. This blog series aims to visit the points of wisdom and put them in the spotlight of the coaching and education lens.
