Humility - May You Ever Be So Humble 22-Jan-2007

You win some and you lose some. Lessons I have learned through life is that you should never get too high or get too low. Take things in stride.

As a coach of 6th grade basketball, you go in knowing that you have as good a chance of winning the lottery as you do of winning all your games. You need to take something good out of each game, no matter the outcome, and determine the most important thing to teach your team before the next game. The most important thing not to do is dwell on the past. You knew coming in that you were not going to win every game, so don't be disappointed when you lose a game, whether it be my 1 point or 50 points. My team has not lost by 50 points, but we did get a lesson in humility when we lost by 25 and 37 points to the same team two days apart. We have also won games by double-digits. You never know if you are going to win or lose until you have played. Be graceful and greatful in both victories and losses.

Most things in life that you lose are not going to make that big of a difference tomorrow or next year. Loved ones are the obvious exception. So if you lose a game, have a bad day at work, or lose your favorite what-ever-it-is, life does go on. Try to learn a lesson from the experience and move on. If something goes great in your life, it is nice to share it with friends and family, but don't gloat - you never know when it could go away. It is always better to give than it is to receive as you get to make someone else happy.

Be humble in winning and losing. You don't know when one or the other is going to happen to you.