Are you sailing your vessel?

One of my all-time favorite songs is Garth Brook's "The River." The lyrics say this:
You know a dream is like a river, ever changing as it flows. And the dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where it goes. Trying to learn from what's behind you and never knowing what's in store. Makes each day a constant battle, just to stay between the shores. And I will sail my vessel, till the river runs dry. Like a bird upon the wind, these waters are my sky. I'll never reach my destination if I never try, so I will sail my vessel till the river runs dry.

The good Lord gives us each a unique vessel that He calls us to use for our own purpose in this life. He sometimes has to send that vessel more than once for us to realize what He is calling us to do.
I truly believe that there are times in life when God sends signs for us to pull on our heart strings of what He wants us to do.

Last night I went to hear Dr. Donna Lopiano speak to all the female student athletes here at Tech. She spoke about 5 points that dealt with leadership. There were 2 points that really stood out to me:

1. Follow your moral compass.

In life we all lose direction at some period in our life. We feel that we are lost and that things just don't work out the way we envision them. God is there providing us with that compass. The compass may be a job, a friend, a stranger, a note or even a phone call. He knows what we need and He knows what direction He wants us to follow. Sometimes we forget to just be still and listen.
"When you feel down to nothing; God is up to something."

2. Believing that you have an obligation to Pay it Forward.

This might be my favorite view on life. So many times we strive to get ahead, we are selfish and we forget to give back of our time. When we fill ourselves with God's word and His direction, we become vessels to be set out for His use. So do some thing nice for someone each day. Be in a good mood. Life is too short to be angry and mean to people. Practice patience. Practice humility. Practice paying it forward. Give and you shall receive!

So I challenge you to let God use you as a "vessel." Be a vessel of good news, of cheerful spirit and spread His word through your actions. He is our compass and will lead us in the direction we want to go. Remember we are on His time....not our!

"There's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
With the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all"

Don't sit upon the shore line. Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tides!

Sail Away My Friends......Who is your Captain?

Verse: 2 Timothy 2:21
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXTwImfEYLY

Are you having F.U.N. in life?

"Finding Ur Niche"

What is a niche? A niche is a key position especially designed to display an object of value. Your niche is that special place that you and you alone were made to fill. It is the place where your passion flows and you are positioned to display your God given talents and gifts. 

In life, we all strive to find that consistency in our job, relationships and extra curricular activities. It is human nature that we all want to be appreciated and praised. So why is it so difficult for us to find what we are truly meant to do? Some of us recognize our niche right away. Some of us wait years and years until we find out exactly what our niche may be. 

Your gifts and talents may be photography, cooking, sports, crafts or even starting a Bible Study. Let these special gifts be a positive light for those around you. Sometimes we get nudges to do something and ignore those nudges, but we know it is what we are called to do. As long as we listen and pay attention to what God wants from us then we know in our hearts we are doing the right things. Follow your heart and pay attention to God's details for you. When you find "your niche" you will be amazed at how your life will change and the happiness that will fill your heart. So go try something new and make sure to "Have F.U.N." in everything you do. Life is too short not to enjoy what you are doing. It's never too late to HAVE F.U.N.!!!

Verse: 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgement.

Have you had your Vitamin "N"?

On the plane ride home from the Deep South Classic in Raleigh, NC I pulled out my Women's Health magazine to read. After 2 days of watching the game I love, I came to an article in the magazine that caught my attention. It was titled "Are you getting enough Vitamin N"? The "N" stands for Nature. The past couple of years, a couple of my friends and I have started hiking trails in the great state of Tennessee. Today, we hiked one of the most challenging hikes in this state, the Honey Creek Loop. Today was Sunday, so we decided to attend church exploring God's beautiful creation. Through rugged terrain, caves, wading through rapid waters (which we had a near tragic accident when one of my friends fell in the waterfall), climbing down ropes and scaling up ladders the scenery today was captivating.
I'm a beach girl, but hiking has become one of my favorite things to do. The sights, smells and sounds are intriguing to me. I feel it's so important sometimes to just step outside and take a breath of fresh air.
At every turn today there was a waterfall or a beautiful landmark of God's amazing creation. Being outside on a beautiful Spring day just makes you feel better doesn't it? The best part of being outdoors to me is that His fellowship is free out there. So find a few friends, google a good hike and start getting your Vitamin "N". Turn off the tv, put the cell phone down for a couple of hours and load up for a refreshing journey. Studies show it's good for the brain, good for your heart and quite frankly, like the beach, I believe it's good for the soul.
We have been blessed to live in this wonderful state of Tennessee where there are so many fascinating sights to see. I'm thankful for a good friend that talked me into going one day a couple of years ago. It's just nice to get away sometimes from the hustle and bustle of every day life. We all need to recharge the batteries and breathe a breath of fresh air. Leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but pictures. Kill nothing but time. Nature is a good name for an effect whose cause is God.
If you can't find anyone to go with you, give me a call and I'll go....

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.” 
― Susan Polis Schutz

Secrets from the Shore....

Everyone reaches a point in their life when it's time for a change, time to get away from reality, time to escape to that place of serenity where you "Recharge your batteries" as I call it. We all get caught up in our jobs and our routine lives. As I grow older, it has become apparent the importance of taking time for yourself to reflect and think about life. I have been coming to Orange Beach, AL for almost 20 years now. If you've never been it's the best kept secret in America. This is where I come to find peace and escape reality for a couple of days. It's a place to think and enjoy God's creation.

There's a warm, friendly breeze that blows in the Gulf of Mexico. In life we all need to go catch our second wind sometimes. My dad always tells me it's good for the soul and adds years to your life. I must say that I agree wholeheartedly. There is something about the salty air and hearing the waves crash down that enhances your faith and human spirit. Sitting on the shore, observing the vastness of one of God's most impressive creations, bring me to this conclusion: Our lives can be compared to that of seashell. There are many different types, colors, shapes and life spans. Some are beautiful with all pieces intact, while others have broken pieces and are washed up to shore never to be picked up.

At some point in our lives we have searched for those perfect shells to take home. Sometimes, though it's the unique, broken ones that catch our attention. Such is the case for me. A couple of years ago I began picking up broken shells. I brought them back to my house and made a LIFE IS GOOD portrait and hung it in my house. I was so proud because those broken shells, when pieced together, formed a beautiful picture. I also made numerous flowers and other things with those broken shells.

If you think about it, our lives are much like those seashells. We all go through times where we got washed up on the shore and feel like nobody will ever walk by and pick us up. Then we see those the perfectly-pieced together shells that everyone wants to stop and grab and carry home. So I encourage you to be a friend to those who get washed up and nobody wants to pick up. If we help piece them together we can help stop much heartbreak and brokenness in this world. Sometimes all we need is one person to come pick us up and encourage us and assist us in putting back the broken pieces of our lives.

There are so many people out there that need to be picked up and put in your bucket. So search for the broken pieces, and be the glue that can help them create their own masterpiece. Be a good friend, be a good teammate, be a good coach and  be a good mentor. Don't ignore the broken pieces.....pick them up, for they usually can become the most inspiring and teach us much more about life.
Do something nice for someone....God knows this world needs it!

Final Four thoughts....

I just returned home from the Final 4 in New Orleans. I wanted to share a few thoughts and experiences from my trip.....

Faith: I’ve always had faith that things work out the way that they are supposed to happen. Enjoy your journey, learn from others, find your niche and be different. In Tommy Bowden’s book “Winning Character”, which I highly recommend, He discusses being different.  In the Bible, it talks about  isolation. It doesn’t teach us to isolate ourselves, but to separate ourselves which is totally different. Being "isolated" makes you repel others and push them away. You turn your pursuit into a solo sport. Being “separate” means you are unique. You stand out. There’s something special about you. You have a recognizable goodness and character about you. Everyone in our business is chasing the same dreams. “Be remarkably distinctive! Be Uncommon!

I nfluence: What we do affects others: Things we don’t even remember saying can leave an impact years later. All day long, we’re making impressions, even when we don’t realize we are being watched. People look to see if your faith is all talk. Are you a good influence to your players? Are you a good influence to your friends? Are you a good influence for those that look up to you? Be careful for there are eyes upon you always!!! Be a good influence!

N etwork: Good people are hard to find. It was great catching up with some great people. I got to see and speak with some head coaches that I’ve always respected. Coach Charity Elliott(LMU), Coach Joye Lee McNelis(Southern Miss), Coach Amanda Butler(Florida), Coach Karen Aston(Texas), Coach Danielle O’Banion(Kent State) and Coach Randi Peterson(Coe College). Thank you for taking time to talk to young assistants and for being great influences for us to aspire to be like.

A ttitude: “A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.”  I’ve always tried to have a positive attitude in all situations in life. Smile, be grateful and enjoy life. God has blessed us with so much that we take for granted. Your attitude is something that you have complete control over……so have a good one. Nothing turns me off more than a bad attitude.

L eadership:  I attended “ The Program” presentation on selecting and developing team captains. It was one of the best team building and leadership presentations I’ve heard. Eric Kapitulik and his staff did an amazing job. One of my favorite quotes from their presentation was this “ Leadership is an action, not a title.” It is so important for us to find kids with high standards to fit into our programs. Do this if you can. We hope to do this with our team this season.

 

F riendships: I have been so blessed to have met some amazing people through basketball. It was wonderful to see some of those people in New Orleans. Good friends are hard to find these days. I’m so thankful for the friends I got to see and for their honesty and trustworthiness that has developed into wonderful friendships. I’ve always heard that “you are who you hang out with.” I’m so thankful to have not only good coaches, but good people to call friends in this business.  You know who you are and thanks for being who you are!

Ownership: Coach Jody Conradt, the long time coach of the Texas Longhorns, talked about ownership. It is a vital part of our business to find people that are invested and take pride in being part of their program.  One of my favorite quotes about this topic: “ I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, the make them.” George Bernard Shaw

U nique: “To have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents and when you are expressing your unique talents you lose track of time”- Deepak Chopra
Be unique!!!

Respect: Thank you to Vic Shaefer for putting together an awesome panel. “Lessons from the Legends” was a such a treat and so informative to hear from some of the best in our business. It was so impressive to listen to their stories of how they built their teams and how the game has evolved. I am also so blessed to work for one of the presenters, Coach Jim Davis. What a great mentor and I’m so fortunate to get to work with him every day. If you missed this…..you missed out! It was phenomenal. All of the the coaches on that panel have my utmost respect!

 

In closing, I encourage all of you to strive to be a positive influence in someone's life. Be approachable, Be kind, Be a positive light in someone's life. Let God use you in His way!! Be the background and let Him take center stage.

Verse of the week: Matthew 5:16  "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

Song of the week: LOVE IT!!! Listen to the lyrics!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZosXYJYV8c