Giving Ourselves the Best Present

The day before we departed for the holiday break, I asked my players to write in their journals. Journal writing is something we try to do at least once a week in order to get our players to gain self awareness. Self awareness allows our players to understand why they do things and what they need to do to become better. It is the best tool for creating positive change.

The two questions they were asked were:
1. If you could give yourself a Christmas present which would make you a better player and person, what would it be?
2. If you could give the team a present to help us be successful, what would it be?

Most of the players understood what I was asking and responded to the first question with answers such as patience, self confidence, the courage to make a mistake, belief in my abilities, etc. The second question was also answered from a position of awareness when they wrote: ability to trust teammates to be where they should be on helpside defense; the knowledge of how to run the offense as a group; the understanding of what it takes to be a team and not just a player on a team; and the ability to finish a game from a position of confidence.

The next day I gave the sheet back to them and asked them to answer one more thought I had which was: List one good reason why you cannot have the gift you have wished for yourself and the team. I did not have to wait long for them to turn their papers into me. They already knew why I was asking that particular question. They knew such an answer did not exist. There might have been reasons why they couldn't have what they wanted, but none of the reasons would be good. They knew if they believed they deserved and were worthy of the present they wished for themselves, then they should receive it.

I hope they believe they are worthy. I hope they understand they are deserving. I hope they know with all their hearts they should receive the blessings they wished upon themselves. This is what I want my gift to be to them: for each of them to know they are worthy, brilliant, beautiful, deserving, talented, good, kind and wonderful. If they believe, they will tap into what it is already inside them and find what they already possess. If they don't believe it, they can never find what is missing even it if it already exists within them.