Darrin Donnelly
Feb 22, 2018
In last week’s column, I wrote about Bill Parcells and his advice that “newer isn’t always better.” He warned against the tendency to constantly chase after whatever is new and trendy.
Parcells also pointed out that ego can sometimes drive one’s (unnecessary) desire to change. Changing things up simply to make yourself look smarter is usually a recipe for failure. “Winners don’t need to be recognized as brilliant,” Parcells said. “They strive to be dominant.”
Bill Parcells’ point was clear: mastering the fundamentals and keeping your strategy as simple as possible are two keys to success.
Because of this philosophy, some people assume that Parcells was a stubborn, rigid, my-way-or-the-highway type of coach who refused to be flexible. They think he was the type of egotistical coach who would never admit he was wrong or that someone else had a better idea than him.
However, such characterizations of one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL would be wrong. Very wrong.
Though Parcells built his teams on the core philosophy he believed in—and he demanded discipline in implementing that philosophy—he was more than willing to adapt his strategies to other people’s ideas when necessary… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Feb 15, 2018
Bill Parcells is one of the most successful coaches in the history of pro football. The Hall-of-Famer led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl championships before engineering quick turnarounds with the Patriots, the Jets, and the Cowboys.
To this day, Parcells is the only coach in NFL history to take four different teams to the playoffs.
Parcells always adapted to his personnel and his opponents, but he also believed that mastering the fundamentals and keeping his strategy as simple as possible was much more important than constantly chasing whatever was new and trendy in the game of football… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Feb 8, 2018
If you want to change your life, you must first change the way you think.
As so many of the world’s top coaches and achievers have taught, your attitude towards life—what you think of yourself and the world around you—will eventually create the conditions you experience. And the attitude you choose to adopt is completely up to you.
One of the most effective ways to change your attitude is to make promises to yourself. A promise to yourself should be viewed as an ironclad contract that you MUST follow through on.
The promises you make to yourself will take goal-setting and self-talk to a whole new level.
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden recommended the following nine promises that should be made by anyone seeking happiness and success… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Feb 1, 2018
Augie Garrido is a baseball legend. His 1,975 wins makes him the winningest coach in Division 1 college baseball history.
During his unparalleled career, Garrido’s teams earned 15 trips to the College World Series. He won five National Championships and he’s one of only two baseball coaches to win national titles at two different schools.
Before all the championships, however, Garrido’s legendary career began with a rough start. [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Jan 25, 2018
With 24 PGA Tour wins and nine Major championships on his resume, Gary Player is one of the most successful golfers in the sport’s history.
Famous for how much he emphasized the importance of physical conditioning to give himself an edge in the game of golf, Gary Player was also adamant about the importance of mental conditioning.
Like so many top achievers, Player believes a positive mental attitude is essential to success—on and off the golf course.
He believes so strongly in the power of positive thinking that he goes out of his way to protect himself and his environment from negativity and pessimism… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Jan 18, 2018
Dr. Bob Rotella is perhaps the world’s most famous sports psychologist. He’s worked closely with many of the world’s top golfers, as well as top coaches, musicians, writers, and business leaders.
His decades of research and first-hand experience with top performers have made it clear to him that top achievers think differently—much differently—than everyone else.
A topic that Dr. Rotella returns to again and again is the importance of confidence and optimism.
“People with confident, optimistic outlooks tend to succeed,” Dr. Rotella says. “People who are pessimistic, who lack confidence, tend to fail.”
Dr. Rotella is also adamant that confidence is something that anyone can develop. One must CHOOSE to be confident. He insists that confidence isn’t something that you receive after you win, it’s something that you must develop in order to win.
Here’s how you develop it… [continue reading…]
