Darrin Donnelly
Nov 8, 2018
Here in the Midwest, the leaves are falling, cooler winds are blowing in, and the first snowfall is already in the forecast. This is my favorite time of year.
With Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way, the holiday season is upon us. That means a time for family, a time when we reevaluate the role that faith plays in our lives, and a time when we prepare for the future with new goals and plans for the year ahead.
It’s also the best time of year for passionate football fans. High school teams are already battling through the playoffs while college and pro teams are fighting to earn postseason spots.
Yes, it’s the perfect time of year—a time when faith, family, and football all come together. And my latest book, Life to the Fullest, is the perfect read for this time of year.
Life to the Fullest is a story written specifically for the holiday season. The setting is a town where faith, family, and football are embedded in the culture.
But it’s more than the setting that makes this an ideal read for the holidays. Ultimately, this book is about the importance of living the specific purpose you were born to live. It’s about following YOUR heart no matter what comes your way…and what can happen if you don’t. [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Oct 4, 2018
“Positive thinking” sometimes gets a bad rap. Naysayers and cynics blow it off as pie-in-the-sky, head-in-the-clouds, unrealistic thinking.
Yet, when you study history’s top achievers in sports (and business), you find again and again that they are committed to positive thinking. There’s only one reason for that commitment: they’ve discovered that it works.
In fact, researchers have found that positive thinkers live longer, live healthier, have more energy, have more successful careers, make better decisions, are more productive, are less stressed, have healthier relationships, and (not surprisingly) are much happier than pessimists.
I have found that many of those who are skeptical about the power of positive thinking often misunderstand what positive thinking actually is.
It’s important to recognize that positive thinking is NOT the idea that you’ll never encounter any obstacles as long as you stay positive. Instead, positive thinking is all about how you respond to the obstacles you will most certainly encounter.
It’s whether you respond to adversity positively or negatively that makes the difference in life.
Here are 20 of my favorite motivational quotes about the power of positive thinking. Each one of them comes from one of the sports world’s top achievers. These quotes encapsulate what it means to be a positive thinker, why positive thinking is so important, and what positive thinking can do for you. [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Sep 27, 2018
Self-confidence means believing you have what it takes to achieve your goal and it’s a quality that is essential to success.
“I don’t think anything is unrealistic if you believe you can do it.” — Mike Ditka
“Self-confidence is the first step toward success. If you believe it, you can achieve it.” – Tommy Lasorda
“If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else believe in you?” – Derek Jeter
“I have always believed that what you expect is usually what you get, what you focus on is what you draw to yourself.” – Pete Carroll
“To be an overachiever you have to be an over-believer.” – Dabo Swinney
These types of famous quotes about the importance of self-confidence could go on and on. There’s no doubt that self-confidence is a quality required for success.
But, how much confidence is required to achieve your goals? And, should you be worried about being too confident? Should you be careful to keep your confidence in check?
World-famous sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella offers a surprising answer to these questions… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Sep 20, 2018
When you study great coaches, leaders, and achievers in any field, you discover that one of the things they hate the most is actually the “secret” to their success.
No one likes to talk about this painful secret, but it’s something anyone who wants to achieve greatness must accept. Five-time National Champion football coach and current president of Youngstown State University, Jim Tressel, explains… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Sep 13, 2018
In the high-pressure world of pro football, coaches are famous for the long hours they put in and the highly-stressful situations they navigate through each day.
That’s why I’m always interested to learn how different coaches manage their time and their stress levels. How do they achieve the balance necessary for success on the field and off of it?
While many coaches preach the priorities of “faith, family, and then football,” it’s no secret that many in the NFL have trouble living by that standard. Philadelphia Eagles head coach and winner of Super Bowl LII Doug Pederson is an exception.
Though Pederson is not one of those coaches who works around the clock, he does put in many long hours during the season. Yet, he always puts his faith and his family above the job.
In fact, Doug Pederson says that prioritizing his faith is one of the main reasons for his success… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Aug 30, 2018
Nick Saban has built the most dominant program in modern college football history.
The winner of six national championships (five at Alabama over the last nine seasons), Saban has set a standard of college football dominance that may never again be matched.
While Saban has worked hard to create an entire culture of excellence to achieve this level of success for this long of a period, three key rules serve as the foundation for his program’s dominance… [continue reading…]
