Set Some GOALS for 09'

When is the last time you actaully worked really hard for somehthing and your work paid off? For example, let say you wanted a used car. You have a job and you worked all summer and your parents said: If you work and raise half of the money we will pay for the other half. This is good thing. That is a life lesson. It seems with everyones busy schedule people and kids today are just given things. Set a goal and work hard for that goal.

During this next couple of weeks I want you to find a few things that you really want to improve or accomplish. Then set some goals on how you can achieve them. I want one physical goal eg: sports, weight gain, weight loss, batting average, strike outs etc. Then I want one social goal or mental goal: improving grades, improving relationships, helping out more around the house, etc. In a couple of weeks I going to ask for your goals in writing.

Michael Jordan
The famous basketball player Michael Jordan wrote the following about goal setting in his book, I Can’t Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence: I approach everything step by step....I had always set short-term goals. As I look back, each one of the steps or successes led to the next one. When I got cut from the varsity team as a sophomore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again....So I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity. That’s what I focused on all summer. When I worked on my game, that’s what I thought about. When it happened, I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough....I guess I approached it with the end in mind. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there. As I reached those goals, they built on one another. I gained a little confidence every time I came through.
...If [your goal is to become a doctor]...and you’re getting Cs in biology then the first thing you have to do is get Bs in biology and then As. You have to perfect the first step and then move on to chemistry or physics.
Take those small steps. Otherwise you’re opening yourself up to all kinds of frustration. Where would your confidence come from if the only measure of success was becoming a doctor? If you tried as hard as you could and didn’t become a doctor, would that mean your whole life was a failure? Of course not.
All those steps are like pieces of a puzzle. They all come together to form a picture....Not everyone is going to be the greatest....But you can still be considered a success....Step by step, I cant see any other way of accomplishing anything.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! CYLCLONES

I hope all of you have enjoyed spending time with your families. Please, always remember your families are what holidays are about.. Family first. Make sure to tell your loved ones that you care and appreciate everything they do for you. It is so easy, you can text, email, phone, or tell them in person. Don't go through life not telling the poeple you care about most how you feel. That is a tough situation if they suddenly are not there anymore. So communicate and cherish the time you have together.

stay inside the baseball

HOLD ONTO THE ROPE

Coach Bertman then began what amounted to a reenactment of LSUs first SEC championship season in over 20 years. "I remember at the start of the season, I hung a rope off the front of my desk. I told the fellas 'imagine you are holding onto that rope, hanging over a cliff. Who would you want to be holding the other end?' Oh, they said names of buddies, heroes, coaches, each one had a different person. I said to them, 'those were all good choices, but when you can answer the question with 'any teammate,' then that is what you will be, a team." As he passed into the SEC Championship game, I closed my eyes and leaned back. Batters came and went, weary pitchers, who had thrown the night before, were pulled off the bench in relief, and heads hung low. The back and forth of 11 tied up innings poured out of him until at last, a tired Stan Loewer faced the go ahead run. LSU reliever Robby Smith stood up on the edge of the dugout and shouted to his pitcher, "Hey Stan, hold onto the rope!" Heads came up. Marty Lanoux at third called over to the first baseman, "Hold onto the rope." The word passed from player to player, 'around-the-horn,' until even the dugout was on its feet. "They sensed it," said Skip. "Somehow, they knew they had already won." The pitch! A quick chopper to the short stop, a simple toss to second base and the Bertman dynasty was set on its path to this one Tuesday in the spring of 2004.

Fellas in the past we have talked about this..I feel the past couple of seasons your teammates would be the last people you would want holding the other side of the rope...If your going to say it! mean it.!.

sanch