Andrea Waltz - Dealing with Rejection

Andrea Waltz is the co-author of the book, Go For No! She recommends the following tactics for dealing with set backs:

Reframe your perception - It is an undeniable truth in life. You are going to run into failure at one point or another. We are all going to hear someone tell us "no" in our pursuits. This is simply part of the route towards achieving our goals. At the point where you are hearing "no" and all things point toward failure, Waltz says that "success is almost always straight ahead."

Clarify your mission - Do you believe in what you have to offer? Most people will answer with an enthusiastic "yes!" Waltz says, "Understand that you are on a mission of service to others. People are out there waiting for what you have; it is your job to find them!"

Take action - Many times, it can seem overwhelming to bounce back. Break it down into smaller pieces and get after it! By concentrating on smaller bite-size chunks, we will be able to see successes and boost confidence. As the confidence builds, start adding bigger chunks.

Reinforce your activity - Waltz says, "Instead of celebrating results, reward action." This coincides with the basic premise of The Positive Coaching Alliance's Double Goal Coach. The only person you can control is yourself; not anyone else. By doing this, you will essentially retrain yourself on your feelings toward rejection or set backs.

Keep going - Waltz offers great advice here, "The truth is most people give up too soon. Most things take longer than we want or expect. Be patient. Stay the path." Kevin Eastman gave me the best advice in regards to this by telling me that the fact that I had the experience can only help in the future.

You Are A Player When...

You are a player when:

1. You don't care if you are the one who sets the screen or the one who hits the winning three, because fulfilling your role, whatever that role is, is most important.

2. You have a desire to excel for the benefit of the TEAM.

3. You have an unquenchable need to exceed past your limitations.

4. You play and know, without a shadow of doubt, that you competed like a champion.

5. You understand your commitment to your teammates.

6. You understand that basketball is a TEAM sport.

7. You finish playing and only your body leaves the floor; your heart and soul are captured within the game.

8. You will exchange your blood, sweat, and tears for the benefit of the TEAM.

9. You understand the irrelevance of individual awards.

10. You would rather encourage a teammate to success than benefit personally from his mistakes.

11. Your respect for the game and those involved in the game outweighs your personal pride.

12. You make mistakes and use them to learn from and improve rather than use them as excuses.

13. Your ability to make your teammates better increases each time you take to the floor.

14. You do the little things right even when nobody is watching.

15. You act to serve your teammates with unselfish motives.

16. You have a clear understanding of your role and strive to perform it better.

17. You have done all that you can and still fell that you can contribute more.

18. You know the difference between pain and injury; playing through the pain without creating a scene.

19. You give more than what is asked and take less than what is deserved.

20. Your effort is constant and your play is consistent regardless of the situation.

YOU THINK YOU CAN... AND YOU DO!!!

Pat Riley's view on the summer

Let’s just say this is your Summer Time Makeover not only as an athlete, but a transformation of your thinking.

In a perfect world, every athlete would have a super attitude. They would all buy into the team concept. Not care who gets the credit, not care who gets the playing time, doesn’t mind taking a back seat to other athletes and never complains about coming off the bench as a sub.

Be coach-able, responsible, and respect authority. In a perfect world, athletes would all work hard on their particular sport, show up on time for practice and meetings, go to class and do the best they can; avoid excuses and overall be a great athlete to coach.

But we know this isn’t a perfect world. It’s a sports world that can be improved though. Self-discipline is the first step, which isn’t easy. It takes work, but it can be done

Self-discipline is the price you pay for success. Without it, you are doomed for failure.

Sure the easy life can be lived by all. You can wake up in the morning and park your butt on the couch, munch on cereal and watch television all morning and into the afternoon. Then you can go swimming or to the beach with your friends. Or you can hang out on the corner and do nothing. At night you can hang out at the mall or go to a movie. Anyone can do those things. This type of life leads to mediocrity.

But it’s the successful athlete who gets up in the morning, has their breakfast and goes to work out. They go running, lifting or to the courts to get their shots up, to work on their dribbling or their ball handling. This type of life leads to success.

All athletes face the same question every day. Should they go and train? It’s the special athlete who breaks away from the crowd, who puts the important things first. Sure it’s difficult to dedicate yourself to becoming the best athlete you can be by training daily, especially when its hot outside and your friends are at the beach working on their tan. But the journey along the way is what makes it most fulfilling come game day. Knowing that you trained hard will pay off for you.

With sports training, to become the best, you have to do things that are unpleasant.

Success comes to those who develop a burning desire to succeed. Greatness is achieved and maintained by those who train and keep on training. If you are on the shore and there is a ship out in the Atlantic Ocean carrying one million dollars and you were told that if you can get to the ship, you can have the money.

Would you start swimming or stay on the shore?

Starting today, dedicate yourself to your sport. Step up your training, step up your commitment.

Push-ups, sit-ups, run, work on your craft. Do something every day to get better. At the end of the day, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you gave it your best, did you give every once of sweat? Did you make the right decisions? Did you do what had to be done?

You have a choice every day regarding the attitude you will take towards your commitment. Reevaluate your goals and realize that you have the ability to improve on your current situation.

Continuous hard work is what gets it done.

Stop blaming others for your lack of success, for your lack of playing time last year on the team. It’s not your coach’s fault, or your parent’s. It’s not where you come from or what team you play for. Stop making excuses. Excuses are for losers, they are a disease. Stop the complaining, the whining and the pouting. Athletes who become successful leave all that stuff alone. Did you ever see the NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs argue with each other on the court?

Start being a better person, a person who wants to improve all the time. Cut out all distractions and believe in yourself. If you get an opportunity, take advantage of it.

Play your sport with a ‘walk-on’ mentality. Play the game like you appreciate the opportunity to come to the gym, the diamond or the gridiron. If you are controlled by your ego, then you’re not going to recognize any avenue you might have to success.

Love your sport, work hard, pay attention to detail. Have a hunger, be relentless, have a passion for your sport. Time - Work - Sacrifice…Nobody can do it for you.

“You have to have a mission, a desired state. Have the courage to put aside ego for the common good. You must give up something to get better in the future. You must be an active participant in your own rescue…Determination conquers every fear and failure.”
-Pat Riley, head coach Miami Heat