Be Like Toe
I have been around sports my entire life. I have played basketball at a high level, coached various teams and have learned so many valuable life lessons that help me in my everyday life.
While there are several variables that must align in order to have a winning team, there is one major key that is essential to the success of any team. Let me tell you a story.
When I was in my senior year in high school, our basketball team was amazing! We were one of the best in the city. There were articles written about us in all the major newspapers, we were extremely talented and well coached. We had an amazing season and won the gold medal in the league championship game against basketball powerhouse; Father Henry Carr. Next stop…OFSAA. 16 of the top teams in the province would play in a three day tournament and there was one goal and that was to be crowned the best team in Ontario. Our first game was against some team from Sarnia and they were terrified. During the warm up we were putting on a show for the entire gym. We had tremendous high flying athletes on our team and it was dunk after dunk after dunk. In the background over loud music you could hear fans screaming “OHHHHHHHHHHHH” after every slam dunk. The other team even stopped warming up and just stared in awe. We were the higher ranked team and highly favoured to win. Four quarters later, the final buzzer went off and we lost by 20 points. How did this happen? Where did we go wrong? The answer is quite simple, our opponents all knew their roles and played as a team. That’s it! There’s no secret to this success…..it’s that easy, know your role and do your part.
EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES
No one is more important than the other and this truth is not limited to sports alone. It applies in every setting. Family, work, sports whatever the case may be whenever you are operating as a team, every joint supplies. Everyone plays a vital role on the team and if we all align ourselves with the big picture goal and simply do our part, that is a recipe for success.
Think of our body, we all have a big toe. No one really pays any attention to the big toe, it’s usually covered and never seen. You never hear anyone saying “you have a beautiful big toe” People usually comment on hair, or eyes or skin but never the big toe. The big toe however knows it’s role, in fact it has an important function. It provides leverage to the foot when it pushes off the ground and maintains the body’s balance. Without the big toe we would not be able to run, walk, jog, stand off balance or have a limp.
In our field it’s the same thing, if you’re not in a glamorous position it doesn’t mean that your function is not needed. As someone hired to do a job it is important that we all know our roles when on duty and perform them to the best of our ability. And if you’re not in a position where you are seen and getting complimented for your work, just know that you are worthy and play a major role in the success of the team.
Guest Blogger : MIGUEL ANTHONY
