4min chapter

Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais cover image

Life Lessons from the Winningest Coach in College Sports | Paul Assaiante

Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais

CHAPTER

Are You Running to the Rough?

I want to ask a personal question about you and your son. My son was an addict Is an addict and He is now living in New Hampshire. He's finding his way I know that the battle he has to fight is far greater than the battle. If you're not afraid to die if you're excited You become a fearless foe. And in my mind If you can be excited to go at every challenge with enthusiasm You can you can you can really be successful now. How do you do that with young people? I'm constantly telling our students make lists make lists. We put it to the back Procrastination procrastination.

00:00
Speaker 2
How were you doing? Can I ask a personal question about you and your son because I you in our previous conversation you You spoke so much about it And so I want to encourage people again to go back because we talked a lot about the pain that you experienced with your family relationships How are you doing and maybe just share for some folks? I don't want to put words in your mouth about Your your relationship with your son and But I do want to check in and just see how Yeah, no, thank you for asking Matthew.
Speaker 1
My son Was an addict Is an addict and He is now living in New Hampshire. He has a partner. He works in a restaurant. He's finding his way I am always hopeful I'm not always optimistic I know that the battle he has to fight is far greater than the battle. I will ever have to fight I tell him I love him I don't always like The decisions that he's making but he's really trying to find his way in the world and I have you know, nothing but huge respect for what he's been through and where he is today.
Speaker 2
Awesome. Okay So before we wrap up and there's so many gems in here. So coach, thank you Is that can you explain the title run to the roar and It's just so powerful, you know, I'd love for you to wrap that narrative into Maybe a couple ways that we can think about running to the roar like very practical ways that we can think about doing it on a daily basis Sure. Yeah,
Speaker 1
so I I'm a neurotic mess I go to a therapist and my shrink said to me one day, you know coach You are really an odd duck because I've never met anyone who is so conflict avoidant You will do anything to avoid a debate a conflict anything and yet Every weekend you take boys into competition You relish it you celebrate it And so I'm going to tell you a story and the story is a true story In that afric in africa lion's hunt and packs They take with them the oldest female of the pride. She's usually toothless old Blind cannot catch her own food very much like me, but she has the deepest roar And what they do is they position the old lioness in the middle of the field facing the bush All of the other lionesses and it's the lionesses that do the hunting all of the other lionesses are hiding in the bush So the prey is between the old lady and the bush And when she roars the prey run away from the roar to their death So the answer is when you're faced with something that makes you uneasy go at it Go right at it what you're going to find more often than not Is it's a toothless old lady You're going to find more often than not that the monster the hairy thing you have in your mind Is you know insurmountable crisis is really not what you think it is Go at it Absolutely. And what we're finding is I always tell that story with the same question What's the worst that can happen? Once you come to grips with that you become heroic The the greatest fighters in the world in history with a samurai Why because they embrace death They actually thought it was glorious To lose in battle as the oh so so if you're not afraid to die if you're excited You become a fearless foe And in my mind If you can be excited to go at every challenge with with enthusiasm You can you can you can really be successful now. How do you do that with young people? I'm constantly telling our students make lists make lists. I show them how to do it Make a list top of the list here. Okay, that can wait till next week put an arrow This is something that needs to be done today. Put a star This is something that can go to the okay, so they're making lists making lists making lists now Tell me what on that list gives you butterflies. What on that list makes you nervous Tomorrow, that's the first thing you're going to do Get it out of the way, but what do we do? We put it to the back Procrastination procrastination.

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