Quotes on Leadership

I wish more people with leadership roles would lead rather than try to impress people with titles.  Oh and cockiness does not equate to competence. With that being said...I wish that more of these same "leaders" would walk the walk   I'm a quote kind of a girl, and here are some quotes that I love :)  

"Leadership is intentional influence."  _Michael Mckinney

"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand."

— General Colin Powell

"To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate ... When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!'"

— Lao-tsu

Words to Live By

I think this is a great outline of how to approach life.  I just thought I would share.  Enjoy.

A manifesto from 'Instructions for Life' by The Dalai Llama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend sometime alone every day.
9. Open arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Today's Thought

My shoulder decided to flare up on me last week.  I really don't know what happened, but God sure does have a way of humbling you and reminding you of what is truly important in life.  For me, learning patience is an ongoing struggle, but one of the most important lessons for me in my current life circumstance.  I read something the other day by Joyce Meyer that is perfect for me.  It reads:

"Patience is vital to the development of our full potential.  Actually, our potential is only developed as our patience is developed.  It is God's way-there is no other, so why not settle down and enjoy the journey?"

       
I think that a true hallmark of a woman (or man) is...knowing what you believe and having the guts to live it out loud each and everyday!  I am going to work on this.    

    

The O Word

In my Applied Sport Psychology II: Professional Practice course we are going over the subject of Overtraining.  As I was studying the assigned reading...I started to think how much this applies to CrossFit (and any other training method)...but BOY OH BOY does this apply to CrossFitters!

I decided to share my discussion on here to see if any convo (conversation) would take place...feel free to chime in.

**Ignore the APA references...I know they are important (blah, blah, blah)... and they are probably all wrong, but the good news is: the grade of my discussion answers are not based off of perfect referencing (thank goodness)

Here it is...enjoy:

Elite level athletes are consistently testing the limits of their work capacity thresholds in an attempt to reach increased athletic dominance in athletic performance and competitions.  Many times they push the envelope and inadvertently become overtrained physically and psychologically.  Kirsten Peterson (2005), author of the chapter, Overtraining: Balancing Practice and Performance points out how the U.S. Olympic Committee defines overtraining: “the syndrome that results when an excessive, usually physical, overload on an athlete occurs without adequate rest, resulting in decreased performance and the inability to train” (Murphy, p. 50).  The concept of “more is better” or “no pain, no gain” is a counterproductive approach to improving athletic performance output over a sustained period of time.  A coach is doing his or her athletes a disservice if they overload them with volume and intensity at the expense of proper rest and recovery.  

Although it is the job of the coach to push athletes to strive for improved ability and motivate them to reach athletic excellence, it is also their responsibility to identify the signs and symptoms of overtraining and implement appropriate interventions to curb the effects of the syndrome.  It must be noted that overtraining and its effects are “highly individualized” (Murphy, p. 57), but there are some classic signs of fatigue to look for that are both caused by physical exertion and psychological stressors; elevated heart rate, weight loss, overuse injuries, loss of self-confidence, sadness, and anxiety to name a few.  Some questions that a coach may want to refer to when in the identification process are:

·         What is going on in your life or the athlete’s life?

·         Which symptoms are evident?

·         When did the symptoms start, and what was going on when they did? (Murphy, p. 57)

As future coaches or sport psychologist it is important to not only understand the principle of overtraining, but it is equally important to be able to educate our athletes on the dangers of overtraining and the adverse effects that it can have on their dreams of reaching success.  We must teach them that doing more does not guarantee more success.  We must also teach them balance.  Adequate rest and recovery is vital to enhancing athleticism and performance just as strength and conditioning, proper nutrition, stretching, and sleep are important.  Teaching athletes that recovery can actually increase performance is a great way to challenge them to incorporate it into their routines.  There is a popular saying now “go hard or go home.”  I think in reference to training it should be “go hard, then go home and rest.”

References: 

Peterson, K. (2005).  Overtraining: balancing practice and performance.  In S. Murphy(Ed.), The

            Sport of psych handbook (pp. 49-70).  Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics