Last October, I had one of my bigger wins. Belmont Women’s Soccer team was on the brink of elimination- a loss at Morehead St who was in #1 in the conference would knock them out making the conference tournament. What happened that day was a team that came together like nothing I had ever witnessed. Every play, every possession was played with the energy and determination as if it were the last play that athlete would ever play. The communication on the field was at an all time high. The bench was beyond supportive. It was if every single person on the bench was playing each possession as well. The intensity, excitement, commitment to getting it done, and unity was off the charts. The end result was a thrilling win. A win that has everyone on cloud 9, that type that makes you realize this is why you do what you do and put in the hours and hard work.
As I was left the team and started driving on to a school in VA, I was still basking in the win. It was one of the best feelings I had had as mental coach. I was celebrating with the music turned up in my own little concert and enjoying the very scenic drive through Kentucky and West Va. In the midst of these emotions and feelings, I forgot to take care of the little things. I forgot to make sure I was fueled- food wise and gas wise.
For anyone that has driven through a stretch on West VA turnpike, you know that options are limited and you can drive for a while without seeing civilization. By the time I realized I needed food but more importantly gas for my car, I was in the middle of nowhere. As mile by mile went by and my gas indicator went down, down, I grew more concerned and worried. Finally, I saw a sign for gas. Yes! I had
escaped once again (those that know me well, know that I have a bad habit of pushing the limits in my gas tank and not thinking ahead to fill it up). I thought I had survived with 2 miles to spare according to my gas indicator. But no, the gas station I pull up to looked like something out of a horror story and it was closed. I checked my phone and my cell service was out. I was nearing the point of being scared. I pulled back out on the isolated highway and prayed and prayed. Within a few more miles, I found another exit with a gas sign. I puttered up the exit ramp and as soon as reached the top I ran out of gas! Luckily the gas station was about mile away and I as I started walking I blasted myself for a few minutes then I started laughing hysterically. Here I was far away from anyone I knew, limited cell service to call for help and walking alone at dusk because my car ran out of gas. And I laughed and laughed. I exhaled and thought about how my day’s journey was so symbolic of life.
Often we get lost in the good moments that we forget to prepare for the journey ahead (ex. get gas when you have a long trip and aren’t familiar with the area). How many problems would we avoid with our teams if we took care of the little things ahead of time? And how many
problems would we prevent or minimize if we fueled our teammates, players, friends before obstacles, challenges, threats occured? If I fuel my tank before starting a journey how many problems do I prevent? If we fuel our team before problems arise how much easier is our journey with our team? Fueling our team isn’t as easy as driving up to a gas station and putting gas into the tank but its part of our responsibility as a coach or as a teammate if we want our journey to be memorable. What can you do today to fuel a teammate before they need it?
The last lesson, I learned was life has away of working out if we believe. Sometimes its more difficult than we wanted or had planned (I for sure made my trip more difficult than it needed to be) but if we keep believing and don’t change course, we will arrive at our destination.