Sound Advice from the Sidelines – Winning Words from Lou Holtz

Sound Advice from the Sidelines – Winning Words from Football Coach Lou Holtz

“Choices are our game plan’s bricks and mortar. Everything that happens to us is the result of the choices we make. You choose to act or procrastinate, believe or doubt, help or hinder, succeed or fail.”

– Lou Holtz, Winning Every Day; The Game Plan for Success

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog entitled, The Question that Took Me to Chicago. As you may recall, the question was this: “What’s Important Now?”

I first heard of that question from Brian R. Willis of Winning Mind Training Inc. Brian discovered it in Lou Holtz’s 1998 book, Winning Every Day; The Game Plan for Success.

And wouldn’t you know it but I was in a used book store recently, scanning the shelves, and inadvertently came across Lou’s book. So I bought it!

It was outstanding ?

If you’re not familiar with Lou Holtz, he had a 27-year career as a head football coach in the States.

Here are just a few highlights from Lou’s book:

“Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.”

“Don’t let what you don’t have keep you from using what you do have.”

“No one is interested in excuses, only results.”

“Too many people aren’t willing to make sacrifices to help themselves, let alone others.”

“You can’t accomplish anything big without doing the little things. Fundamentals are basically doing the little things correctly.”

“Enthusiasm is contagious. If you have enthusiasm for what you do, people will want to share in it.”

“Only you can change yourself. Don’t expect your parents, spouse, colleagues, or friends to transform you. It’s not their job.”

“You can alter any aspect of your life once you accept that you are the product of your decisions. Continue to do whatever you’ve done before and the results will remain the same. Revamp your approach to life and you will produce a different outcome.”

“I believe most problems are blessings in disguise. You can transform any tragedy into a positive experience simply by altering your perspective. We often cannot tell an obstruction from an opportunity until we view it from hindsight. So be patient.”

“The person who doesn’t fail is the person who doesn’t attempt anything.”

“Understand that failure is inevitable; see it as part of your learning process.”

“If you continually ask yourself, “What’s Important Now?” you won’t waste time on the trivial.”

“Make sure you do something every day to realize one of your dreams.”

“Preparation dispels pressure because it builds confidence.”

“Discipline is not what you do to yourself, it’s what you do for yourself.”

“Opportunity is never a polite thing. It won’t stand around waiting for you while you sit trying to decide whether or not to embrace it. You must have the courage to grab it with both hands when it’s in front of you.”

Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. If you would like to receive her regular weekly blog, please sign up here.