Quotes of the Week from Me:

“There’s adventure in the woods.”

“Kind honesty is the best kind.”

“It’s important to live your life the way you feel is right.”

“Want to be an expert? Practice. Practice. Practice.”

“Counting teammates is counting advantages.”

Quotes of the Week from Others:

“Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys a visible nature. Unaware that this Nature he’s destroying is this God he’s worshiping.” – Hubert Reeves

“Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.” – John Wayne

“Some things are best learned in calm, others in storm.” – Willa Cather

“Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.” – Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

Quick Optimism:

A lot of us probably say yes too quickly and wait too long to say no. The steps sound easy, the execution not so much. Start executing.

Question of the Week:

What is a teammate?

This week I started counting teammates and soon enough, I was counting advantages. Spouses, friends, colleagues, acquaintances; all the labels came into play. It was fun to think about everyone in my life, and I kept coming back to the last quote of the week: Counting teammates is counting advantages.

It’s nice to have people in our corner. They represent a team, they depend on each other, and they support each other. Count your teammates.

Who are your teammates?

This week think about your teammates at work, at home, and on your own. You can be your own teammate too.

At work, maybe you solve complex problems and explore different avenues for achieving success.

This week I solved several technological issues and explored the power of marketing with students by looking at brands like Coke, Pepsi, Home Depot, and Lego. A few members of my team and I also had to completely rearrange our scheduled commitments so we turned it into a game to see if we could recreate a similar work load for each colleague. It ended with roughly the same level of commitment and responsibility for each person’s schedule after trading dates and times. We were good teammates and the job got done.

At home, maybe you have finally found a groove with the kids, chores, or projects.

This week my wife and I kept the kids on a consistent schedule, while still celebrating two birthdays, and even found time for a date night and cleaning the garage. We also replaced 7 light bulbs after sacrificing the option of light above our kitchen sink for the last month. Not sure why that was ignored for so long. We were great teammates.

With yourself, continue to do what you love and recognize your own progress. Hold your head high and keep pushing yourself to do what you enjoy.   

This week I continued to: exercise, read, write, and be a dad and husband. I remembered several moments where I was proud of myself and several moments when I felt capable of addressing areas for improvement.

Be a teammate this Monday!