Faith, Determination and Persistence

Notes from Coach Chris

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Calvin Coolidge

This quote is the best short description that I have found so far of the life lessons I am persistently and determinedly coaching on deck everyday. Though I believe he left out an important word -faith.

Set and reset goals. Pay attention to detail. Respect yourself, teammates and coaches. Direct and develop your talent. Put your intelligence to practical use. Success is a process not an outcome. Stay in the present instead of fearing the future or regretting the past. Do everything to the best of your ability. Quality is more important than quantity or convenience. Pay attention or pay the price. A lesson within a lesson, champions do both. The list goes on with learning how to swim mixed in. However, one of life’s lessons is also not to get lost in the details.

So stepping back to look at the big picture and insert the missing word, my version goes like this.

"All is accomplished through a mindset of faith, determination and persistence regardless of where you start with talent, genius or education."

Coach Chris