Trending
Three weeks ago, the VFTB presented a number of movie quotes that could maybe help in situations where we are trying to teach, inspire, invigorate, and/or take what the quotes are saying, see how the words are not just applied to the topic of the film they were in, but could motivate those we are trying to help, to use the lessons of those words in their work lives, their family lives, and even their personal lives. For many years I attended a Baseball Coaches' Clinic in New Jersey, titled Be the Best You Are. I thought that was a great title for that clinic because it didn't offer ways to try and make those we worked with to be any better than they are or could be. In my mind, it was saying to use the talents and drive, to stay within themselves (players, coaches, even officials), live and or play to their capabilities, accentuate what they do well, and work to improve what they struggle with in their situations. (Often, interviews include the sentiment that someone gave 120% on a certain day, creating one reason why the group was successful on that day. It's always been my understanding that we can't give more than 100% in anything that we do.) Sometimes, we get away with giving less than 100%, and that's where we need a little more motivation. A good place to start is with attitude. One of the adages we frequently used to help motivate is/was "Attitude is better than Aptitude," which is an adaptation of American author, Zig Ziglar's, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." We always tried to stress that preparation and hard work were keys to success, and that comes from being motivated, which can help us become more successful in reaching the goal of being the best we are. Some measure success by wins and losses, bank accounts, the vehicle people drive, and/or the house in which people live. My belief has always been that success comes from the will to prepare (attitude and motivation) to succeed, how much we're willing to put into reaching our goal (our own effort), and how hard we are willing work (before, during, and after we take on the task) to be the best we have within us. All of this begins with the attitude and motivation to pave the road to reaching where we want to go.
Where do we find that motivation? First, our attitude and our motivation have to come from within ourselves. We have to want it bad. That's the foundation, but it can be supplemented by other sources too. Throughout life, many of us are entertained by sports, be they team sports, individual sports, professional sports, amateur sports, interscholastic sports, youth sports, competitive sports, male sports, female sports, seasonal sports, Olympic sports, Paralympic sports, and Special Olympics. Many enjoy watching the enormous variety of sports available on television and/or in arenas, stadia, and on school campuses, community venues, and sandlots.
During broadcasts of many of these sports, oftentimes, there are stories of tragedies and obstacles that have been overcome in order for some to be able to participate in sports. As a Coach for many years, I, and many of my fellow coaches, often looked for some kind of motivational words, not as much to seek out wins, but to try to motivate, encourage, and inspire our players to be the best they could be regardless of the outcome of the games or matches. I found some of that from many coach speakers and presenters at coaches' clinics, quotes from athletes and their coaches, stories written by, and about, athletes and their coaches, and sportswriters based on fact and their interviews, and observations of players and coaches participation in the respective sports with which they were connected. I also found some of that motivation, encouragement, and inspiration from movies about athletes and coaches that have been created for both the big, and small, screens.
Some of these movies are autobiographical, some biographical, some informational, some third-party written, some non-fictional, and some are even fictional, but they all have something I have found to help me use to motivate, encourage, and inspire, many of the players I have been honored to coach.
The following is a list of some of those films. They are in no particular order of importance or popularity, but all are what I consider part of the core of today's Voice from the Bullpen narrative.
Pride of the Yankees
The Natural
Rudy
Brian's Song (The original)
The Pete Gray Story
The Monty Stratton Story
The Winning Team (Story of Grover Cleveland Alexander)
Something for Joey (John Cappelletti's little brother)
Chariots of Fire
The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend
The Boys in the Boat
Field of Dreams
Fighting Back: The Rocky Blier Story
Raging Bull
Coach Carter
McFarland USA
Cool Runnings
Miracle (1980 USA Hockey Team)
Rocky
Hoosiers
Remember the Titans
A League of Their Own
For Love of the Game
The Replacements
The Blind Side
We Are Marshall
Invincible
The Greatest Game Ever Played (Story of Francis Ouimet)
Friday Night Lights
Glory Road
The Rookie (The Jim Morris Story)
Knute Rockne All American
Searching for Bobby Fischer (Yes, it's about chess, but it's about preparation, execution, concentration, and competition, as are more physical sports, so it fits the topic of today's essay.)
The Jackie Robinson Stor
42
The Ron LaFlore Story
Don't Look Back (The Story of Leroy Satchel Paige)
Miracle on Ice
Champions (Woody Harrelson)
Eddie the Eagle
Race (Jesse Owens)
Jim Thorpe – All American
These are forty-two films, and there are more, many more, that can be considered an asset to any coach, teacher, counselor, and/or mentor as they attempt to help the athlete, student, and can be used in companies, businesses (small or large), with project managers, or anyone else who has people working for him/her, trying to get the best out of those people for the betterment of the individual and the respective businesses', or causes' mission statements. They can help define the goals, and desired outcomes of whatever is trying to be accomplished in any of the situations people find themselves.
It's not about wins, losses, or personal statistical resumes that will be remembered by people, about other people in life. It is more about what kind of person they've become in life. It's more about work ethic, accountability, reliability, reliance, being on time, staying late, giving maximum effort for whatever the cause, reason, or purpose.
It's not how many points were scored in their lifetimes, or how many championships won while on this earth, but it's about the kind of person each became, and were, and are, in the things they did, with the people with whom they did them, in the time that they were with them. Hopefully, some, or all, of these movies can help all of us, and those we parent, teach, coach, advise, mentor, and/or oversee, reach the goals of becoming the very best that we are.