The Introduction From
Coach Yourself
A coach laid
in his bed last spring with a bandage covering an incision at the base of
his torso. Only a few days into his recovery from a heart attack, the
coach decided he'd ignored his coaching duties long enough so he
telephoned one of his players to find out if he'd received any new
scholarship offers. "Uh, coach, shouldn't you be resting?" the player
asked. "I'll be fine," the coach told him. "Now let's talk about you."
True story!
As coaches and leaders it is easy to focus so much
attention on others that we can lose sight of ourselves. Burnout, fatigue,
and health issues are all too common occurrences. Coaching can be the
number one stress job in the world. Every game there is a winner and
loser. It can be a tremendous amount of stress, and sometimes if you're
not in control of it problems arise. Long hours, poor eating habits, loss
of family time are just a few examples that can cause you to become out of
balance. This book is about maintaining a healthy balance.
I have worked with or been around coaches and
leaders at all levels. I have had the opportunity to observe successful
coaches and some not so successful. I know coaches who love their job and
some who hate what they do. I’ve worked with people who were consumed so
much that they never took a vacation and others who seemed to be on
permanent vacation. The point is I’ve seen all sides of the spectrum and I
know without any reservations that the most important thing any coach can
do is to take care of number one. Coaches who are in balance and feel good
do a better job.
Good
luck and enjoy your career!
