To know or to act. To be or to seem. This topic seems to be at the heart of success, on and off the court. We all know what we should do, yet many times we do not. Sometimes it’s because we cannot. Â Sometimes it’s because we try and fail. Sometimes we just don’t do it at all. How can we turn knowledge into action?
Why can’t we accomplish the goal? Â Why do we fail? Â Is it our limitations? Is it our failure to prepare? Is it a result of a previous action? Is it a result of being outperformed? Is it “bad luck?”
Of course, numerous other questions can be asked. Â Why do we accomplish goals? Â Why do we succeed? What are the reasons that we “do” successfully? How can we successfully “do” more often?
We make decisions every second of our lives. Â Some of these decisions are of greater consequence than others. Â Yet we choose how we spend our days. We choose when we eat, sleep, brush our teeth, shower, read, watch TV, make a phone call, type an email, and drive a car just to name a few. Â Each of these decisions involves other decisions.
The amount of time we spend doing what we do is a choice as well. Â Do we know what we need to do? Do we do what we know we need to do? Â Do we know how to do what we need to do? Do we know our limitations? Â Do we prepare?
Life is such a challenging game. We can be constantly learning and acquiring information, but at some point, we have to act. Â We must apply what we learn. We must act. It’s not enough just to know.
As coaches, our responsibility is to our players. We must teach our players so that they know and are also able to act. If only it were so simple. It’s complicated. It’s hard. It’s our responsibility.
Whether it’s careers, relationships, school, family, money, or basketball, we must help them know what to do and then do it. Inevitably, these areas are woven into a complex web. They are rarely completely separated from each other. Yet, we must know, teach, and act in this complex environment.
Get help to figure out how you can better act in your environment.