Grow the Game®

Chazz Woodson - Words of Wisdom
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Four Steps to the Pre-game

Great Monday morning, ladies and gentlemen!

Welcome to December. Hard to believe that we are about to close 2013 out already. When I think of December I compare it to the last few minutes of pregame before kickoff, tipoff, or faceoff. In that last little bit of pregame, I’m not concerned with our team’s record. I’m not concerned with whether we won or lost the last game. I’m not concerned with how I played last game, or even how I practiced the day before. There are no thoughts of what I’m doing after the game. The only focus is making sure that I am present – that I am doing everything right now to be as best prepared for what is inevitably about to happen. Like it or not, the opening whistle is coming, and I need to be moving at full speed mentally and physically.

If we want this game to be better than the last game, then we need to spend these final moments of preparation dialing in. What are my responsibilities? Are there questions I need to ask? Are there teammates I need to discuss things with? How aggressive am I going to be? What are my goals for today’s game.

That’s what December is to me. I, for one, cannot afford to wait until the middle of the first quarter to be warm and moving at game speed. The new year, is coming, and it’s coming whether we’ve had a great year thus far or a rough year. It’s coming regardless of whether or not we are ready for it. And so I approach December the same way I would the end of pregame. There are 4 things (in no particular order) that I make sure I do just prior to the start of any game I play.

  1. Pray (Guidance/Gratitude)
  2. Center myself and let go of any thoughts that have nothing to do with the game (Focus)
  3. Stretch again, and make sure that my legs and body are ready to go (Prepare/Start the engine)
  4. Find the right song on my playlist and straight up ENJOY IT (Positivity)

Throughout this month, I’ll explain how each of these actually translates to life and to this last stretch of 2013. What we do in the last few minutes of “pregame” can and more than likely will have a tremendous effect on how we start the “game.” And it’s always tougher to play from behind, so we have to do everything possible to make sure that get out to an early lead.

Make it a GREAT day and a GREAT week!

Stay blessed.