Thinking you’re a movie star, keeping calm, filtering feedback and change

sent by Nick Grantham | 25th January 2022

"The whole world can think you're a movie star, but you can't."

Eddie Bunker

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If you work in high-performance sport long enough, you'll come across plenty of colleagues who think they are movie stars! No matter how successful you become, how many superstar athletes you work with, global sporting events you attend, photos with athletes you have taken, make sure that you carry yourself like a worker among workers. Don't get caught up in your self-importance. Friends, family and colleagues may all think you're among the cream of the crop, but you can't.

Source: Inmate #1 The Rise of Danny Trejo


"Calm is contagious."

Ryan Holiday

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Last-minute schedule changes, equipment not working, and athletes unexpectedly turning up for a session. There are times when coping with the chaos and unpredictability of high-performance sports environments can leave my head spinning and me feeling anything but calm. However, the last thing I can do is flap! When faced with changing situations, I try to remain calm so that my colleagues and the athletes I work with don't pick up on the anxiety but instead feel that it's business as usual and all is right in the world.

Source: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman


"...if you're in the cheap seats, not putting yourself on the line, and just talking about how I can do it better, I'm in no way interested in your feedback."

Brene Brown

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Great coaches seek advice and criticism, but it's essential to apply a filter to the feedback you're receiving. My filter is the same as Brene Browns. You can shout as much as you like from the cheap seats, but unless you've been where I've been and are doing what I'm doing, chances are, I won't be listening.

Source: Brene Brown


"It's not my job to debate whether the glass is half-empty or half-full. Figuring out how to fill the glass, that's my task."

Donald Kaberuka

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We waste a lot of time worrying about the positives or negatives of any given situation. Instead, the critical thing to focus on is what we can do to bring about a change.

Source: Donald Kaberuka: The Cautious Optimist


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