SEASON 8 - LESSONS 1-18

WEEKLY LESSONS

WEEK 1: ON YOU

Whether or not you achieve your goals is on you. While it's true that there are external circumstances beyond your control, even the best situation in the world can't help you be successful if you don't bet on you, work on you, and count on you. You are not responsible for your circumstances, but you are responsible for what you do with them. Taking responsibility for your life and goals is on you.

Pillar: Growth Mindset

Key Topics:
growth mindset, take responsibility, circumstances, agency, hard work, dependability, coachable, belief in self

WEEK 2: COMMITMENT WINS

You know that your goals require commitment. But do you know why commitment matters so much? It's because commitment is the catalyst for the actions that lead to success. Specifically, commitment wins because it creates a cycle of perseverance, growth, and execution.

Pillar: Goals

Key Topics: goals, commitment, challenge, perseverance, growth, take action, success, tenacity, grit, struggle, consistency

WEEK 3: OWN IT

If you walk through life with no skin in the game, then there's nothing to anchor you when the going gets tough. If you want to succeed in sports and in life, then you have to pay the cost of your commitments; you have to take responsibility for your actions. In other words, you have to own it.

Pillar:  Work Ethic

Key Topic: take responsibility, agency, circumstances, commitment, confidence, entitlement, all in, buy in, choice, work ethic, consistency

WEEK 4: SAY SO

When you think of a leader, you might picture someone who does the right thing and sets a good example for others, but that's not all there is to leadership. In fact, those two things have more to do with handling your own business than leading others. So, what actually sets leaders apart? When leaders see something, they say so. The main difference between being a teammate and being a team leader is that leaders speak up and say so at key moments.

Pillar: Servant Leadership

Key Topic: speak up, servant leadership, team leader, encouragement, relationship skills, expectations, standards, asking for help, teamwork, social skills, communication

WEEK 5: WIN RIGHT

How you win matters just as much (if not more) than if you win. How you win is a reflection of who you are. You can't win with class and integrity if you don't have class and integrity. Winning in athletics prepares you to win in life. That's why it's important that you learn how to win right.

Pillar: Personal Code

Key Topics: winning, success, celebrating achievement, right size, integrity, personal code, self management, discipline, respect

WEEK 6: GET UP

Adversity can help you move toward your goals, or it can hold you back. What determines whether adversity moves you forward or backward? You do. How you respond to adversity determines the impact it will have on your progress and goals. Adversity can be a gift if you say Yes to the right things.

Pillar: Growth Mindset

Key Topics: growth mindset, choice, responsibility, accountability, commitment, circumstances, mistakes, adversity, challenge, struggle, agency, consequences

WEEK 7: SAY YES

Adversity can help you move toward your goals, or it can hold you back. What determines whether adversity moves you forward or backward? You do. How you respond to adversity determines the impact it will have on your progress and goals. Adversity can be a gift if you say Yes to the right things.

Pillar: Growth Mindset

Key Topics: growth mindset, choice, responsibility, accountability, commitment, circumstances, mistakes, adversity, challenge, struggle, agency, consequences

WEEK 8: START SMALL

It's good to have big goals. The problems arise when you try to take big steps towards those goals. No matter how big the goal, you always have to start small to reach it. Dream about that big goal, but work backwards from it to find a step small enough to achieve now. The more you succeed at the small steps, the closer you'll get to the big goal. But as you progress, you've got to remember to start small.

Pillar: Goals

Key Topics: next step, little things, goals, responsible decision-making, progress, consistency, stay steady, celebrate you, truth teller, honesty

WEEK 9: OPPORTUNITY COST

It costs nothing to set a goal, but it costs a lot to reach it. Committing to a goal is something to take pride in because so many people don't even make it that far. But setting a goal is not a guarantee of success, and the opportunity to succeed is not free. To actually reach a goal, you have to be willing to pay the opportunity cost of preparation, priorities, and practice.

Pillar: Personal Code

Key Topics: commitment, personal code, opportunity knocks, sacrifice, price of success, commitment costs, preparation, priorities, practice, 5 Ps, say Yes, hard work

WEEK 10: AGAIN & AGAIN

What's the secret to success? What's the shortcut? There isn't one. The only secrets are widely known by the pros, and none of those "secrets" involve shortcuts. As any professional athlete can tell you: Success comes from doing the right things again and again. These are things like focusing on the fundamentals, seeing that the little things are the big things, and being willing to make mistakes along the way. You don't choose to do these things once, and then you're successful. You choose them again and again.

Pillar: Grit

Key Topics: grit, secret sauce, shortcut to success, pro advice, choices, habits, back to basics, focus on the fundamentals, little things, fail forward, learning from mistakes

WEEK 11: EXCELLENCE IS

Excellence means giving the best of you, to whatever is in front of you, always. When you identify your best AND give it, again and again, you enter the Excellence Loop. Excellence is not about perfection or comparison. Excellence is a mentality that focuses on you and your choices. When you choose excellence, you either win or you learn; you never lose.

Pillar: Servant Leadership

Key Topics: choice, decisions, choose excellence, excellence loop, motivation, your best, servant leadership, agency, responsibility

WEEK 12: WORK WORKS

No matter how many times you're told that hard work is a good thing and that it pays off in the end, you'll still find yourself fighting against excuses, procrastination, and doubt, which all discourage hard work. When you face these de-motivators, remember: Hard work works.

Pillar: Work Ethic

Key Topics: hard work, work ethic, commitment, consistency, procrastination, excuses, discouragement, motivation, effort, long-term goals, doubt, belief

WEEK 13: BETTER & DIFFERENT

To be better is to improve the tangible skills and learn the knowledge that you need to become elite in your chosen field. To be different is to develop the intangible character traits that will amplify your skills and separate you from the rest. Better & Different is a game plan that can be applied to any area of your life. Be Better. Be Different.

Pillar: Growth Mindset

Key Topics:progress, improvement, learning, coachability, champion mindset, elite mindset, separators, growth mindset, toughness, discipline, integrity

WEEK 14: LEAD ANYWAY

One of the hardest parts of leadership is that sometimes you'll lead in the right direction, and people will try to go their own way instead. In that moment, you have to choose to either give up on leadership or to lead anyway. You aren't a leader because other people follow you; you're a leader because you lead. Whether or not people follow from the start, lead anyway.

Pillar: Servant Leadership

Key Topics: servant leadership, And Lead, responsibility, setting the example, standards, empathy, compassion, helping others, service, honesty, vulnerability, hard conversations, building relationships

WEEK 15: MESSY MIDDLE

The messy middle is when you feel stuck between where you used to be and where you want to be. It’s not something you graduate from; it's something you move through. If you don't realize this, you will spend a lot of time waiting for things to get better tomorrow without doing the work to make it so. But, if you learn the lessons that the messy middle is trying to teach, then when tomorrow comes, you will be ready to make the most of it.

Pillar: Grit

Key Topics: growing up, progress, long-term goals, preparation, work ethic, consistency, discipline, gratitude, competition, be present, grit

WEEK 16: WELL SPENT

Everybody feels like there just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes. When you feel overwhelmed by your schedule, you can't create more time, but you can ensure that the time you have is well spent. Spending time well means you get more out of that time than you put into it, like when you spend time outside of your comfort zone, serving others, or resting.

Pillar: Work Ethic

Key Topics: work ethic, time management, overwhelmed, stress, comfort zone, rest, relaxation, service, serving others, overcoming challenges, self-improvement

WEEK 17: PRESS ON

You will get discouraged because you are human. Sometimes you'll fall short, sometimes people will tell you things you don't want to hear, and sometimes things just won't go your way. Whatever adversity you face, you can overcome it–so long as you do not become discouraged. As long as you press on, even when you want to quit, you will come out the other side closer to where you want to be.

Pillar: Growth Mindset

Key Topics: growth mindset, adversity, challenges, overcoming obstacles, discouragement, encouragement, perseverance, toughness, discipline, criticism, failure, learning from mistakes

WEEK 18: GIVE MORE

It's easy to hear the words "give more" and swap them for "do more." But when you think you have to DO more so you can be your best, you’ll just get overwhelmed and worn out. It's impossible to say Yes to everything, and trying will only leave you with less to show for your actions. Give More is not about what you can DO, it's about what you can GIVE.

Pillar: Personal Code

Key Topics: serving others, respect, time, space to grow, be here, choices, teamwork, team building, fail well, learning from mistakes, speak up, personal code

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Meet COACH MACKEY

Stephen Mackey, CEO & Founder

Stephen Mackey is a player development coach, keynote speaker, Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and founder of 2Words Character Development, one of the top Leadership and character curriculums in the country. Building on the Six Pillars of a Championship Character – Toughness, Integrity, Belief, Excellence, Effort, and Service – Mackey equips teams and organizations to elevate their performance by building a culture of character.
Patrick Jones - Course author