2026-2027 - FALL LESSONS

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GREAT TEAMMATE

To have great teammates, you need to be a great teammate. It's awesome to have great teammates when things are going right. But, you need great teammates the most when things are going wrong. That's because the things that those great teammates do help you to keep pushing forward, even on the hardest days.

Pillar: Personal Code
Tags:
teamwork, relationships skills, personal code, friendship, building trust, encouragement, asking for help, accepting help, competitive greatness, resilience, team first
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CALL OUT

If you want to build trust on your team, start by focusing on two things: 1) how you call out your teammates, and 2) how you respond when you get called out. A lot of student-athletes avoid calling each other out because it makes them uncomfortable or because they don't want to get called out themselves. It helps to remember that call-outs between teammates are meant to build you up, not tear you down.

Pillar: Servant Leadership
Tags:
communication, relationship skills, team building, servant leadership, building trust, accountability, teamwork, hard conversations
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IT'S OK

After a loss or bad performance, one of the most common things people will say is: "It's OK." In that moment, it probably feels like it's anything but OK. Instead of rejecting this phrase because it doesn't feel true, challenge yourself to use it as motivation to make it true. Use “It's OK” as a trigger to prove to yourself that it really is going to be OK.

Pillar: Growth Mindset
Tags:
learning from mistakes, failure, overcoming adversity, challenge, competition, growth mindset, perspective, responsible decision-making, expensive language, words matter, attitude, take action
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HEART CHECK

What makes you want to quit when things get hard? What makes you choose to give up too early? In a lot of cases giving up is caused by heart failure. Not your literal heart, but figuratively. When you don't take care of your HEART, then you end up giving up on things that really matter to you. Regularly performing a Heart Check can help you stay in the game.

Pillar: Personal Code
Tags:
energy, attitude, relationships, time management, coachability, learning, your best, teamwork, effort, personal code, purpose, self-awareness, self assessment, check-inst
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PRESSURE PROOF

Too much pressure will weigh you down, but without any pressure, there's nothing to propel you forward. The key to pressure proofing yourself for competition isn't to eliminate pressure or stress completely. Instead, to be pressure proof is to find where your confidence lives, so you can own it.

Pillar: Work Ethic
Tags:
pressure, stress, anxiety, work ethic, discipline, self-awareness, hard work, consistency, right work, confidence, preparation
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BLAME GAME

When you make a mistake, a common first reaction is to blame someone or something else. The problem with playing this Blame Game is that you make yourself feel better without actually getting better. If you want to get better, then instead of blaming others, you've got to name the mistake, own the mistake, and then move on from it.

Pillar: Grit
Tags:
learning, mistakes, failure, grit, overcoming adversity, blaming others, excuses, own it, self-management, leadership skills
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FOUR SEASONS

Each season of the year (and of life) brings different challenges and rewards. Each season requires different types of work, and you have to be willing to do them all at the right time. When you do the work of all four seasons, you become the kind of person who can achieve your big goals and dreams again and again. The same is true for your team.

Pillar: Goals
Tags:
discipline, consistency, sacrifice, goals, self-management, learning, perspective, persistence, commitment, again and again
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COACH SAYS

Your coaches say the same things again and again because they want you to become your best. It's easy to get bored with the repetition because it's like listening to the same song on repeat. But, the people who listen to what Coach says (even when they've heard it before) are the ones who separate themselves from the competition.

Pillar: Personal Code
Tags:
character, personal code, self-management, your best, repetition, expectations, preparation, core values, hard work, separator, firm foundation
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NO EVIDENCE 

Some people want a lot of evidence that they're going to succeed before they're willing to have a positive attitude. But the ones who actually succeed are the ones who need no evidence to choose to be optimistic. Bringing a positive attitude to whatever is in front of you is a decision you can make at any time. Be the kind of person who requires no evidence to give your best.

Pillar: Growth Mindset
Tags:
positive attitude, optimism, growth mindset, you choose, confidence, self-awareness, coachability, your best, positivity, decision, negativity, overcoming adversity

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WEEK 28: SPOT ME

Having a spotter in the weight room sets you up for success. And, if you do fail, they make sure you don't get hurt. Spotters aren't just needed when you're trying to set a new PR. Wherever you want to become your best in life, you need to seek out a spotter to help you get there.

Pillar: Goals
Tags:
goals, asking for help, social awareness, building relationships, support network, teamwork, your best, coachability
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WEEK 29: PIN CODE

For many things in life, you need to verify your identity by entering a password or a PIN code. This code lets the smartphone or ATM or website know that you are who you say you are. Every day, you have lots of opportunities to be who you say you are. When you are asked to prove your character, integrity, or discipline, choose to enter the correct PIN code and verify that you are that person.

Pillar: Personal Code
Tags:
character, responsibility, personal code, ethics, discipline, integrity, being trustworthy, accountability, commitment, you choose
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WEEK 30: COACHED UP

When you feel stuck between where you are and where you want to be, the solution is to stack wins. You will never reach the big win if you don't start by stacking little wins. It's easy to get dragged down by how much more is left to do. But, if you focus on taking one step at a time, again and again, you'll be surprised how quickly you reach your goal.

Pillar: Work Ethic
Tags:
discipline, commitment, consistency, work ethic, self-management, little things, next step, focus forward, perseverance, again and again, pride, resilience, self-respectp skills
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WEEK 31: NOW WHAT

Success and disappointment feel very different. But, the next step after each of them is the same. After you succeed (or fail) you're left with the question: Now what? To answer that question, you'll need to ask four more specific questions: Is this in my control? What did I do well? What did I learn? What do I want to get better at?

Pillar: Growth Mindset
Tags:
success, failure, how to win, how to lose, growth mindset, self-awareness, coachability, next step, learning, focus forward
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WEEK 32: 5 P's

Everyone on the team goes to practice, but not everyone gets better. It's not the practice itself that helps you to improve; it's the way that you prepare while you are at practice. The 5 P's don't even mention practice. Instead, the 5 P's remind you that Prior Preparation Permits Proper Performance. It's the preparation that helps you perform at your best.

Pillar: Goals
Tags:
preparation, goals, consistency, responsible decision-making, discipline, mindset, mentality, competition, practice
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WEEK 33: SHOW ME

Proving that you are a trustworthy person isn't about what you say or believe; it's about what you do. If you are going to prove to yourself and others that you are trustworthy, then you've got to show it with your actions. You've got to demonstrate that you are who you say you are.

Pillar: Personal Code
Tags:
trust, trustworthy, character, self-management, personal code, hold the standard, hard truth, courage, go first, consistency, integrity gape, humility, celebrate
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WEEK 34: FOUR QUARTERS

How long does it take to win a competition? For football and basketball, it takes four quarters. For track and swim, it takes the whole race. For baseball, it takes nine innings, while softball takes seven. No matter the form of competition, it takes every minute to win it. If you want to succeed, then you have to give your best for all four quarters.

Pillar: Grit
Tags:
perseverance, grit, self-management, long haul, whole game, consistency, overcoming challenges, process confidence, win or learn, effort, your best
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WEEK 35: BEST OR BUST

Some people will say: If you're not winning, then what's the point in playing? This is a Win or Bust mentality, and it's a dead end for your goals. You don't grow by winning; you grow by giving your best. That's why a more helpful way to see things is with the Best or Bust mentality: Either you give your best, or you've wasted the opportunity.

Pillar: Work Ethic
Tags:
commitment, self-awareness, work ethic, hard work, consistency, effort, your best, win or learn, learning from mistakes, choicesragement
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WEEK 36: NO TITLE

Some people think that a specific position or title is required to be a leader. Some think that a leader has to be the smartest or most talented or oldest member of the team. None of these are actual requirements for leadership. If you want to be a leader, you need no title. Instead, you need to do the work, plus one.

Pillar: Servant Leadership
Tags:
service, servant leadership, relationships skills, invitation, lead anyway, hard work, integrity gap, character, today's work, go first

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Meet COACH MACKEY

Stephen Mackey, CEO & Founder

Stephen Mackey is a player development coach, keynote speaker, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. Better known as Coach Mackey, he has spent the last 20+ years helping athletes and coaches connect the dots between sports and the game of life. As the co-author of The Locker Room, and the founder and CEO of 2Words Character Development, one of the top leadership and character curriculums in the country, Mackey is an advocate for coaches and athletes, and a consistent voice of encouragement and challenge.

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Patrick Jones - Course author