One Word for the Summer

One Word For the Summer

As many of you are kicking off your wild summer softball schedules, so am I. Today is my travel day to San Diego to start my busy summer competition schedule with Team USA and Athletes Unlimited. I have spent the week getting the house ready to leave by adulting a little bit more than usual and I have to say for a millennial, I am slowly but surely improving at things like chores and home improvement. If you have a second, say a prayer for the palm trees I planted yesterday as I and my fiance both have black thumbs (my inbox is open to plant lovers out there with any advice).

While I was preparing my home to go compete, I was also preparing my mind. Me hitting the road to play isn't as glamourous as it sounds. It is a lot of sacrifice, especially on my fiance and my family back home. It's a lot of facetimes and missing out on some of life's most fun and important memories. It's not easy and I have to mentally prepare for it. In my preparation I came back across the book One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon. If you haven't read it, I would encourage you to do so. In this book, Gordon talks about how the simplicity of choosing ONE WORD to live by is more impactful than setting endless goals or resolutions.

After some thinking, I decided that my ONE WORD this season is going to be Serve. I have always believed in the power of servant leadership, and in fact it's the founding principal of my RISR 10 part program on Leadership. I have it on my heart to help others this season and in particular help my fiance, family, and close friends while I am on the road.

As you all are beginning your summer seasons, I want to encourage you all to serve those around you. Helping and honoring other people will take you farther and deeper than just focusing on yourself ever will. When you serve, it builds confidence, boosts creativity and problem solving, and develops an amazing culture for your team. If there is anything I have learned in playing softball as long as I have, it's that this is the foundation for all my successful teams: Service is a Standard.

If you're in a slump, serve someone else. If you're the best player on your team, help someone else improve so the team can be successful. If you're a coach, prioritize service in your relationships with your players (you coach for them, not for you).

I'm making this a summer of service. I hope you join me.

Email me with how you're serving those around you this summer and I will share it in posts to come.

Have a great week and enjoy all the Pro Softball this summer. Here is the full AUX schedule for the rest of June. Tune In!

--Halo