For anyone that has lived long enough, we understand that life will deal you "highs" and "lows". In fact, I doubt any of us had to live very long to learn that. It's as simple as being a kid and not understanding why your parents say "no"! Many of us don't have to think very long to remember the sting from that first time your heart is broken.
Perhaps some of us can relate to having an event happen that we wish so badly we could rewind and start over. The "accident" that could have gone another way if only we arrived one minute later or earlier or if only we had paid more attention!
There is no shortage of stories we could tell of things that may have changed had we taken a different approach or made a better decision. However, as we continue in our lives, we begin to see how important some of those times are to molding us into who we are. I remember a friend telling me once when I was going through a low point, that I needed to have this experience and that someday I would help someone in a similar situation do the same. Ahh, "experience", I often say, is something we cannot fast forward. We must live it, do it, be immersed in it to grow. Athletes know that to get physically stronger they need to tear down muscles in order for them to grow.
No doubt, if I asked any of my players that participated in the Landfall Tradition this past weekend, if they would like to "start over" pretending what happened was just a bad dream, they would say yes please! Unfortunately, we cannot do that, we must live with this experience, feel it's sting, and certainly it's disappointing.
The challenge now comes with how we respond to this past performance. What have we learned about ourselves, about us as a team, and how we might prepare differently in the future. At the end of our day Sunday, we did not speak about our rounds, we had a mission to pack up the van and get on the road for the long drive home. No question we were all disappointed. As a coach I know that sometimes it is better to let things sit, we all can do our share of negative reinforcement on our own. It is important to take time to reflect on how our weekend unfolded, in order to get a clear understanding.
We cannot get this weekend back; however, we can set our plan in motion to prepare ourselves for what is in front of us. We will move on from this, we will grow immensely, as long as we are honest with ourselves with what we need, what we want, and what we are willing to do and sacrifice to make it happen! As their coach, I am willing to do whatever it takes to help my players grow through this experience and celebrate the "good" in each of them.
