Welcome to another episode of Mental Toughness Monday, where we fuel your coaching spirit with stories, strategies, and a bit of humor. Today, we dive into the realm of resilience and the profound impact of support with a tale from 1958 – The HOPE Experiment. Let’s get after it.

Imagine a group of rats, tasked with the simple yet daunting challenge of swimming in a small pool. They paddle furiously, reaching their limit at about fifteen minutes. But then, something incredible happens. Researchers rescue these weary swimmers, offering them rest, comfort, compliments, and a sprinkle of hope. And guess what? When they dive back in, they swim not for fifteen minutes, but for a staggering sixty hours! That’s what happened at the 1958 Hope experiment at Harvard. Small encouragement led to massive results.

Now, let’s pause for a second. If hope can do that for a rat, imagine what it can do for your team. It’s like a secret weapon, unlocking hidden potential and resilience you never knew existed. Hope isn’t just a word; it’s a high-energy fuel.

But here’s the twist: it’s a two-way street. You can’t just be a hope consumer; you’ve got to be a hope dealer too. It’s about building a support network that runs on give and take.

Take Herm Edwards’ advice. He celebrates the center – the unsung hero. The one that does all the dirty work. Ask yourself, when was the last time you acknowledged the behind-the-scenes MVPs of your team? It’s easy to give hope to great players, but how do you give encouragement to the players that aren’t as good? Like my mentor, Michael ‘Chico’ Canales, who thanked the custodians by name when I was coaching at NC State. inquiring about their families. Asking about their birthdays, their successes, and their failures. That’s the stuff real leaders are made of.

It’s about seeing the people who make things tick, the unnoticed, the underappreciated. It’s lifting them up, knowing their worth, and letting them know it. It’s about turning ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’ from a quote into a coaching philosophy.

Remember, kindness is your superpower. Bob Kerrey said it best, ‘Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.’ So, sprinkle those authentic compliments and heartfelt thanks like confetti. It’s not just nice; it’s transformative. And you want to be transformative.

As we wrap up today’s episode, think about how you can be a beacon of hope and kindness in your team’s life. Be the coach that not only drives performance but also ignites the spirit. Because, at the end of the day, it’s not just about winning games; it’s about winning hearts and minds. It’s about building a love for this game we all share.

Thank you for tuning into Mental Toughness Monday. Stay resilient, stay hopeful, and most importantly, stay kind. Catch you next week for more insights and inspiration. Remember, every Monday is a new opportunity to be great!