Aristotle Cleaned His Room

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit.

-Aristotle

I’m excellent and saying “Go Clean Your Room.” I’m not sure if it’s a habit, but I repeatedly say it.

What do you do in your life repeatedly? Tell the kids to do their homework? Turn off the i-pod? I’m excellent at those too.

Here’s a better question, what do you want to do repeatedly? What would you like to see become habit in your life? It’s easy (for me) to put eating M&M’s or licorice sticks on the list, but what if we put forth things like excellence, integrity, or kindness? Would they become habit?

Aristotle was on to something. Not only will the things we do repeatedly become habit, but the more we practice the better we get. As a writer, I know this to be true. I repeatedly write. It’s a habit. It may not be good writing, but eventually, the habit and practice of writing make it easier to find the good and I do get better. I’d like this to leak into the rest of my life. Excellence as a habit, rather than an act, sounds pretty good to me.

On that note, I need to get excellent at making dinner.

Dalai Lama’s 3 R’s and Coach Jay’s ABC’s

Respect for self, respect for others, responsibility for all your actions. -Dalai Lama

People ask where I find my “snowballs of wisdom”. They ask if I spend hours on the Internet. Do I have a book? How do I choose which quote to use, they ask.

The truth is, I find them everywhere. Magazines, cereal boxes, books, greeting cards, and even bubble gum wrappers are just a few places to find inspiration. Today’s snowball came from my 6-year-old’s ski coach. I may have mentioned once or twice, that my kids race on a stellar team. Stellar, not because they are Olympians, although some of them are, but because they invoke a philosophy for the athletes that goes way beyond skiing.

In today’s mail, a letter came from Coach Jay. He thanked his little athletes for being good skiers and great listeners. Attached to the letter was a packet of quotes. He called them pearls of wisdom (good thing he didn’t steal my line, or I would have had to challenge him to a snowball fight). Coach Jay sent sixteen quotes in all. Reminders of life’s important messages for his 5 and 6-years-old. Now that’s coaching.

Olivia reminds us about Coach Jay’s three R’s from the Dalai Lama. She ‘kindly’ tells her brother that being respectful is not throwing a Wii stick across the room. When her older sister tells her she’s tattling, Olivia objects. It’s about respect, she says. And she’s right.

As parents, we all want what’s best for our kids. Being best is not about winning the championship basketball game or going to the World Cup. Raising children is more about developing character and helping kids succeed in whatever life tosses their way. Finding teachers, coaches, and babysitters who help parents in this daunting task should take precedent over the big win.

In his letter, Coach Jay quoted Mother Theresa, William Shakespeare, Henry Ford and Sophocles to name a few. He also quoted himself. Remember your 3 R’s….respect yourself? He does, and it shows. Here are Coach Jay’s ABC’s for his little athletes:

A- avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits

B- believe in yourself and succeed

C- consider things from every angle

D- don’t give up and don’t give in

E- enjoy life today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come

F- friends and family are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches

G- give more than you planned to

H- have major league fun

I- ignore those who try to discourage you

J- just do it

K- keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier

L- love yourself first and most

M- make it happen

N- never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal

O- open you eyes and see things as they really are

P- practice makes perfect

Q- quitters never win and winners never quit

R- read study and learn about everything important in your life

S- stop procrastinating

T- take control of your own destiny

U- understand yourself in order to better understand others

V- visualize it and focus

W- want it more than anything

X- xcellerate your efforts

Y- you are unique in all God’s creations, nothing can replace you

Z- Zero in on your target and go for it

Thanks Coach Jay. I think you just won the snowball fight.