Coaching kids’ sports can be an amazing experience. Yes, there will be some crazy times and tough discussions on the journey, but the opportunity gives back an incredible amount. More time with my kids, a chance to positively influence youth, and always a long list of lessons to take away from the rollercoaster ride that is kids’ basketball.
As we wrapped up another basketball season for both my kids, the lesson that stood out to me this year is how critical simplifying the message is. Basketball is a game of constant movement with so many angles and positions to consider. It can be overwhelming for someone who’s played basketball for a couple of decades, let alone a couple of years. The challenge our coaching staff constantly faced was teaching key fundamentals of success to these youth in a way they can digest and attempt to execute.
There were many moments I fell flat in my messaging. The lack of clarity handcuffed the kids in their ability to turn words into action. And it would become very apparent when the drill turned into chaos. When our messaging was delivered with clarity, it was so rewarding to see the kids start connecting the dots on how to make the right basketball reads and moves.
As we think about our own growth and development, this concept of simplifying the message can be a key differentiator when it comes to our internal dialogue. If our internal message is complicated or lacks clarity, it’s hard to turn words into action. Confusion is created for where our next step forward should be.
If my message internally isn’t clear on my health and wellness goals, my next step forward working out or eating the right food may be unclear. If I’m not clarifying internally where I want my career to evolve to, I may not understand what the right next challenge is.
If we’re intentional with our internal messaging and challenge ourselves to create a clear and simple message, we create a more defined step forward. It becomes much easier to turn words into action. We don’t have to understand where every single future step may lead but if we can at least get clarity on the next step, we’re winning in the growth and development game.
With all the chaos that our life can be consumed with, the KIS method can prevail – Keep It Simple. Clarity and simplicity in messaging allows us to disregard the noise our mind can get cluttered with and narrows in on the priorities we need to consider for our next step. The clearer the messaging internally, the clearer the next step becomes.
Take your step: reflect on which areas in life you’re working to grow and develop. Pick one and analyze what your internal message. Is your internal dialogue simplifying the message to create clarity on where the next step is or is there still ambiguity internally? While we won’t have all the answers on what our growth journey will be, challenge yourself to get as clear of an internal message as you can on how you want your development to evolve. Remove as much noise as possible and create a clear and simple message for you to work from – leverage the KIS model.