Transcript

Improving #1197 · From Chad

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Some people light up a room when they walk in, others when they
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leave. There's a story behind that.
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This is your daily message from Chadbur 1197 to upgrade your
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mental game today by telling yourself a better story.
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Because the most important story you hear is the story you tell
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yourself. This message is dedicated to
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John McCarthy. Here's the upgrade.
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You think your value is measured by what you produce, but
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upgraded thinking measures it by how much better the people
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around you play. Here's the story.
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John McCarthy coached high school and college basketball in
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New Jersey. Along with Doctor Rob Gilbert,
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he helped found the coaching institute at the Yogi Berra
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Museum at Montclair State University.
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He has a simple test for the Most Valuable Player on any
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team. It's not the one who scores the
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most. It's the one who makes everybody
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else better. McCarthy grew up in Boston in
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the 1950s and 60s, so he had a front row seat to the best
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example of that test there's ever been.
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Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics in 1956.
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He played thirteen seasons. The Celtics won 11 championships
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during that time. The last two came with Russell
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as a player and coach. The first blackhead coach in NBA
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history and nearly 7 feet tall. He was literally head and
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shoulders above everyone else on the team.
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But he was never the league's top scorer.
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That wasn't the point. See what I did there?
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When Russell blocked a shot, he didn't swat it out of bounds.
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That may look great, but it gives the ball right back to the
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other team. He tipped it to a teammate.
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The block became a fast break. Somebody else got the basket.
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His defense let his teammates gamble on offense because they
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knew he was behind them. His rebounds turned into their
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points. His presence turned good players
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into champions. Russell put it this way.
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Quote. The most important measure of
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how good a game I played was how much better I'd made my team
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mates play in. Quote he didn't grade himself on
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his own stat line. He graded himself on everyone
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else's. That's a builder, a lifter, an
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Energizer and an improver. You don't need to be 7 feet tall
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to do it. You know a few Bill Russell's
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the Co worker who makes the meeting better just by showing
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up, the parent who makes the whole house calmer, the friend
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who leaves you braver than they found you.
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So here's the question McCarthy would ask you.
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If everyone on your team were just like you, what kind of team
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would it be? Your team might be your family,
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your office, your church, your Tuesday morning group.
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It doesn't matter. Somebody is playing better or
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worse today because you're in the game.
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Tip the ball to a teammate. Let someone else score.
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Go make somebody better today. The better story to tell
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yourself is my best game is measured by how well the people
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around me play. Just imagine getting a text
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today that says you make everyone around you better.
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Tell me a story about Bill Russell in your life to from
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chadsmith@gmail.com. If you like this message, check
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out number 948. Send someone a text and tell
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them you make everyone around you better.
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You can get a free copy of my book, The Most Powerful Story in
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the World, by going to from chad.gumroad.com.
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The transcript of this message and hundreds of others are
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always available at www.fromchad.com.