Author: Rod Ray

Make A Great Story This year's Wimbledon was a thrilling spectacle. Barbara Kejcikova's triumph over the crowd favorite, Jasmine Paolini, in a fiercely competitive three-set match was a sight to behold. With her infectious smile and unwavering love for the game, Paolini was a joy to...

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius, arguably the most powerful leader in the world, wrote to himself, "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way is the way." He told himself there were no obstacles, only a path forward. True then, true...

Who we want to be regarding our values and greater purpose is often called our True North. It is the place on our compass that gives our lives meaning beyond tangible outcomes, which speaks to us and reminds us that our values are greater than...

Loss is inevitable in sports, business, school, and family. How we show up after a loss speaks volumes about our character. Here are a few self-reflection checkpoints after a loss: How's my body language? Do I blame others? Do I adopt a victim's mentality? Or...

Think back to the last time you did something hard. Maybe it was something you needed to overcome that was in the way of something you wanted.  Or possibly something bad that caught you off guard and took you outside your comfort zone. Maybe is...

I've coached high-performance college athletes for twenty-four years. During this time of coaching at the highest level, I've learned a tremendous amount about the human spirit. I have evidence that participating in rigorous athletic training and development teaches us that our bodies can do much...

We have different types of beliefs. We believe in certain things, such as that the sun will rise tomorrow. We make statements that we believe that what goes up must come down. These are beliefs that seem inevitable. We also have religious beliefs, some of...

The investment principle of buy low, sell high is easy in theory but difficult in real life because our emotions get in the way.  The same is true in our personal lives. Prudent behavior is to quit being emotional and lead with the discipline of...

Meditation, prayer for others, and mindfulness are proven strategies to improve performance. In our program, we've recently started to allocate practice time to such endeavors, and I'm convinced it is helping our players respond to the stresses that competition and practice are designed to bring....