I consider myself one of the lucky ones. For lots of reasons. But today, I’m thinking of all the times I’ve been able to drive my 3 daughters back & forth to school. Yes, to me, that makes me very lucky. In my past profession I was able to (mostly) manipulate my schedule to accommodate my daughters schedules. So I did it as often as I could, & I embraced it. When they were younger we came up with a few little sayings that I’d have them recite each morning at drop-off. I still know them by heart (as hopefully they do to):
“Learn something new today, Make a new friend, Be nice, Include people, Have fun, Win today, Look out for my sisters, Go 100 miles per hour, Eat a good lunch, Hold onto my giblets.”
As I look back on them I recognize the significance that each one has to life:
“Hold onto my giblets” was an inside joke that they had with each other & which they inserted into the morning ritual on their own. Rather than discard it (I still don’t really know what the hell that one means) I chose to recognize that was a small way that they could have fun with Dad being Dad & insisting each morning as we turned into the school driveway that they recite their answer to the ole “What are you guys going to do today?” question.
“Eat a good lunch” was my way of encouraging them to take care of themselves, to make healthy choices.
“Go 100 mph” was my way of encouraging them to give max effort all the time.
“Look out for my sisters” was my way of encouraging a family-first mentality that I hold very close.
“Learn something new” was always the 1st thing though, & as I look back fondly (nostalgically too) on those morning commutes I am thankful that I created this morning tradition for my girls, & that we started it off with this sentiment.
Learning something new, IMO, should be towards the top of everyone’s daily to-do’s. Always learning sets the stage for getting better. Learning new things can be extremely uplifting & powerful. Embracing new challenges, physical & mental, is a great way to stay young, to stay fresh.
Lifelong learning keeps the mind & body sharp. It makes you feel young, vibrant, confident. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. For me, whenever I find myself hitting a speed bump I know that if I focus on picking up something new that I will most likely bounce back from that speed bump. It’s really why I try so hard to always “Learn something new”.
- Interactive Learning
My earliest memories of learning bring me back to school. Sure, the classroom, but also the hallways, locker rooms, fields, & playgrounds. While some will have fond memories of their favorite classes & teachers others may draw back on the friendships made in the hallways or the valuable lessons learned from their coaches on the fields. What about the playgrounds & the lifelong lessons learned there about fair play, sharing, & coexisting with your fellow classmates?
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Specific, technical, academic information is very important in the human process of learning. Depending on the field you are in, much of the academic information learned in the classroom setting is important today, & probably well used.
For me, however, I value the lessons learned in the hallways, locker rooms, fields, & playgrounds. It was in these spaces that I truly learned how to live my life.
In the hallways I learned how to navigate from Point A to Point B. I learned how to interact with other students, some similar to me, some different. I learned efficiency.
In the locker rooms I learned how to prepare. I learned how to organize.
On the field I learned how to be resilient & how to persevere. How to be a good team mate. How to be coachable.
On the playground I learned how to take care of myself when nobody was looking (no Mom or Dad, no teacher watching).
If I could go back & do it again I wish I had realized how to turn my classrooms into a more interactive learning space for myself; I bet my grades & academic performance over the years would have been a lot better!
- Practice Makes Perfect
There are so many different ways to learn. Memorization works for some. Some are visual learners. Auditory learners like to hear the teacher give a lecture or perhaps listen to a podcast. Some students learn better through note taking. Some like to study & learn by themselves while others prefer to use a study-group.
Regardless of the preferred method, it is very important that the “student” practice what it is they are learning. Practice makes perfect, right? So find your preferred way of absorbing materials, & then get to it. That’s the fun part. Putting yourself into a position where through practice & repetition you actually get to put your learning to use.
If I could go back & do it again I wish I had known how much fun the practice part of learning could be!
- Make it Meaningful
I remember in College taking a bunch of courses, prerequisites, that had nothing to do with my major. They were basically required courses that needed to be fulfilled in various academic areas to complete my degree. No offense, but I’m still not sure why these were required. Same is true for my daughters who are currently in College – when I stroke the checks each semester I find myself wondering about these so-called “junk” classes that serve to fill prerequisites each semester.
If I could go back & do it again I wish I had known how to tie together what was meaningful to me to what was required of me; that would have been a much cooler combination than what I did to just check some boxes on a transcript.
- Teaching is Reinforcement of Knowledge
Both of my parents were teachers, so I was lucky to grow up in a household that placed value & emphasis on education. One thing that can never be taken away from you is your education, & I appreciate the fact that both of my folks spent their professional careers giving back to others. Teaching is one of the most noble professions there is. It is arguably the most important. But it also is a very selfless profession; using one’s education to educate others!
Teaching a new skill to someone is very gratifying. But it also is a great tool for learning by yourself. Think about it next time you teach a new skill to somebody – I’ll speculate that by teaching it you are also reinforcing it yourself, you are seeing it in a different way, & you learn it from a new perspective.
If I could go back & do it again I wish I had known how teaching new skills actually reinforced them to me. I would have spent more time passing along my knowledge & skills to those looking to learn, & this would have helped my growth along the way!
- Tell Me What Ya Think
If you’ve ever had a performance evaluation you know how different your viewpoint on your performance can be from your boss’. Many times, in our own minds, we are always right, always working hard, always conscientious of others. Hearing another perspective can be very impactful.
I love to receive criticism, both positive & negative. It truly helps me make adjustments, & it truly helps me to see other perspectives.
Get In Touch With JP
Prior to his time with Kashbox, JP spent 28 years as an NCAA Lacrosse Coach (22 years as a Head Coach). During that span, JP had the opportunity to coach with & against some of the top lacrosse coaches in the country.
When I coached lacrosse teams I relentlessly would tell our players to expect my honest opinion at all times. I strongly believe that honesty is the only tool to use when providing feedback. Without an honest evaluation how can anyone actually improve? While it may be uncomfortable at times, receiving feedback is a great tool for learning.
If I could go back & do it again I wish I had known how to receive feedback. Rather than avoiding it, or resisting it I would have embraced it which in the end would have helped my learning process.
Do it today, for tomorrow
People say that the best time to start (or learn) something new was yesterday, but that you can’t change the past. You can only control your present, & move forward. So rather than sulk over yesterday’s mistakes we strive to learn, grow, & move forward. I recently took up snowboarding (in my 50’s), & I really, really wish I had been boarding my whole life. But I can’t change that now I can only control what I’m doing today, & what happens next. So I’m going to do my very best to become a decent 50-something year old snowboarder. The same can be true in anything you do.
I could have been a better learner when I was younger if I had taken on more Interactive learning. That would have resonated with me. Instead I can now realize that & focus on it today (maybe the reason behind the new snowboarding hobby!). I would have practiced more of what I learned & I would have done my best to learn things that were meaningful to me. I would have shared my knowledge & skills more, & I would have opened myself up to criticism & feedback.
I realize these things now though, so instead of wishing my past processes had been different I will now embrace these tools, these methods. I will focus on utilizing them as I continue to learn, grow, & evolve.
If I can continue to learn, grow, & evolve I know that my future is bright & I can’t wait to be a part of the process. I hope the same goes for you too!
Along with his responsibilities as an NCAA Coach, JP has also been a small-business owner for the past 22 years. He founded & built a successful lacrosse camp business that, in addition to camps, expanded into travel teams, clinics, lessons, & consultations.
In both of his careers as an NCAA Coach & small-business owner, JP has helped to teach, coach, mentor, & develop hundreds of players & coaches.
