"Football doesn't
build character...
It reveals character." Marv
Levy
By
Marv Levy
Having been a coach in
the NFL, I'm approached all the time by people asking, "So how do you get to
be a coach in the NFL?" It really frosts me! It also makes me realize the mistake
so many people make of not living in the present. Goals are great, but if you
live in constant anticipation of something else, of getting
somewhere, you're never fully involved in what you're doing now. And I think
that means you're probably not doing a great job.
I entered coaching because
I loved it ... wherever I was. And believe
me, I've been all over ... Canada, California, Virginia, Buffalo, Montreal,
and Washington. But wherever I was, that
was my dream job. I even loved coaching high school. My philosophy is that,
whatever your job, do it as though you're going to be doing it for the rest
of your life. Because once you start to see it as a stepping stone to something
else, you're not doing your best; you're not fully involved.
What's the secret of coaching?
It's being a good teacher. Sure, styles of coaching may differ ... you can be
bombastic like Vince Lombardi, or soft-spoken like Bud Wilkinson, or a "master
of the fundamentals" like John Wooden, who emphasized a philosophical approach.
But at the end of the day, a coach is a teacher.
One bromide I've always
disagreed with is that sports ... say, football ... can build character. I don't
think any sport builds character. A sport reveals
character. It takes a lot more than a game to shape someone's character ...
but a game provides an environment in which the good qualities in a person's
character can respond. One of the most important qualities: the ability to be
heroic in defeat.
It makes no difference what the sport or the job, does it? Do it as though you'll
be doing it for the rest of your life AND enjoy what you are doing or quit.
You're doing nothing but shortening your life with frustration OR lengthening
your life with enjoyment.