Success – How Do You See It?

“Winning isn’t the most important thing, it is the only thing!” At first glance,
we join together and exchange “high 5’s” and it sounds good! Words of a motivational
speech delivered by a great motivator. But, is it really true? Is true success
for our young athletes and even adults really measured by wins and losses? The
question must be asked because that is the message I hear being delivered to so many
young athletes and adults in search of success. National Scouting Report and I
both measure success on a much more accurate scale when it comes to scouting and
recruiting.

So, what really defines “success” for a young athlete? What really determines
success for an adult seeking it? Over the years, Susan and I have been involved in
hundreds, if not, thousands of people’s lives in sports and in the work place. The
roles we have played include coach, teacher, mentor, minister, friend, counselor and
more. So here are the thoughts on success from my many years of experience and
multiple perspectives.

Success is…………not measured by wins or losses! True Success is not
measured by measurements created by someone or a group that has “defined” it!
Success isn’t based on a single moment in time that captures a small segment of
performance or achievement. TRUE Success isn’t determined by others or awards
or financial gains! Are you ready?

True, real success is measured by and against a person’s own abilities! What does
that mean? Well, it means that a person must realize their strengths, weaknesses
and abilities. They must be realistic about those things. They must first
recognize them and learn how to improve the strengths in order to maximize the
result. They must learn how to overcome their weaknesses and convert them to their
favor. A young athlete must be coached to reach his or her potential. Success is
best defined by the amount of true effort that a person is willing to put into
something. Success is best measured by the attitude of a person. As a coach, I
love to see a young athlete give me great effort and do it with a humble, yet
confident attitude. An attitude of team first and self – last is the attitude I am
referring to. It was once said, “ATTITUDE DETERMINES ALTITUDE!” The better the
person’s attitude the better results they can expect. NCAA and NAIA college
coaches are always asking me about kids they are considering for scholarship
offers. The first two things they want to know are about academics and attitude.
Success is best measured by the way a young athlete can recover from a loss or
failure. In other words, a player is often defined by how they pick themselves
up after a mistake. It was once said “A man’s real success is really determined by
how he responds to his failures, than how he celebrates has victories.” I believe
this to be true.

National Scouting Report scouts wear many hats. We are coaches, teachers,
instructors, mentors, counselors, ministers, friends and much more. We are
connected to college coaches and to high school athletes. We remind kids and
families each day how important it is to win the day! We want our kids to be
successful and seen as being the very best they can be in their sport and in the
classroom. Let us all always remember that these young people need to learn how to
measure success in ways other than “wins and losses.” We must help them, coach
them and encourage them to measure their own success against their own abilities and
strengths. Not those of others.

Success is a personal thing! At National Scouting Report, we help young athletes
succeed in the recruiting process 1 athlete at a time! For us recruiting is
personal! Athletes, go win the day with a great effort, wonderful attitude and
a willingness to jump up and do it again if you fail! It is personal!

By: Robert Cagle