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This is the third part of my series regarding adversity called-Mid Season.

Quest Nutrition founder, Tom Bilyeu, explains a series of steps that people could utilize to change their lives.  One of which that he discusses passionately is about narrative.

Tom Bilyeu (photo property of Impact Theory)

“I’m the type of person that…”

When facing adversity, this attitude is critical.

“I’m the type of person that…gets up when I fall down”.  “I’m the type of person that…refuses to quit no matter how hard it is”.  “I’m the type of person that…takes ownership of my mistakes”.

Every person needs to become self-aware and set a narrative that can handle every situation.

David Goggins (Beyond Endurance) photo is owned by Impact Theory

David Goggins, one of the world’s greatest endurance athletes, discusses his technique of dealing with adversity as “filling the cookie jar”.  Here it is in more detail…

“The more you mess up in life and learn from those mistakes, the more cookies you have to fill up what I call the “cookie jar.” The cookie jar is the inner reserves of strength and faith we have to draw from in our darkest moments. The more life experiences you have, the bigger the cookie jar and more you can pull out and feed on in that moment of truth, when you’re bruised and bleeding and it looks like you’ll never finish the race; whether it’s a work assignment, a semester at school, or a quest to get in shape and lose weight. The contents of the cookie jar are what give us that extra fuel to bring it just when we need that last burst of energy and focus.”

As I reflect on my own experiences in dealing with adversity, I have been reactive.  I have been busy finding a way to survive rather than using the experiences as a building block for future success.  It is something I hope to get better at.

Viktor Frankl, penned in Man’s Search For Meaning, perhaps the best recipe on handling adversity:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” (Frankl)

We discussed the topic of adversity with a handful of college coaches.  Here is how they handle it.

Mid-Season: College Coaches Share Their Game Plan For Handling Adversity

Coach Eric Musselman (picture is the property of the University of Nevada)

University of Nevada, Head Coach (former NBA head coach), Eric Musselman

“I think one of the biggest things that has helped me with career adversity is my wife Danyelle and my family. I’m very fortunate to have a great family that creates a support system for me. Like any profession, there are going to be ups and downs and you’re going to hit rough patches. However, through the guidance of Danyelle, my family, and my group of close-knit friends I am fortunate to be able to get through those occasional rough patches.

In season, I am very competitive and want to win every game. However, I think you have to do a really good job of managing your emotions and controlling stressful situations. In the NBA, it’s an 82 game season and you can’t allow every little thing to get to you. One of the biggest things I do to combat stress is I work out 2 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a way for me to not only stay in shape and stay healthy but also allows me to take my mind off some of the stressful situations.”

Coach Bob Walsh (picture is the property of the University of Maine)

University of Maine, Head Coach Bob Walsh

“The ability to handle adversity is rooted in your program’s culture.  The foundation of our program is the way we compete every day, and that is how we evaluate ourselves.  So when significant adversity hit us this season, we fought hard to stick to our core principles.  We can control how hard we compete, and that’s how we define ourselves.  So that should never change.

We don’t talk to our team about wins and losses.  That is how others evaluate us, but it’s not how we evaluate ourselves.  We define ourselves with the process, not the results.  We’ve won some games where we haven’t really prepared very well but were good enough to win, and we’ve games where we’ve done a great job in preparation.  So many things can effect the outcome that you don’t control.  It’s not easy to do because we are in a result-based business and we know that.  But we talk constantly with our guys about what we do every day, and not about the wins and losses”

Coach Matt Driscoll (picture is the property of the University of North Florida)

University of North Florida, Head Coach Matt Driscoll
“So many times we look at adversity and obstacles in the wrong light…being transparent and forthcoming about reality and expectations allows those difficult moments to enhance that teachable moment allowing automatic growth both mentally and spiritually.  As a coach when losing and negativity fills your mind it’s imperative to repurpose our thoughts based on the belief from day one that operating comfortably during uncomfortable scenarios will persevere. For 8 season no school that looked like us had to play as difficult non-conference schedule yet deep in our soul we know that going 1-0 for 3 games was going to provide our success through tough times within the conference. That formula has provided our daily significance because it is our attitude that inspires actions that produce results creating consequences that change our attitude!
This happened for us the year we won the ASun championship. We had lost four in a row and 6 out 7 games after upsetting Purdue.  One of our smarter players ( he ended up being ASun tourney MVP) said, coach, we need hit “reset” like the internet to refresh our page.  We need to get back to being us. This was at the start of conference play.  We ended up 12-2 with 10 of those wins by double digits.

Coach Adam Cohen (the picture is property of Stanford University)

Stanford University, Assistant Coach Adam Cohen
“Every season has adversity. People handle in different ways. The most important thing for me to always remember during challenging times is to go back to why you are doing this. Don’t blame the players for everything. They are trying to be successful. Instead, of being miserable with them, find a way to inspire them. Find a way to spend more time with them and get them to believe in your vision. Make changes and build relationships better. That’s the best way to overcome adversity within your team.
At Vandy, we had lost 7 in a row through January…a horrible month, we took the team to Coach Stallings’ house for a movie day instead of practice.  After that, we won 8 of our last 10 in the SEC going into the SEC tourney”

Coach Seth Greenberg (picture is property of ESPN)

ESPN commentator, Seth Greenberg
“Adversity gives you an opportunity for reinvention. It reveals your character as well as your resilience. It is more important to let it redefine you. Success is a journey that has detours and road block. It is a challenge to navigate those obstacles. To me, adversity makes you stronger more focused and helps create a cause for greater accomplishments.  When I was let go at Virginia Tech it was extremely unsettling as it did not just impact me but my entire family. It was important that I remained positive not just for myself but for my daughters and wife. They were going to take my lead. While doing this I also had to use my energy to reinvent myself and emerge myself in a new career. When you face adversity it is not just your but you need to be the captain of the ship and set the destination!” 

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Parent, journalist, adjunct professor, host-That Bracket Show on SB Nation Radio and former Five-Star Camp CEO. Principal of Klein Sports and Education Consulting. Current clients include; The Highlands Current, Kinexon Sports, Basketball Travelers, and Blue Star Sports Technology. Current member of the USA Basketball Working Group on Youth Development Member: USA Basketball Writers Association, AIPS, AP Sports Editors, NABC and Society of Professional Journalists

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