Once again, we continue with the concept of significance that I have been focused on for the last few months.
We have looked at quotes over the last few weeks by Oprah Winfrey, Michael Josephson, Ken Blanchard, Jackie Robinson, and Nelson Mandela that I discussed on the Great Quotes for Coaches podcast.
This week I talked about two more quotes, one by the person whose quotes I have probably talked about the most on the podcast and one by someone who is new to us.
The first quote is by none other than John Maxwell, who we have heard from more than any other person (with the possible exception being John Wooden).
In his book Intentional Living, Maxwell said, “To be significant, all you have to do is make a difference with others wherever you are, with whatever you have, day by day.”
The first part of the quote is reminiscent of last week’s quote by Nelson Mandela, as both men talk about the idea that significance deals with making a difference in others’ lives.
But the second part of the quote is where it gets really impactful.
Anyone can be significant. You don’t need any special skills, talents, or superpowers.
You can be significant no matter who or where you are.
Anyone can do it. Just use whatever skills, gifts, and desire you have to impact others.
And then the final key point in the quote is to do it “day by day.”
Most significant contributions in life are not made once or once in a while. They are done consistently over time by people who are trying to create impact in some way and trying to make a difference in the world.
Significant or Irrelevant?
The second quote is from a fictional story called Heaven and Hurricanes by Sean Michael Norris.
This quote had a little different focus to it compared to the Maxwell quote, but I chose to talk about it with the Maxwell quote because it, too, mentions the concept of a day when dealing with significance.
However, it looks at the concept of a day as a specific time that significance may (or may not) be created.
“The distance between significance and irrelevance is shorter than you think. It could be traveled in a single day, a single moment, or even a single word.”
I love this concept!
The idea of being significant in someone’s life or having significance in your life is razor thin.
What you do can be significant or irrelevant, and there is a fine line you walk between the two.
Every day you have a chance to be significant in others’ lives.
But you also have a chance to be irrelevant.
It’s all based on what you do, every day, every moment, and in everything you say or do.
Nobody wants to be irrelevant. We all want to feel we matter.
So what are you doing about it?
What are you doing each day to make sure you matter?
For those of us who coach (or teach), we have the opportunity every day to make a difference in our kids’ lives.
Our words and actions directed at them or just how we speak and act when we are around them can have great impact on them or can mean absolutely nothing to them.
More than anything, how we treat them and the words we choose to use with them will determine whether we are people of significance in their lives or we are irrelevant to them.
Important, Valued, & Significant
But consider the other side of this. Consider how your kids feel.
Do they feel they are significant or irrelevant?
Far too many kids don’t feel that they are making a difference or that they even can make a difference in the world.
Many don’t even consider the concept.
It is up to us to help our kids feel important, valued, and significant.
We need to consider our words and actions every day we are with them.
We need to help them feel that they matter, that they are important, that they have value.
We also need to teach them that the more significance they bring to the world, the better the world is, even if it is only their small corner of it.
By providing value for others, we offer them the opportunity to turn around and do the same for other people, too. All we have to do is teach, instill, model, and reward them for the value they bring to others.
So make it a priority to focus on significance every chance you get by choosing the proper words and actions that will help you make a difference in the lives of others.
The people in your orbit will be better for it, and hopefully, the people in their orbit will also reap the benefit of them doing the same thing.
At the same time, you will know that you have done something for others that makes a difference in their lives.
What a great feeling, knowing that you are making a difference in others’ lives by living a life of significance.
SlamDunk Significance
**If you want to be a person of significance in kids’ lives by trying to provide them the best opportunities to have positive athletic experiences, I encourage you to check out my new project, SlamDunk Significance. If you’re interested in joining me on the SlamDunk Significance mission, there are a few ways to do so:
- If you’re a coach, athletic director, or league director, and you would like to have us pay for a speaker to come to your school, fill out the application under the “Schools/Leagues & ADs/Coaches” section on the SlamDunk Significance page.
- If you’re a speaker/trainer and you would like to be connected with teams, schools, or leagues looking for professional development for their coaches, kids, administrators, and/or parents, fill out the application under the “Trainers/Speakers” section of the SlamDunk Significance page.
- If you’re an athlete, coach, or someone who would like to donate to help teams, schools, and leagues create positive athletic programs for kids by bringing in quality speakers and trainers, click on any button on the SlamDunk Significance page to be taken to our GoFundMe page.
- If you would like to volunteer to help out in any way, email me at scott@slamdunksuccess.com.
- SPREAD THE WORD!! Tell anyone and everyone you know about what we are trying to do to help kids have great athletic experiences. And if you know anyone with the financial means to make a donation to our mission, please let them know about it.
When you join us on this mission, you will be focused on creating significance in kids’ lives everyday, one who is helping to create the best athletic experience possible for them.