Life Lessons

If you can't tell, my family is really into sports. Kimmie loves soccer, Zach did play baseball but now loves basketball, and Emily has been a hoops head her entire life. We spend many days, nights and weekends in gyms or at fields. We spend almost as many hours counseling after things don't go right or celebrating when things do. (By the way, Zach won his basketball game with a free throw in the final 10 seconds the other day!!!)

I have a motto I use with our kids. I am especially drilling it into Emily's head as she has begun her sophomore year on the varsity team. Before every game and every practice I remind her, either through a text message or talking with her of four simple words: "No Blame. No Complain."

It is so easy when things go wrong on the court to pass the blame to someone else or complain about someone elses failure. The referees were bad (okay that one is mostly true) my teammates didn't hustle, I got fouled, I got pushed, the coach is a jerk. That last one really hurt when I was the coach!!

The same is true in life for us adults. We tend to blame and complain when things don't go our way. We pass the buck, attack the messenger, or simply refuse to accept that maybe we are the problem. I am always fascinated by people who want all the responsibility and none of the accountability. It is a trap that has weighed me down far more times than I would like to confess.

So, here is my challenge: take 1 day where you don't blame or complain. See if you can do it. Don't gripe about your boss, don't complain about traffic, don't suggest that your co-worker is the source of contention in your life. Take the 4 Word Challenge!!

No Blame! No Complain!