Author: Don Yaeger

March Madness and the Value of Continuity

Written on March 20, 2015.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The contest we are currently running (check it out here) inspired me to write this blog. These are my favorite four days of the sporting calendar. As the NCAA Basketball Tournament tipped off yesterday, the little guys got the chance to pull back their slingshots while the big guys had to remain focused and keep momentum. What makes March Madness so exciting is that we can all bear witness to...

Positive Self-talk: A Cornerstone for Great Winners

Written on March 13, 2015.

Even the Greatest winners… fail from time to time. But the way they choose to respond to their shortcomings–how they talk to themselves after a loss–reveals much about their personal character. When it comes to engaging our teammates or colleagues after a loss, most of us are supportive and encouraging. Maybe they took a bad shot or didn’t land the client they were working towards; whatever the case, we are...

Learning through Winning: Three Successful Lessons from the Kentucky Wildcats

Written on March 4, 2015.

The undefeated Kentucky Wildcats are inching closer to a perfect regular season and it’s exciting to watch. Last night’s game against Georgia, which Kentucky rallied to win 72-64, was among the best I’ve seen this season. But each Kentucky win prompts the same question from sports media pundits: Would the Wildcats be better off now losing a game in order to lessen the pressure of maintaining an undefeated season before...

Lessons in Entrepreneurship with Mac Anderson

Written on February 24, 2015.

Mac Anderson is an entrepreneur of the highest order. Many of you have Anderson’s innovative work on your walls or bookshelves and you don’t even know it. Successories, one of his earliest companies, is a producer of motivational office decorations; the framed posters feature photographs that are paired with words of leadership, perseverance, and motivation. With Successories, Anderson proclaimed that he was in the...

Greatness Doesn’t Always Come in a “Five-Star” Package

Written on February 19, 2015.

It’s been three weeks since the Super Bowl (Sorry to my friends from Seattle for bringing this up again!) and a couple of weeks since National Signing Day. From those two events, there were a few things that stood out to me—and reminded me of what really matters on our road to Greatness. If you’re a college football fan, National Signing Day can be a media circus. The sporting networks track every four- and five-star...

“Why not you?”—The Immeasurable Heart of Russell Wilson

Written on January 27, 2015.

“Why not you?” These simple words were spoken to Russell Wilson by his father, Harrison, and they would change his life. Years before his Super Bowl championship with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson was a high-school senior and multi-sport athlete, torn between a baseball career and football dreams. The Baltimore Orioles had drafted him straight out of high school with a guarantee of a million dollar contract. Deep down,...

New Year’s Resolutions Are Made to Be Broken… So Break the Mold!

Written on January 15, 2015.

If you’re anything like me, by now you’ve probably put off your New Year’s resolution at least once, haven’t you? Let’s face it. Resolutions often dissolve as quickly as they are developed. Research has shown that for many of us, nothing really changes after New Year’s Day. According to Forbes Magazine, only 8% of people actually keep their resolutions. This uncomfortable truth begs the question: Why do so many of...

Fighting is Winning: In Memory of Stuart Scott

Written on January 6, 2015.

ESPN commentator and journalist Stuart Scott was a true example of a life lived Greatly. He had a warrior’s spirit, epitomized class and courage, and had an unshakable will to live. On Sunday, January 4, the sports world was saddened with the news that Scott—one of the most recognizable and beloved sportscasters of our time— had lost his battle to cancer. It pained me deeply to know that one of my favorite individuals...

One Solitary Life

Written on December 23, 2014.

A couple of years ago, my family went to New York City for a week during the holidays. My favorite stop that year was Radio City Music Hall where the world famous Rockettes did their incredible thing. At the end of the show, a live nativity (complete with camels and sheep) formed on the stage as the announcer read the 1926 poem “One Solitary Life” by James Allan Francis. In a world of political correctness, I loved...