Position Your Perspective for Success

Have you ever given much thought to the phrase "in the right place at the right time"? Basically the presumption is that a person just happens to be in a particular position at exactly the right time for something with a positive outcome to occur. Call it luck, good fortune, or plain old coincidence, but the premise with that line of thinking is that good things just happen by chance. Pastor Hilton shared a totally different perspective during one of his recent sermons. His story involved his son playing basketball, and when his son shot and missed he had the potential to get discouraged and his shoulders would slump. Pastor Robbie continued, the problem with that isn't that he missed the shot, but now that his son's shoulders slumped in disappointment he would not be in a ready position to make the next shot when the ball came his way again. In other words, making the shot isn't just about being in the right place at the right time, open shot, but it is more about being in the right position at the time when opportunity knocks on the door. 

Mindset is everything to me. To be successful isn't about luck or good fortune, it is about grasping opportunities and making the most out of them. Before we go any further I need to lay out a disclaimer, to me opportunities come in many different packages. Misfortune can be an opportunity just as much as it is found in a "being in the right place" mentality. I equate mindset to perspective. Our mental approach to life's circumstances will have a tremendous impact on the outcome of a situation. There were a few other key phrases that came out of Pastor Robbie's sermon that I just had to jot down and I want to be sure to give credit where credit is due as I share them today. "Complaining clouds creativity" which was followed by "Your mind moves from creativity to captivity and confusion." At another point in the sermon the pastor stated we have to take our thoughts captive so that we can get to the mindset of "placement over punishment".  Now that one is tough for many people. The victim mentality shifts our thinking to one where we think along the lines of a "being in the wrong place at the right time" way of looking at our current position in life. One last tidbit of insight from this particular sermon, "It isn't the storm happening around the boat that causes fear, it is the mental state of the person steering the ship". To which I would refer back to today's title and offer the idea that our outlook or perspective is going to predicate our mindset in adverse situations, which in turn will have a tremendous impact on our success or our demise.

I suppose this would be a good time to ask the question, "What does it mean to be mentally tough?"  Well, I believe the Apostle Paul would explain it like this, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." II Corinthians 4: 16-18. Going back to where we started today, an athlete who only sees the missed shot that just occurred, will not be able to envision the next shot or the next ten shots going through the hoop. Instead it is necessary for us to think through what went wrong on that particular shot and then correct the mechanics and be prepared for the next ten shots to hit nothing but the net! Perspective puts us in a position to be successful. 

For the person navigating the storm, regardless of whether it is a literal storm at sea or if it is any of the myriad storms of life scenarios, your perspective will have a great deal of impact on how you weather and overcome the torrent winds and waves that are bashing on the bow of your ship. James 1:12 tells us, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Don't ever give up, never quit, and always give your best. I'll shout out those three phrases until the day I die. On giving up Thomas Edison offered this perspective, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." For Edison, failed attempts meant he was one attempt closer to success. To see things in that manner takes a tremendous amount of perspective positioning. You have to maintain a never give up mental state of being. Instead of slumping your shoulders after missing the shot, you have to have a "Give me the ball, I'm ready for the next shot" mental perspective. 

As we close today I want to clarify that this way of thinking isn't easy to accomplish. When the waves are crashing all around or when you have missed the last twenty shots, it is easier to get discouraged than to have a positive outlook for what is going to happen next. It isn't easy if you are attempting to go it alone. The key to having a success through adversity mentality is to partner with the One who walks alongside us through adversity (John 16:33). As we prepare to welcome 2026, I challenge you to draw near to God in the midst of life's daily struggles. When life happens, as it most certainly will, you will be faced with a choice. You can mark another one up to "bad luck" or you can position your perspective for success and seek the strength and resilience of Christ. He is there. "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. Whatever 2026 holds, I am prepared because He walks with me, bring it on!

Coach Carter

Oxygen Mask Epiphany

 My work has provided me with a plethora of great opportunities to learn and grow through attending intentional and focused professional development conferences over the years. I give a great deal of credit to those travels for the growth as a leader I have experienced throughout my career. "You gotta go to grow" is my mantra for success as an educational leader. Recently as I sat on the runway preparing for take-off, a mundane safety presentation that is shared before every flight caught my attention and prompted today's Flat Tire Message. "Two exits to the rear of the plane and one in the front of the plane", "Your seat is a flotation device if needed", and "Please keep your seatbelt fastened while you are seated due to the possibility of turbulence" are all common instructions that the majority of seasoned travelers tune out during the 5 minute presentation. On this particular flight one of those instructions took on a totally different meaning. 

"In case of an emergency, an oxygen mask will drop from the ceiling, place your mask on first before assisting others." Like I previously said, I have heard these same set of instructions on Delta, American, United, Southwest, and other airlines countless numbers of times. But on this particular flight it took on a totally new meaning. I looked to my right and seated in the window seat beside me was my seven year old granddaughter Ella. If there is an emergency and danger is rearing its ugly head, I would and will do whatever it takes to take care of my granddaughters, so if there is an emergency on a plane, my thoughts are not about self, but rather all about taking care of my precious cargo. That's a no-brainer right? "Who would instruct adults to place their own safety above the safety of a child?" was the thought racing across my mind. If a car was speeding out of control and one of our granddaughters and I were walking down the street, I wouldn't jump out of the way first and then move my grandchild, nor would I run for shelter from a tornado unless I first knew all my loved ones were safe. So, where do airlines come up with the mentality of helping yourself first before you help others? That my friend is the core of our message today. 

When an airplane loses compression the oxygen quickly dissipates, creating a situation where there are only seconds available before folks begin to pass out from lack of oxygen. If I, as the protector, prioritize placing the oxygen mask on someone else, there is a strong possibility that I could pass out before I accomplish getting their mask on, thus creating an even more dangerous situation where not only does my grandchild need their oxygen mask placed, but now I could be laying there unconscious unable to do the very task that I am so deeply committed to complete for the safety of my passenger pal. The very instinct that causes me to want to place others first, could actually be the factor that leaves my little granddaughter in perilous danger. In other words, you can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself. 

We can look at this through the literal lens of physical care and this is essentially a true statement. If you are a caregiver of a child, live with a disabled family member, or take care of anyone else in need, you must take care of yourself or the expansiveness of the responsibility will rapidly take its toll on you. Rather, what my epiphany through this occurrence was is more about how we as men and women of faith can't help save the world or even those so near and dear to us if we aren't taking care of our own personal relationship with God the Father first. Jesus chastised an audience with this literary gem regarding self help before helping others. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:3-5. Contextual application for us: if we aren't in a true relationship with God the Father, how can we expect to share the "good news" of redemption of our sins and the salvation which leads us to life eternal in Heaven? I suppose the question we all have to ask ourselves is, "Can we walk the talk we talk?". 

The life we live is a walking testimony of our trust and faith in God. We especially have to be careful not to talk about our walk, but walk in a completely different manner. Going through the motions, without regularly reflecting on our true relationship with God creates a scenario where we are not going to be able to help our neighbor with their oxygen mask of faith in their time of need. If we aren't authentic, others won't look to us to lead them to salvation. Essentially, if our faith is being lived out, then we can help serve others before we serve ourselves. The Apostle Paul noted in I Corinthians 9:27 that "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." Paul knew he had to be in constant training so that he could aid others by showing himself to be a true follower of Christ. 

Are you in a place where your relationship with God places you in a position to assist others more than just doing for self? Would you say that you are equipped to help out your neighbor before helping yourself? Is your faith enough to put your neighbor's oxygen mask on before your own? For us to truly call ourselves disciples of Christ, we have to be able to lay down our life for the benefit of someone else. Jesus did that for you and for me and he wants us to pay it forward today and tomorrow! 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Coach Carter

This One Thing

 What is "true love"? I know in my own family, we tell each other "I love you" before we hang up on a call, head out the door to work, and before we go to bed each night. When we sign a birthday card, we write, "Love, Chuck & Missy", and over the past thirty-seven years I have pledged my love to my best friend and partner for life. Across the world the methods for expressing the emotion of "love" are countless and in your own unique world, I'm certain that you and your family share your emotional compassion for one another through a plethora of traditions, rituals, and verbalizations. But, back to my original question, what is "true love"? We say it in numerous ways, we show it in a variety of actions and deeds, but what would be a definition that could serve as a model for us all in understanding what it means to say "I love you"? 

I know in my own childhood, our family was not one to express our emotions very well. I know my mom and dad loved me, but I don't recall them sharing those three words on a regular, daily basis. Their demonstration of love was made through the hard work they did and the opportunities they created for Bob, Donna, and I. They always made sure we had what we needed to the point that they would do without so we could have what we needed.  As I grew and matured and started dating, I fell "in love" too many times to count. Valentine cards proclaimed "I love you" and the words began to flow across my lips as relationships ebbed and flowed through my high school and college years. But when I met my future wife Missy, the words "I love you" suddenly took on a completely different meaning. Not to get too mushy, but pretty quickly, I knew in my heart that I would do anything necessary to take care of and protect Missy and I wanted to do that for the rest of my life! Hence our 37 years of marriage. I knew I would do whatever it took to take care of and protect her, even to the point of sacrificing myself for her well-being. As our family grew with the birth of our daughter and son and eventually the addition of our nephew/son, that emotional feeling of love continued to grow as well. To say "I love you" to my kids and now as adults to their kids, basically means I would do anything, go anywhere, and give up whatever it takes to help them in their time of need. I believe the most concise definition of "true love" can be expressed by "this one thing", sacrifice. 

International Pastor and evangelist Chip Ingram often says that love is best characterized as "giving someone what they need most, when they deserve it least, at great personal cost". For me the key phrase in that definition is "at great personal cost". It's easy to say you love someone, and it is easy to show someone you love them when things are going smoothly, but when things get bumpy and the feelings of "love" appear to be distant or dissipating, that is when there is a place where making a personal sacrifice becomes paramount. As Pastor Ingram states, when we make that personal sacrifice that infringes on our day to day person, then we can say we are demonstrating "true love". The sacrifice I'm envisioning here isn't a tangible sacrifice, but more of an internal sacrifice. We may be angry at the actions or choices of the person, but we sacrifice our desire to see the person pay for their actions, and show empathy and compassion instead. When we are hurt it becomes easy to want retribution, but if we truly love someone we sacrifice our emotional hurts because we have a connection to the other person that surpasses our "me centered" societal understanding. And where do you think Chip Ingram created his philosophy on "true love"? That answer is the core of our time together today.

If true love is demonstrated in giving someone what they don't deserve, but doing so when they need it most, and when that love is given with a great deal of personal sacrifice then we have the prime example shared with us in the sacrificial life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus came to this world to teach us how to love. His life was a demonstration of giving us something we didn't deserve, when we needed it the most, and at the ultimate cost of giving His life on the cross so we could gain forgiveness of our own sin-stained lives. In I John 4:9-10, the Apostle John shares, "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. The Apostle Paul penned the following context, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8. The "this" being referenced in both passages is the one thing that ultimately demonstrates "true love", sacrifice.

As we go about our day to day lives, I hope that you have people in your life that you have the opportunity to tell them you love them. Sacrificial love for my wife, children, and grandchildren is easy. I would gladly give my life for any of them without a second thought. But loving those outside of our immediate family is a totally different concept. This world is full of hurting people, people that need to experience this same type of sacrificial love. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus was quick to reply, "... "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39. Love God, the most basic commandment there could be, but loving the unloveable, those we don't see eye to eye with, those that are hurting and our brothers and sisters around the world. Whether they are family or complete strangers doesn't matter, we are called to demonstrate true sacrificial love to them just as Jesus displayed true love for you and for me at a time when I knew I didn't deserve it, but needed it most, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. I John 3:16. This one thing, the one thing that truly makes all the difference in the world, changes saying we love someone to showing them what true love is. Choose this one thing, sacrifice for the sake of others, love the way that you are loved, and live each day as the opportunity it is.

Coach Carter

Counting Apple Seeds

During a recent chat with a small group of colleagues/friends, we were discussing the impact an area legendary coach has had on so many individuals over the years. John Dyer is a coaches coach, a stand up man, driven by his faith to coach young men not only for the sport of basketball, but more so for the game of life. Coach Dyer's passion and fire are easily noticed, and his quiet, calm demeanor when you have a conversation with him, assures you that he is driven by a higher force in his coaching and the life he lives. Two nuggets of wisdom came out of the small group's conversation and I'd like to share those with you today. First, Dr. Jeff Moorehouse shared a statement that resonated so well with my own coaching philosophy, "You can coach players for a season, or you can coach them for life". How true that statement is. The second quote was also provided by Jeff, as it one hundred percent supports and validates the previous thought. I paraphrase, "You can count the number of apple seeds in an apple, but you can never even estimate the number of apples that exist in each of those seeds". Wow, coaches, parents, managers, teachers, and everyone else that "coaches" someone or a group of someones, that one really placed the exclamation point on the idea of coaching for life rather than just a season. Let's slice that apple a bit and delve into the act of sowing seeds and then reaping the fruit of our labor. 

If you've followed my Flat Tire Ministries journey for any time at all, you have most likely read that I believe we are all coaches/teachers in life. The dividing factor is some are coaching up, while unfortunately, others tend to pull people down through their intentional or sometimes unintentional methodologies. The basic fact today is that in most cases we all coach/teach for life, not just for a season. Even if it is a sports season the impact that coach will make on the athletes he coaches will impact their lives for generations to come. I wish there was some way to categorize different types of coaches, but honestly, life is about people teaching other people, which in turn teaches the other people how to, or how not to, coach others. 

Parents coach their toddlers as they free their grip on the coffee table to take that first monumental step. Supervisors or administrators train up and reinforce their teachers as they shape their instructional and relational repertoire. In turn, teachers then relay academic concepts to their students, helping them obtain an education that will propel them forward to postsecondary success. Employees are trained by managers, and apprentices are mentored by skilled professionals. I suppose you could sum this concept up by saying life is not about what you do, but more about how many others you teach to do what you do. The scripture is true and applicable to this coaching/teaching lesson, "...it is better to give than to receive" Acts 20:35. 

And how exactly does the concept of giving being better than receiving fit into the strategy of sowing apple seeds to harvest apples? Well, when Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, he made it clear that what you sow is exactly what you will reap. II Corinthians 9:6 tells us, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." In whatever way we are coaching/teaching, the more seeds we plant the higher the potential for a bountiful harvest of apples will exist. 

As we started out our time together today, I shared an inspirational quote that equates the number of seeds we plant to the maximum potential each of those seeds has to produce apple trees that will provide a bountiful harvest of apples. We are directly and indirectly responsible for planting those seeds in the lives of those we influence through teaching, coaching, mentoring, and the example we set before the world in which we live. The catch 22 here is that we will plant seeds regardless of our intentions, either good seeds that produce a bountiful harvest of the next generation of leaders that will expand the impact you planted in their lives, or the seeds you plant will produce discord, hatred, malice, and self-absorption.  Here again, the Apostle Paul doesn't mince words about the impact of the seeds we sow, "Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap." Coach them up, it will make all the difference in the world in which you live. The harvest will be immeasurable as the seeds you plant grow and mature into a grove of trees too many to count! 

Coach Carter