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General Motivational

How Not to be Vulnerable

I write and maybe some things are brilliant and maybe some things are not so much.  I write and maybe some people get me and maybe sometimes I don’t even get me.  I write and maybe some things move you or makes you think. Maybe some things I write are stupid for the sake of being stupid, maybe some things are stupid because I am stupid (hopefully not so much of the latter, but I am only human).  Maybe some times I will make a mistake and maybe some times I will be flawless.

You want to know how NOT to be vulnerable?  Show that you are not afraid to be vulnerable! Your vulnerability is only as vulnerable as you allow it to be (unless you are Superman and have a certain thing about Kryptonite).

Show you are not afraid to make mistakes.  Show you are not afraid to be flawed.  Show you are not afraid by being honest, opening up to people, and being willing to give and receive help from people.  There is strength in numbers, but you must be trusted and be strong enough to let the numbers help you.

Nobody is perfect.  We all make mistakes.  Get over it! Learn from it! And keep on trying!

Join your friends as an Early Bird on Pinduin and be part of the waddle that is open to giving and receiving help and getting more stuff done together.

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Coach's Corner

Coach’s Corner ep. 6:  Improve your Life Today!

Playoffs!!!  Before the season started we made a goal to make it to the playoffs in our first season in the top Danish Youth National Division and yes, we made that goal happen.  It was not a Cinderella story of the abused child rising above all odds and ending up with a championship ring, but it was definitely an achievement, and a deserved one, to be recognized as one of the top 8 youth teams in the country.

When I think about this journey then I am reminded about how we did it.  How we went from setting a long term goal to realizing that goal.  How we prepared and how we got there.  What we did that helped us to improve and to reach our goals.  Although, there were many aspects of the game of basketball that just simply came down to…well, basketball, there was always one thing that guided us all along the way and this one thing that can also guide you.

On Pinduin we want to help students and athletes and anyone that wants to improve and get more stuff done.  We are creating a community of like-minded people that want to help each other and want to continually improve.  We know that we can’t do it alone and sometimes we need to be reminded of our achievements.  We help you to keep focus by showing your progress and reminding you about your achievements.

You want to know one thing that will help you to improve your life today? Want to know how to improve your life today?

Keep your focus and remind yourself of where you are and where you are going.

Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow. – Unknown

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Motivational What do you think?

Make the Impossible Possible: The Humpday Hollaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!! #3

Hey!  You have just about made it!  Keep on keepin’ on and dare to make the impossible possible.

Whatever point you are at now remember that you are always just about to get over that hump as long as you are still trying and you stay focused on improving.  Here at Pinduin we are ready to head into that midweek grind and that is yet another moment for us to take some time to reflect and rejuvenate.

No matter where you are with whatever your projects, goals, tasks, or activities are, this is your little reminder to have a moment to reflect about your accomplishments because we are sure that you have accomplished something.  You deserve it so go ahead and pat yourself on the back for getting this far, but after that remember that you have to get right back to it and keep going.

Remember…

 It always seems impossible until it’s done. – Nelson Mandela

Pinduin has come a long way and we have a long way to go, but we are really looking forward to getting started so tell your friends, join your friends, get in early, and come along with us!

Sign up on Pinduin as an “Early Bird” registration and get ready to get more stuff done now!

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Coach's Corner Motivational

Coach’s Corner ep. 5: Start with “The Why”.

When I was a kid I never wanted to do stuff that I was not good at or that I thought was hard to do.  I only liked to do stuff that I was good at. Matter of fact I am still like that, but what I have realized now is that even the stuff I was good at was hard too. It took work, hard work, to continue to be good at it and took even more hard work to get even better at it.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison

When setting goals and making plans I used to think, “Okay, what do I need to do?”.  I don’t think I am alone in thinking like that as it seems quite natural that if you are going to plan something then you need to know what you are going to do, but…There is one missing thing here and that is “The Why”.

Why are you going to do this thing you “need” to do?  Sometimes this is just something that is known, for example, “I need to find a frying pan and heat it up because I am going to cook this steak”. The “Why” in this case is “I am hungry and need food” or “Eating raw steak will make me sick”, in any case it is pretty straight forward “why” you are going to find that frying pan. Sometimes, though, the “Why” needs to be explored and stated more clearly. For example, “I need to wake up at 530 am every morning to go out and run 5 miles”. In this case the “Why” might be “I want to improve my health and stamina” and that might be the reason and nothing more, but maybe it is something more like “I want to improve my health and stamina because I want to be a better basketball player” and from here we could maybe even go deeper into reasons.

No matter what, in both cases above, you need to be clear about the “Why” of your goals and plans if you are going to insure that you will be able to succeed (at least to a certain level of success).

That is why now I always try to remind myself of the “Why” of stuff I want to do. I want to make sure that I know that when this thing gets tough (and in most cases anything worth doing is probably going to get tougher before it gets easier, and then after that it is probably going to get tough again) I am sure about “why” I am doing it and hopefully it is enough for me to keep at it even through the tough times.

Now I want to tell you about a great way to dig into your “Why” and remind yourself of the reason for putting in that extra time, that hard work, that dedication to the things you do and the stuff you want to get done. The technique is something that was used at the Toyota Motor Corporation to figure out the root causes of problems and it is called “The 5 Why’s” technique. The basic jist is that you ask yourself “Why?” five times.

“Why do I have to get up at 530 am to run?” I want to improve my health and stamina. “Why do I want to improve my health and stamina?” I want to be a better basketball player. “Why do I want to be a better basketball player?” I like basketball. “Why do I like basketball?” It is fun to play. “Why is basketball fun to play?” I like to spend time with my friends doing something we all enjoy.

Now we could actually probably go on and on and on and the technique is like being a little (perhaps annoying) kid that keeps asking “Why?” about everything, but the beauty of the technique is that it really makes you take the time to consider your reasons for your goals and plans. It helps to put your reasons in perspective for you and it will help you to understand how important your goals and plans are to you.

On Pinduin we want to help you achieve your dreams and goals so we always start with the “Why”.

When you are writing your goals then ask yourself why you want to reach for this goal. If it is NOT important enough for you then you will probably give up. We don’t want you to give up. We want to help you keep reaching for your dreams and so we want you to start with your “Why”. We always say, “Let’s get started! What stuff do you want to get done?…Okay, now tell us Why?”

Well, now it is up to you to ask yourself 3, 5, 6, or even 1000 more times “Why” until you get to the answer. We know that by doing this you will be absolutely sure that you are doing stuff that you “want” to do and it is the stuff that you “will” get done!

Join us at Pinduin to get organized and start getting more stuff done now!

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General

Coach’s Corner ep. 4: A Look Back at the Season.

Great teamwork is the only way to reach our ultimate moments, and create breakthroughs that define our careers and fulfill our lives. — Pat Riley

So we have reached the end of another regular season (at least for one out of the 4 teams I am coaching) and I have some time to take a look back at the season, look at film, and think about playoffs (Yes! We made our goal of making the playoffs in our first season!).

The U19 team is another one of those groups of guys that have known each other for a while and generally get along really well. I have had the pleasure of watching these guys grow for a season and some of them for 2 and I also have grown with them over this time.

We lost players, got new players, said Hello to returning players, and faced times of challenge with injuries and sicknesses. We were a team of highs and lows, of great highs and of great lows, and we were the ultimate roller coaster ride at times.  A season full of unexpected events, unexpected technical fouls, expected and unexpected losses, and expected and unexpected wins.  It was a real learning season for me and the guys and we know there is still a lot more work to be done.

The past couple months the team has been made more accountable for all the hard work we are demanding from each other and it is a proud moment for me every time to see the guys come together to get stuff done.  We  improved in 3 areas:  shooting, rebounding, and turnovers!  Everyone is doing the work individually and helping each other to get the work done.

Truly a great team effort!  I feel really good about the improvements we have made, but I feel even more proud about the resiliency and spirit that the team has built.  It really goes to show how much we are able to achieve together.  The journey has been hard, fun, and well worth the while and I am sooo looking forward to continuing it.

Briks Basketball:  All Day… Errry Day!!!

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Coach's Corner

Coach’s Corner ep. 3: Letter to the Board.

A few words I want to share with fellow board members of the Birkerød Basketball Club. Hopefully I express this to you all personally some day too, but for what it is worth I share it in a letter here on my blog. 

To my fellow board members…I have a confession that I have secretly always wanted to be able to say that in all earnest and today I have the opportunity to do that and I have you to thank for it.  Thank you!  You have welcomed me into to the club and you have made me feel very welcome.  I want you to know that I am very grateful for the opportunity to spend time with this special group of basketball lovers and to create and share basketball memories.  Thank you!

Being a “newbie” startup entrepreneur, an experienced coach, and a Dad have all taught me one common thing and that is there is always something new to learn.  After all these years with kids and sports, and managers and meeting rooms, I think I know quite a lot and I think that I have learned quite a lot.  In any case I do know one thing for certain and that is that I do not know it all!  

Not knowing it all is the second reason why I am writing this letter.  As we round out the 2014 season and prepare for summer there is still so much to do and so much to look forward to, and so much we still do not know.  We are getting ready to plan and we are coordinating stuff and we are doing stuff as I write and this is only the tip of the iceberg.  I have plenty of ideas and wishes to try out and I am really thankful to be able to work with you, my fellow board members (just had to sneak that in one more time), to try to build this fun, positive, and healthy environment for young people to be in.  You have given me a great opportunity and even though there is so much I do not know and so much I have to learn still, you have trusted me with this opportunity and again I thank you for that and want to assure you that I will do my best and my all to make next season another great success for us, for the kids, and for Birkerød Basketball.

Most of all though, I just wanted to make it known already now that I really look forward to another fun season for Birkerød Basketball.

My dear fellow board members of Birkerød Basketball…Here’s to 2015!

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Coach's Corner Motivational

It’s the journey.

What a season it has been.  Full of ups and downs and highs and lows.

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Coach's Corner General

Coach’s Corner ep2: Generation You are what you…

We all know the old saying about “You are what you eat” and all the variations such as “…what you read”, “..what you listen to”, “…what you do”, and even “You are who you hang out with”.  All these sayings are referring to one common thing which is that you, Generation You, “are” what you to a greater extent “associate” with!

I think that is one of the biggest reasons why I like coaching so much.  The energy and positivity around the team is so important for every team and I really like hanging out and being around the people on the teams I am a part of.  I like coaching for other reasons too like seeing the kids accomplish small successes and the thrill of a close game, but the being around all that positive energy and contributing to building it up, that for me is the greatest reward of coaching.

We have the same idea at Pinduin.  Like the penguins live in their waddles.  We believe in surrounding ourselves with positive people that want to get stuff done.

Each of us can’t control everything that is available to us, but each of us can control the choices to make things available to ourselves.  Let me say that once again for impact.  You can’t control everything, but  you can control every one of your own choices.

Choose “more positive”.

Read this article to learn about ways to get some “more positive” into your life.
Article link redirects to http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/7-ways-get-rid-negative-energy-and-become-positive.html

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General

Meet Buddy

So on Friday the 13th of March our first contest ended and it was determined that Peggy’s new buddy was found and we would like to introduce him here.

Read more at Meet Buddy.

Meet Buddy image