What's Important Now? WIN

One of the wittiest, most inspiring coaches of our generation, whether speaking about football or life, is my fellow-West Virginian, Coach Lou Holtz.  

As a retired football coach from the College of William and Mary, North Carolina State, the University of Arkansas, the University of Minnesota, Notre Dame, and the University of South Carolina, Holtz is in the record books among the top 15 winningest coaches in college football history. 

Holtz’ fame was built on the success of his teams on the football field. But the success those teams enjoyed came about chiefly through the instruction, work ethic, passion, and imagination of Lou Holtz himself.



Notre Dame Stadium



In his book Winning Every Day,  Holtz talks about an acronym based on lessons he developed while coaching and doing motivational speaking. It's called WIN, and it stands for What’s Important Now?

When we don't focus and prioritize, we fail to accomplish our goals. We become so distracted that we sometimes feel like giving up. It’s at this point we must think WIN, prioritize, and re-focus our efforts. 



Hell's Canyon - Snake River

Lou Holtz not only developed but also applied the WIN principle. He set goals in every area of his life, and set out to accomplish them. One goal was to raft the Snake River. He tells about the trip that promised to be a fun, family bonding experience — spending four days and three nights together on the river.

What began as fun actually became a fight for survival when Holtz tumbled off the raft into the waters of Snake River in Hell's Canyon, and was pummeled by the violent waters. Two people had drowned there shortly before his party arrived.

Realizing he was under the boat with no way to get up for air, Holtz first tried sinking deeper to allow the boat to shoot past him. No luck. As the grip of fear started to choke him, he shook it back. He focused on the words he had used to inspire others as they were about to give up:  What's Important Now?  It kept him focused and probably saved his life.

No one had shown Holtz hand-walking - a technique used by experienced rafters - using your hands to propel yourself along the bottom of the boat until you are free of it. By concentrating on the crisis of the moment, Holtz had to determine what was important now, and do that. He began to put one hand in front of the other and walked himself under the boat until he could surface and draw a breath of fresh air.

Holtz applies this philosophy beyond the football field.  Quoting Oliver Wendell Holmes, he says, "What lies behind you, and what lies ahead of you is of very little importance when it is compared to what lies within you."

What is important to you right now? That’s something only you can determine, but it’s the thing you should be focusing and spending your time on. Decide for yourself: What’s Important Now. We can WIN by focusing on our pre-determined, personal priorities.

That's what I think...what do you think?