"The DNA of what we do will NOT change!" - Coach Dub

This weekend was an intriguing social experiment along the journey of coaching the lives of young men through basketball.  I'm not going to relive every upset associated with going 0-8 collectively, the events and decisions that brought us to that moment, and that we are soft as butter only pretending to be tough guys.  What's actually interesting to notice is how many times young men who lack confidence will use an excuse in order to never be required to fix what's really wrong - a slightly scary understanding considering that they believe basketball is part of their futures.  I liken it to what happens when there is a part of our body that stops functioning at full capacity.  We will create ways around it that provide the illusion we ARE functioning at 100% instead of the smarter step of seeing a doctor to find a cure versus just a fix.

This year's group of players has a huge case of that disease and their source of suffering lies in the gap (the gap that is created between where you think you are and where you actually are).  In practices during the week, they go through the training with similar struggle.  When they get in a game that translates into the experience of discomfort the comes from knowing how much better you could/should be but you're not.  Here's an example of what got me immediately present to the crazy this creates:

"Sir, why are you carrying your shoes in your hands when you have an almost empty bag to put them in?"  Answer: "I prefer to carry them in my hand because then they won't get lost."
WTF are you telling me?  Even when I said you're a rassoul and put them in your bag, he continued to assert his flawed logic and argument when it was met with another option.  He even may have had supporters for his flawed position who didn't possess the courage to back him up in the moment once they observed my freak out.  They would be, in that moment, choosing, like in the body example, to function at a lesser capacity then to be more efficient.

His was seemingly unable to even acknowledge the ridiculous of what he was doing as it was being pointed out.  This is just the tip of the iceberg for this group and generation of player.  There are always going to be moments given by life to test where you are at along your journey toward your own ideas / concepts of success.

DUMBNESIA - inability to acknowledge/ remember / recognize that what you did or said was dumb! (Source - #AfuaDictionary)

This was the word I created right after that child told me his dumbness.  It was the answer from the universe I had been requested in order to language what I have been experiencing from this group/generation of players.  His ridiculous was the inspiration but the experience of the whole team this year can be credited for the inspiration of the word.  He was just that moment's lesson.

Choosing.....

Scared over Courage
Failure over Success
Safety over Risk
Old over New
Bullshit over Sense
Not Try over Try
Easy over Hard
Self over Team
Bravado over Confidence
Fake over Real
Deception over Honesty
Lies over Truth
Take over Give

Somehow the consequences of Dumbnesia have supported the illusions that allow this team to be stuck in a place, faking a belief they are where they want to be OR they are going to get what they say the want OR they are going to get where they want to go.

The true sadness of a case of Dumbnesia is that many of these young men WILL get some of the things they say they want while never realizing how much they have missed because they were unwilling to challenge themselves beyond the pain caused by staying the same as they've always known.

If the fear of being NEW and BETTER is greater than the pain of staying the same as you've always known, then you will never get ALL of what is possible.  I actually know that.  Like KNOW it.....I think even a greedy person can see the logic of that so what would really be going on with a group of over 25 young men who seem unable or unwilling to see the bigger picture for their lives?  Why would I choose Mediocre over Greatness when Greatness is available?  Because it's HARD!

Well here's the NEWs FLASH - Important things are at stake here and we will not suffer a fool lightly.  "The DNA of what we do will not change." I AM Phoenix and I can say that because I WANT to be Great!  We are Phoenix.  We always RISE from the ASHES!