How I Became a BEAST in Iceland - Baldur Ragnarsson
When the plane left the ground at JFK airport in New York, I honestly had no idea what I was getting into. I have worked with basketball teams, but this was my first time working with a team internationally. I have worked with professional teams, nationally ranked teams, and world champions, but this was my first time going overseas to work with a team of such caliber. Their coach would wind up winning an award for being coach of the second half. It was intimidating to say the least, and I knew I’d be fine. Well really… I had to be fine. There was no turning back at this point. The doors to the plane were shut. It was ON.
Here’s how I became a BEAST during and after my trip to Iceland.
Make a Commitment and Make It Happen
No alcohol. No sugar. No flour. No staying up late. No blaming others. No complaining. No defending yourself when you screw up. No procrastinating. No lying.
This head coach was one of the most elite people I’ve ever been around. He instantly elevated my game and took my life to another level.
I thought my diet was already pretty good: It got better.
I thought I was recovering well: I recovered better.
I thought I was challenging myself: Man was I underestimating my ability.
3 Steps to Getting Anything Done
Make a commitment
Make it public
Make it happen
This coach made a commitment to himself. He wants to be the best basketball coach he can possibly be. So, the first thing he did was ask himself, “What am I currently doing that I would not want my players to be doing?” Here was the list:
Drinking alcohol
Eating sugar
Eating flour
Staying up late and going out all night
Blaming others
Not working out every day
Not following his routines
So what did he do? He started to systematically cross each of those items off the list. It’s like the story of Gandhi and the boy who ate sugar:
Mahatma Gandhi and The Boy Who Ate Sugar - by Jeff Kober:
A woman came to see Mohandas Gandhi, waiting in line for more than half a day with her son at her side in order to have an audience with him. When at last it was their turn to speak to him, the woman said, “Mahatma, please. Tell my son he must stop eating sugar. It is ruining his health, his teeth, it affects his mood. Every time he has it, I see the change in him and there is nothing I can do to stop him from eating it, and then eating more. He’s a good boy, but when it comes to sugar, he becomes a liar and a thief and a cheat and I’m afraid it will ruin his life. Please, Gandhiji, tell him to stop.”
Gandhi looked at the boy for the longest time as he cowered there, trying to hide in his mother’s sari. Finally, Gandhi broke the silence and said. “Come back to me in two weeks time.”
Two weeks later the woman returned with her child and once again waited in line for hours before finally it was again their turn to see the Master. “Mahatma,” said the mother. “We have returned. We came to you for help with this boy and eating sugar and you asked us to come back after two weeks.”
“Yes, of course I remember,” said the master. “Come here, child.” He motioned the boy forward.
The boy, at the urging and prodding of his mother, disentangled himself from her sari and stepped up to the Mahatma who reached out, putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders and pulling him in close. He looked the boy squarely in the eye and said, firmly, “Don’t eat sugar,” then released him.
“That’s it?” said the mother. “That’s all you’re going to say?” She was flabbergasted. “Why didn’t you just tell him that two weeks ago?”
“Because,” replied Gandhi, “Two weeks ago I was still eating sugar myself.”
Step 1: Make a Commitment
When he told me that he cut all of that out of his life, I was amazed.
How did he do it?
What was the secret?
Who did he talk to or where did he find his inspiration to cut out those addictions from his life?
The answers to all of those questions: Himself.
He wants to be the best basketball coach he can possibly be and upon answering that question, his answer was, “Well I need to be the model. I need to lead. It starts with me.”
ALL of those items on his list decrease performance; Therefore, by eliminating them, performance will be increased.
Side note: Sometimes that is where we need to start. Forget about +1, +1, +1… what is one thing you can rid from your life that will make your life better?
Step 2: Make It Public
From here, he started telling everyone: His family, his friends, his players, his coworkers. He made a commitment to cutting these addictions from his life, and then started telling everyone.
The importance of this step is it builds accountability. Now when you tell everyone about your commitments, you become EVEN MORE committed to it.
Not only that, you’re reinforcing the belief in your head that you CAN do it - that you do have the ability to stick with something. THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS. The more you focus on something, the better chance it will have of coming to fruition.
Caution: This can be detrimental as well. If you listen to the critic in your head about how you’ll never get what you want, then you’ll never get what you want. If you continue to focus on how you’ll never have as much success as that person, then you’re right, you never will.
Step 3: Make It Happen
From there it’s easy. He just did what he said he was going to do, every single day.
The first year he cut out alcohol, blaming others, and staying out late.
After a year without alcohol, he cut out sugar and flour.
After that he added routines and working out every day.
“Making it happen is the hardest part Tyler.”
Not if you made a commitment and talked to everyone about it, including yourself.
Try It
What is one thing in your life you want to commit to that will help your life overall? What is your reason for doing this? How will it affect you short term and long term? When you see yourself sitting on a rocking chair at the retirement community, are you fulfilled with this commitment? If yes…
Go tell everyone about the commitment. BE PROUD of it. When someone knocks it, understand that it’s because if you don’t do it, they’ll feel better for not doing it themselves.
After you tell everyone (which should never end), making it happen will take care of itself.
Make a commitment
Make it public
Make it happen
Be A BEAST
Iceland is amazing, and thank you to Baldur Ragnarsson, currently the head coach of Tindastoll Basketball for helping me become a better version of myself, or in his words, for becoming a BEAST.
