They walk among us

 The following is from a Facebook post by Laugh Until The Tears Run Down your legs!! 

I was at the checkout of a local Walmart. The cashier rang up $46.64 charges. I gave her a fifty dollar bill. She gave me back $46.64. I gave the money back to her and told her that she had made a mistake in MY favor. She became indignant and informed me she was educated and knew what she was doing, and she returned the money again. I gave her the money back -- same scenario! I departed the store with the $46.64.

They Walk Among Us! .....

I walked into a Starbucks with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a Grande Latte. I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little chalkboard that said 'buy one-get one free.' "They're already buy-one- get-one-free," she said, "so I guess they're both free." She handed me my free lattes, and I walked out the door.

They Walk Among Us! .....

One day I was walking down the beach with some friends,

when one of them shouted, "Look at that dead bird!"

Someone looked up at the sky and asked, "Where?"

They Walk Among Us! .....

While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north; because, he explained,

he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the north?" When my brother explained that the sun rises in the East, and has for sometime; she shook her head and said, "Oh I don't keep up with all that stuff."

They Walk Among Us!! .....

I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center.

One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific."

They Walk Among Us! .....

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk.

They Walk Among Us! .....

My friends and I went out to buy beer and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%.

Since it was a big party, we bought two cases. The cashier multiplied two times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.

They Walk Among Us! .....

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area, so I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional, and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?" So I replied, "No Ma'am, The Pilot told us we're circling the airport, 3rd in line to land."

They Walk Among Us! .....

While working at a pizza place, I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone, and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into four pieces or six. He thought about it for some time before responding.

"Just cut it into four pieces. I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat six pieces."

Yep, they walk among us.... bless their hearts

Personal Coaching Lessons: Finding the Small Wins In the Game

 Whether you’re on the field or the slopes, recognize and celebrate every small victory. These little wins are the building blocks of lasting success. In sports and life, the journey to success is often paved with a series of small, meaningful victories. As both a coach and an athlete, I learned that these incremental wins are what build the foundation for lasting achievement.

Every practice session offers a chance to see progress, even if it’s not immediately visible on the scoreboard. Whether it's refining your running form on the track, perfecting a swing in softball, or even executing a well-timed move on the slopes, these subtle improvements are significant. By focusing on these small enhancements, you create a positive feedback loop that fuels further growth. Recognizing these wins helps you as an athlete understand that progress isn’t always about a dramatic, final victory; it’s about steady improvement over time.

Acknowledging small victories isn’t about inflating minor successes into grand triumphs; it’s about fostering a mindset that values the process. For example, after a tough practice, celebrating a teammate's improved technique or a personal best in a drill reinforces that every effort matters. These moments of recognition boost morale and encourage athletes to continue striving, turning everyday progress into a powerful motivational tool.

Small wins are the building blocks of confidence. When you see that even modest improvements can lead to tangible success, you gain the courage to tackle bigger challenges. This confidence not only enhances individual performance but also strengthens the overall team spirit. By celebrating these moments, you create an environment where everyone is motivated to contribute, knowing that every small step forward is a part of a larger victory.

When I coached, I felt it was important to help athletes set achievable, process-focused goals rather than solely aiming for the ultimate win. Every athlete is different as is every coach, but when was coaching, I found these ideas worked for me.

·         Setting Incremental Goals: Break down larger objectives into manageable steps. When achieved, each milestone, no matter how small, is a victory.

·         Providing Continuous Feedback: Regular, constructive feedback helps athletes recognize improvements that might otherwise go unnoticed. The feedback can come from a coach or another athlete, but it must be fact-based and specific. Saying you're doing better is not good feedback.

·         Fostering a Supportive Environment: Celebrate each success together, whether it’s improved teamwork, better endurance, or even overcoming a moment of self-doubt.

Research in sports psychology emphasizes that focusing on these small wins can sustain motivation and lead to overall success. This mindset transforms setbacks into learning opportunities and instills a resilience that lasts beyond the game.

In essence, every small win is a stepping stone to greater success. Whether on the field or the slopes, embracing these victories nurtures a spirit of continuous improvement and reminds us that the journey is just as rewarding as the destination.

The Challenge of Success Beyond Wins and Losses

With softball, despite all the years waiting to have won a championship, each game was learning to be persistent and to appreciate growth. There is no measuring success by how the game is won; it's also every opportunity for improvement. Each game was a lesson to learn, to improve, and to develop strength, things that extend far longer than the thrill of winning a championship.

Waiting for the championship win was not just waiting for the losses; waiting for knowing every swing, every pitch, and every play was a chance to grow. It was at this time that we, as a team, focused on one game at a time that we were playing. It was not about winning the championship; the focus was to win the game we were playing. Looking back, I realize that each practice was not just a reaction to the previous loss or win it was a promise of continued improvement.

Research in sports psychology has shown that when athletes focus on themselves getting better and learning from every experience, they create an attitude that helps them overcome obstacles on and off the pitch.

Over the years, I have learned that my experience in sports has taught me that success is not always determined by the final score, as in life. The training, the honing of skills, and even the losing are where the real growth takes place. Each practice session and each game taught lessons that no trophy could ever contain. These lessons have shown me that improvement is a series of small, incremental moves and every chance to do better is a win in itself.

What's wonderful about being involved with any sport is that every competition, event or game is a page in a larger book of personal and team development. When my teammates and I went on the field, we were not playing to win; we were playing to play for each other. When I coached, I used that same attitude to change the perception of competition on the part of my players. Winning was not about the destination anymore, but about the lessons we learned along the way, the effort put in, and the progress made with every next game, with the victories being a bonus.

Ultimately, the measure of success past victory and defeat is to embrace the process. It's the understanding that though victory is satisfying, the loveliness of sport lies in the daily toil and the small victories that lead to step-by-step improvement. The game doesn't end with the final whistle; the real learning is embedded in every practice session, every setback, and every forward step.

In expressing these ideas, I hope to make you realize that the value of the journey is worth as much as the destination. Success, in its truest form, is the sum of all the little improvements and the knowledge that we acquire along the way, a philosophy that not only produces better athletes but makes our lives better.

Why Winning Impacts Team Culture and Buy-In

When my siblings and I were founding members of a local track team, we discovered firsthand that victory is not solely about individual success, but it can bring together, energize, and establish a sustainable team culture. Within our team, each victory, whether a close competition or a record-breaking victory, wasn't ours but everyone's celebration. This shared experience generated a feeling of belonging and purpose that continues to guide my definition of success to this day.

Winning builds a strong bond between teammates. It promotes trust, respect for one another, and a feeling of responsibility to a shared goal. Research in sports psychology substantiates this, showing that shared triumph increases cohesion among teams and boosts individual motivation by making each player feel worthwhile and part of something greater than themselves. At our track team, every finish line that one of us crossed meant a small victory for the team as a whole. Such collective victory reminded everyone that each contribution was important to the whole. We were lucky because we had coaches who believed in such an idea, and they spread the idea so that we runners cheered and urged each other forward even when we were behind and not winning. When I started coaching in my late 20s, I applied the same principles to help the athletes whom I was coaching in the various sports that I was coaching. As a coach, I realized that a good team culture is not talent-based; it is established through shared striving for excellence.

My own experience of training with my brothers, pushing our limits, and celebrating our triumphs taught me that the journey itself was as important as the final victory. In both celebrating our victories and defeats with our teams, we also commiserated in our failures. In this way, we transformed setbacks into learning experiences and microscopic victories into ginormous morale boosters. This camaraderie gave a background in which every practice session was a chance to bond and grow together. Individual success is gratifying, but the glory of victory is felt when it's shared.

Victory is not merely about self-importance; it's about what it achieves for the group. When the team believes in a common purpose, every individual's success lifts the others. Whether it's a championship softball victory after years of hardship or the team effort that led to a team victory in football, the outcome is a clear indicator of what can be achieved when individuals unite for a common goal. The momentum generated by a win can elevate the level of day-to-day performance.

A win motivates each member to give their best because they know that their input matters. As they see their efforts bear fruit, team members are more invested in the sport and also in the values of teamwork, mutual assistance, and improvement. This spirit of collective achievement makes everyone strive to be better every single day, confirming the notion that victory is just as much a part of the journey as the destination. In a sense, when you have faith in the idea of winning, you're making a bet on a culture of trust, shared aspiration, and mutual growth. That's why every win, no matter how big or small, has to be celebrated by everyone, because it's not every person for themself; it's everyone's victory.