Coaching a group of high school girls entails so much more than, “here learn this skill and execute it as well as you can.”

Yes, the skills are a top priority. However, it has never been just about the sport, at least not to me. It’s about each individual girl and who they have the capability of becoming, both inside and outside of the gym. I always had coaches who cared about me as a person, not just an athlete, and that’s what I try to pay forward to the girls I coach now.

So when one of my girls came to me crying today and said, “everyone hates me, they were talking about me in the locker room, I don’t know what to do!” I told her what i’ve been telling myself pretty frequently the past few weeks: what other people think of you is none of your business. 

Words can hurt, and we’re all justified in showing emotion because of the actions of others. But at the end of the day, the only aspect of your life that you have total and complete control over is yourself. That’s it. You can’t control what other people say, how they feel about you, what they discuss in front of others…. none of it.

All you can do is approach each person you meet with respect, and hope that the consideration you demonstrate is reciprocated back to you. Be kind, the world needs more of it.