Try this
'If you can see it, you can create it'
Author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon prepares team for 2009 season.
By Kevin Robbins
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, July 10, 2009
Their first game of the 2009 college football season is 55 days away. The Texas Longhorns have discussed subjects such as the manipulation of the things they will dream about at night.
They've confessed aloud their love for one another. And they've talked earnestly about vampires.
Author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon encouraged the team Wednesday to ponder those topics and many others — anything but the actual act of winning. He told the players to think about good habits, not good outcomes.
"That's how championships are won," Gordon said to the team. "I'm asking you to focus on your moments. Seize your moments and you're going to love your outcomes."
A former varsity lacrosse player at Cornell who now makes a living cheering to sports teams and corporations about the attributes of positive living, Gordon has written three books about effective teams, optimism in groups and how to create and channel healthy energy. Gordon worked with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL; he spoke to the Falcons last season, before which their head coach, Bobby Petrino, abruptly quit and the team's former quarterback, Michael Vick, was convicted on dogfighting charges.
The Falcons went 11-5 and made the playoffs.
The Texas coaching staff brought Gordon to Austin this week to deliver his message to players in town for summer school and informal workouts. A team representative said information about the fee the team paid Gordon wasn't available, but a pricing menu on Gordon's Web site indicates a two-day workshop — Gordon worked with a smaller group of players on Monday — is available for $15,000.
Gordon said he hoped to inspire the team to build "a culture of greatness" before the Sept. 5 home opener against Lousiana-Monroe.
His hourlong presentation in the team meeting room covered obvious but perhaps overlooked ideas. He reminded players to know clearly what they want, to strive always to get better, to maintain mental strength, to leave a legacy of purpose and encouragement.
"If you can see it, you can create it," Gordon said.
He implored the players to "dream while awake," a reference to the belief that people are likely to dream about thoughts they entertain in the last 30 minutes before sleep. Gordon warned players to ignore what he called "energy vampires" — scornful fans and critical media.
At times, Gordon's presentation approached the level of a call-and-response church revival.
"Do you believe you can win?" he said.
"Yes!" the team replied.
"Do you believe in your teammates?"
"Yes!"
"Do you believe in yourselves?"
"Yes!"
"Do you believe in Texas?"
Senior quarterback Colt McCoy also met Monday with Gordon as part of the team's "leadership council" of select players. McCoy said he watched his teammates Wednesday for signs they were invested in the presentation.
"I feel like everybody listened," McCoy said. "I feel like everybody learned."
Texas head coach Mack Brown, who was not at the presentation, later e-mailed a statement about Gordon's visit.
"We're always looking for an edge," Brown wrote.
"We've always worked at helping our guys become better team leaders and grow as men. Jon's books and visit with the team are a valuable step towards taking the leadership training to another level, a level that we hope will help each and every member of our program not only next year but for the rest of their lives."
The players took notes Wednesday night, then pledged to read Gordon's book "The Energy Bus." Players agreed to sign their names inside the book when they're finished and pass it along to a teammate.
Junior defensive end Sam Acho said: "A lot of the things I heard are going to change me."
Acho cited, for example, Gordon's recommendation about "dreaming while awake." Acho said he planned to incorporate that idea as soon as he went to bed Wednesday night.
"Now I'm going to be dreaming about the best team, the best university, the best group of people in the world," he said.
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