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Extra Inning Softball is running a series of articles with record-setting college softball coach Mike Lotief who—after 17 years of coaching Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball— reveals the training program that propelled his team to the NCAA tournament, the Women’s College World Series, and NCAA Super Regionals.
Here is the latest feature from Mike dealing with the mental side of the game and how to be successful off the field, too.
In today’s article, Coach Lotief stresses:
“DREAM BIG! Do not limit”your potential because of how others see you or what labels they place on you.
If you dare greatly, strive valiantly and pursue excellence, then you can achieve your own expectations. “
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Have you ever been to a circus?
The elephants are restrained by a small rope that is tied to the ankle of their front leg. No chains, no cages. It is obvious that the elephants could break away at any time.
So why do they just stand there?
Truth be known, when they are very young and much smaller, a small rope is used to tie them up and as they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away as long as that rope is tied around their leg.
They believe that the rope is what holds them back; they do not even try to escape!
As they get bigger and stronger, instead of realizing their talents and chasing after their potential by using their strength and size, they are stuck in the same thought pattern they had when they were babies.
They are held captives by their own limiting beliefs.
How many of us cannot break away from the limiting beliefs of our minds that are like the rope around the leg of the elephant?
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something?
All too often, we are satisfied and never challenge ourselves to achieve more. We are stuck and accept the status quo. We believe that because we failed at something once before then, therefore ,we must not be good at it?
How many of us are being held back by self-limiting beliefs that are not in line with our God-given potential?
In other words, we have the ability, we have the talent and we are willing to put in the hours, yet we refuse to DREAM BIG or take the appropriate risks because we are scared to fail!
Or because we do not SEE ourselves performing at the highest level.
Have you avoided “setting a lofty goal” because of a limiting belief? How many of us are being held back by someone else’s limiting beliefs or somebody’s small rope tied around our ankle?
Sometimes, we are conditioned by friends and family to not take risks. How many have heard, “You can’t do that?”
These people are “DREAM STEALERS” or “NAYSAYERS” who—due to their own limiting beliefs—attempt to discourage you from DREAMING BIG and chasing your potential.
One of my favorite quotes is appropriate here (by former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt):
Here is the key part I want to emphasize:
“The credit belongs to the man (woman) who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions, and spends himself (herself) in a worthy cause, and who, if he (she) fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his (her) place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
To me, the great lessons of Roosevelt are these:
- Give your BEST EFFORT always to a worthy cause, no matter what the outcome
- Be resilient by accepting responsibility (without excuses) and keep at it, each time with the goal of learning and getting better and better.
From every disappointment, we learn. Every experience, teaches.
If we are resilient then we can redouble our efforts and we can find ways to figure out solutions.
In athletics, we understand that success is not the ultimate reward. There are a lot of people who work incredibly hard and never “make it.”
What is important, above all, is being in the arena; to be doing something worthwhile!
Softball creates an artificial environment (it’s a game, after all); however, the adversity you face is real. The emotions you experience are incredibly real and the choices you are forced to make and the discipline/devotion you must have are very real.
Softball is a challenging personal adventure. It gives players an opportunity to demonstrate who they are and, the first thing I want them to do, is remove the ropes from their ankles and remove all excuses from their vocabulary.
Players must realize that they are on a journey to chase after their potential, to dream big and take risks. Your capacity to take risks is the best measure of your commitment to give your best.
Take risks, dare greatly and strive valiantly for excellence! Make sure your causes are worthy. Never let outcomes be the measure of your enthusiasm and devotion. Find purpose in your journey.
How many times do you hear the same tired excuses of why you cannot achieve something? It has been said that an excuse is nothing more than a lie wrapped in the skin of reason.
There are 101 excuses why not to dream big—some of them are:
- “I am not big enough/fast enough/strong enough.”
- “I have never won a championship before.”
- “There are other things that are more important.”
- “I have too many things on my plate.”
- “It takes too much time/work/effort to do something extraordinary.”
In reality, we need to understand that these are nothing more than just excuses.
We all have time to do what is important to us. Rather than making excuses, we need to realize that a champion always finds a way. On a good team, part of our responsibility is to hold each other accountable.
- A good teammate, a good coach or a good parent disallows excuses.
- A good teammate does not allow herself nor her fellow teammate to have self-limiting beliefs.
We are accountable for the things we do or do not do.
Period.
Additionally, just like the elephant, too many players have the wrong mindset. A lot of kids “just want to play (participate in the sport).”
To me, there is a huge difference between the kid who just wants to play and the player who is committed to accomplishing and achieving his/her potential and the team’s potential to be the best.
How do you get players to go from the mindset of “I just want to play” to thinking about “I want to be the best and I want to help my team achieve excellence?”
How do you challenge kids who under-perform and always rationalize in their minds that is “OK” or who readily say, “Well, I tried my best” when, in fact, it is no way near their best?
They have a rope around their ankles and they are limiting themselves by their very own small-minded vision of their own talents and potential (just like the elephant).
How do you get players to see themselves as bigger/stronger/faster? How do you get players to see the big picture of investing their talents into the team?
The first thing that must happen is “removing the rope from their ankles!”
Challenge your own limiting beliefs by questioning them. Once you begin to question a limiting belief, you automatically start to weaken it.
Put yourself in an environment where there is a support structure in place that challenges you to become the best you can be. You must want to be pushed and challenged.
You should crave being in a program that demands your best effort, that requires you to go the extra mile and do more than just the ordinary.
You should be around people who are chasing excellence rather than who are in their comfort zone and satisfied with mediocrity.
Seek out people who have accomplished what you want to accomplish. Discover what they did and model their behavior and adopt their mindsets.
Remember back to times in your past when you were successful and use that experience to propel yourself forward.
Do not be like the elephant and be undermined by your own limiting beliefs!
Break free of your mental limitations that are no more than “tiny, little bitty ropes” holding back your powerful & mighty mindset. Play free with no self-limitations. Visualize your successes. See yourself vividly in your minds-eye reaching your goals.
Affirm, over and over, that you are succeeding. Write your affirmations daily. Of course, make sure you take the appropriate action.
Remember that your subconscious mind does not know the difference between real and imaginary. See and feel the success. You will be pleasantly amazed at the results!
Whatever you believe, with conviction, you can achieve.
Don’t be like the poor elephant and go through your life stuck because of a limiting belief you were given or developed years ago. Take charge of your life and live it to the fullest.
It takes strength to take responsibility. It takes character to accept your best was eclipsed by your opponent. When you accept responsibility, the relevant question is:
“What can we do to get better?”
— Michael P. Lotief
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About the Author
Mike Lotief coached 17 successful years as either the head softball coach or co-head softball coach with his wife Stefni Whitton Lotief at the University of Louisiana from 2002-2017 with an overall coaching record of 731-176 (80.6 winning percentage). Every season, the Ragin Cajuns softball team advanced to the NCAA tournament and also advanced to three (3) Women’s College World Series (2003, 2008, 2014) and from 2012-2016 advanced to five (5) straight NCAA Super Regionals. Coach Lotief produced over 40 All American selections and his 2017 team lead the nation in scoring and was ranked in the Top 10 in home runs, slugging percentage, on base percentage.
The coach is a cancer survivor (twice) and was the first person in the U.S. to receive the Pro Trach device. Mike and Stefni spearheaded and raised the funding to build the new softball stadium in 2009 and the new softball indoor hitting facility in 2015. They are proud parents to Chelsea, who played softball and graduated from the Univ. of Louisiana in 2018, and Andrew, who is a junior at Louisiana studying Mechanical Engineering.
Previous Articles in this Series
- Training Insights: “Swing Attractors” by Coach Mike Lotief… Pelvis Loading, Part 1—It’s All in the Hips (or Somewhere Deep Below)
- The Mental Swing Attractors: Champions are Developed by Devotion & Discipline! (Oct. 2021)
- Training Expertise: “Swing Attractors”… the Secrets of Power Hitting by Coach Mike Lotief (Oct. 19, 2021)
More About Mike Lotief
- Why Michael Lotief is a Legendary Coach? by Jay Patel
- The Secret To Michael Lotief’s Success. By Jay Patel
- Michael Lotief Fights for Rajin’ Cajuns by Graham Hays ESPN
- Michael Lotief: Taking His Sport to New Heights by Neha Kapoor
- For the Love of the Game: A Look at Ragin’ Cajun Softball’s Power Couple
- How Louisiana-Lafayette’s Michael Lotief Develops Hitting Gems by Graham Hays ESPN