Don’t Cheat the Work! by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

Many people think that when professional athletes “make it”, they lose some of their hunger and drive. When they are considered one of the greatest of all time in their sport…who could blame them for coasting? They have the fame, the glory, and the contract. 

 

Koby Bryant is widely considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time. He has earned 5 NBA championships, played in 18 all-star games, and even won an Oscar. His victories were not won on the court during the game as much as they were forged in his mind and his relentless dedication to becoming an elite athlete. 

 

While natural born abilities play a role in someone’s success, Kobe’s motto was “Hard work outweighs talent, every time.” (He was known for beginning his workouts at 4 am…not only early in his career, but throughout his entire career.  

  

What does it take to be the very best athlete and leader?

Koby Bryant’s speech in 2016 at an awards ceremony, was addressed to all athletes. He said, “we are not on this stage just because of talent or ability. We’re up here because of 4am. We’re up here at 2am or 5 am. We’re up here because we had a dream and let nothing stand in our way.” We're up here because we had a dream and let nothing stand in our way. If anything tried to bring us down , we used it to make us stronger. We were never satisfied, never finished. We will never be retired.”

 

What are the questions you need to ask yourself?

 

What is your dream or goal?

 

What are the steps “you” have to take to get there?

 

How to become your best self!

 

What are you passionate about?

(Purpose and meaning: Passion and purpose)

 

Once you know what your dream or goal is you have to follow the necessary steps to obtain it!

 

Model yourself on the great ones!

Persevere no matter what your obstacles are!

What do you have to do to be excellent or elite?

 

Darren Hardy said, Bryant’s Message was:" No matter how talented you are, you can’t cheat the work." “Bryant was an obsessive athlete. He’d work out at 4am. He trained three times as much or more than others. “He had a ruthlessly competitive mindset. He was the perfect example of what happens when elite talent and work ethic come together.”

 

Darren Hardy: "The lesson here is how to “become your best self and whatever your craft, you can’t cheat the work. There is a process to becoming great at anything. It requires time, attention, and discipline. It demands unreasonable commitment. It’s not for the Nandi Pandey or the faint at heart. There is no shortcut to the top of a mountain. What does it mean to not cheat the work and how do you ensure that you don’t?" 

 

A few thoughts:

“No.1 The Choice”

 

We build a life by the choices we make!

 

What do you have to do to be excellent or elite? Raise the bar on leadership!

 

" Alabama Coach Nick Saban talked about the five choices you have in life.  1)You know, we can be bad at what we do.

2)We can be average at what we do.

3) We can be good at what we do, which probably is God’s expectation for whatever ability he gives us.

4)  Or we can be excellent or

5)  we can be elite. “

 

"It doesn’t matter what God given ability you have, that probably will make you good. But without the rest of it I’m not sure you ever get excellent or elite."

 

1)“If you want to be excellent or elite, you have to do special things. 

 

You have to have special intensity, focus, commitment, drive, and passion to do the things at a high level and a high standard all the time.

 

No matter what God given ability you have, that can probably make you good, but without the rest of it, you’ll never get to be excellent or elite.”

 

2) "Never done. Always better."

 

Georgia Football Coach Smart’s Challenge:

 

“A Coach Saban protégée has won back to back Championships at UGA. He knows the Bulldog’s biggest opponent in 2023 wouldn’t be another team; it would be entitlement the next morning after winning the second consecutive national championship.”

 

Coach Kirby Smart said “Start thinking about the next one. I do think it’s going to be much tougher. And I think we’ll have to reinvent ourselves next year because you can’t just stay the same.”

 “The disease that creeps into your program is called entitlement. It is why great organizations fail.”

 

When Leadership Fails:

 Darren Hardy says, “88% of Fortune 500 companies in 1955 are no longer around. They are no longer in business or have been acquired. 88% in recent history.”

 

Why does leadership Fail?

“Entitlement destroys them. Complacency is the enemy. Numerous examples of great companies have gone bankrupt. Blockbuster, Polaroid, Borders, Kodak, Circuit City, Radio Shack, Toys R Us, Lehman Brothers, Compaq, Arthur Anderson, and many others.

 

All of them reached championship level of success but then eventually failed.”

 

Challenge to Leaders:

 

Coach Smart challenged his players:

1)    "Stay hungry, stay humble, always improve, never above the work, no entitlement."

"His message to his team was simple and powerful." 

  “We stay hungry, we stay humble. We can always improve. We’re never above doing the work, we’re never entitled to success. Human nature assumes success will continue, but that’s not the case. Everything must be earned all the time. Once you make a choice to do the work required to be successful , you must have the humility to know nothing is ever owned or guaranteed.”

 

What are a few areas in your life that you are constantly hungry to improve? Is it your physical condition or energy? Is it your finances? Is it being the best spouse and/or parent you can be?

 

No. 2 Consistency

 

This is where the rubber meets the road. It’s what separates the good from the great and the great from the elite. The invisible thread binds all high performers in sports , business, or any endeavor in life. It is the one thing that can’t be compromised. Koby Bryant knew this all along. Imagine shooting 1000 free throws a day rain or shine. Imagine hitting the gym at 4am while the rest of the world sleeps. Imagine studying game films late into the night to better understand your opponent’s tactics. That’s consistency. It’s doing what needs to be done day in day out regardless of how you feel, how many championships you’ve already won.

 

 It is not about motivation, it’s about discipline.

 

Koby Bryant understood the power of consistency! He understood that small seemingly insignificant choices made over time lead to a significant difference in one’s performance.

 

Let’s take an example from the business world. Let’s say you commit to making 5 extra calls each day. On its own it doesn't seem like much. Do the math. That’s 25 extra calls a week, a 100 a month, and 1200 a year. Imagine how those extra calls can impact your business over a year or 5 years. It’s a game changer. But it all starts with a Choice to be Consistent.

 

Darren Hardy says, "Consistency isn’t glamorous, it doesn’t make headlines, but it is the backbone of success. It’s the secret sauce that all high performers understand and apply. They don’t seek the quick fix or the shortcut. They understand that success is a marathon, not a sprint. And the only way to get to the finish line is to keep putting one foot in front of the other consistently. Remember it is not about being perfect; it’s about being consistent. It’s about showing up day after day, doing the work, whether you feel like it or not because that’s what champions do.”

 

He continues, “They don’t let their feelings dictate their actions. They let their commitment to their goals dictate their actions. They remain consistent. And that, is the true essence of the Mamba mentality. Mamba mind set."

 

Darren Hardy says,  "If you take nothing else away from this . No matter how good you are, no matter how talented you are, no matter how much you have achieved, you can’t cheat the work in sports, in business and in life. "Nothing is guaranteed. Consistency- Doing what needs to be done. Stay consistent. Don’t cheat the work!”

 

"Everything must be earned all the time.”  

 

What have you done in your life (or are doing currently) that involves tedious work and dedication? You may not see immediate results, but you are building the foundation for the results. A skyscraper is not erected 6 hours after the footings were poured. They have to cure to build up the strength necessary to support the structure. Timing is crucial as well as drive. Sometimes the most effective skill you need to possess is patience. 

 

In whatever work you do whether it is being an athlete, leader, teacher, doctor, scientist, sales person…the right choices must be made. The discipline and work ethic must be in place to follow the steps in your success plan. You can’t cheat the work and the steps to get there!

 

 

 

 

Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Business”. Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a speaker or virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

How Can you help others and Yourself too? by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

Lisa Rabasca-Roepe in her Feb. 17, 2024 article, “Volunteering Can Combat Loneliness and Boost Your Mental Health” (Success Magazine) says there are “5 things to consider before volunteering to help your mental health”: 

 

She says, “Volunteer work should speak to something you enjoy doing. 

  1.Make sure it sparks joy.”  What gives you the greatest joy?                 

 

  2. “Set an easy achievable goal.”

 

A large number of people think of donating during the holiday season, but most people enjoy eating year-round. There are opportunities to volunteer throughout the year. Whether you decide to volunteer with your family to feed the homeless at a local Church or Synagogue, pack lunches at a local Childhood Hunger Center set a goal that works for you!

  3. “Your volunteer work can be a one-time event.”

Purchasing pies to feed the homeless at the local center or donating other foods needed. Helping at the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

 

 4. “Volunteer for the right reasons.” 

 If you are asked to volunteer at a soup kitchen over the holidays to serve meals to the homeless that’s alright, but if you are asked to volunteer at a restaurant to help them out that’s not alright!

 

5. “It’s ok to set boundaries.”

 

Lisa Rabasca-Roepe says, “Be clear about the personal boundaries that you need to put in place so that you can serve in a way that makes a difference to the organization and that is sustainable.  Avoid making volunteering another obligation or task on your to-do list.”

One way to identify a worthy cause or causes is to choose something meaningful to you. The other way is to identify an enemy. What gets your blood boiling?

 

·       Childhood hunger and nutrition ignorance

·       Addiction

·       Mental illness

·       Human trafficking

·       Obesity

·       Domestic abuse

·       Illiteracy

 

 

My husband's Rotary Club volunteered to prepare and pack meals for the children in the local public schools. 60-80% of children in the public schools receive free and reduced-price meals. 

As someone who has worked in education for years, I know that when stomachs are empty, it becomes hard to fill the mind. 

We began our adventure at the center at 5:15 pm on Jan. 10, 2024. My husband and I joined 6 members of his civics club and a family of 4, Mom and Dad and their elementary age children 8 and 9 years old. The requirement to volunteer is to be at least 8 years old.

 

We volunteered to work on an assembly line to make up meals for the hungry kids in the public schools.

 

The head Supervisor showed us a short video and then taught each person on the assembly line how to add 1 item and how to place each item in the gallon zip lock bag so it would fit. 12 persons were on the assembly line and 12 items were put in each bag.

 

·      Eight of us were from a Rotary Club and a family of 4, two parents and their elementary aged children filled out the assembly line. 

 

People worked together in a happy manner wanting to help others.

Some of the Items for each gallon zip lock bag were Spaghetti O’s, chocolate milk, mango juice, apple sauce, strawberry yogurt or fruit cup, trail mix, snack bags….

 

We were united by a Common Purpose: To help others. (Common mission and vision)

·       Well organized

·       Pleasant atmosphere to work

·       People smiled and were appreciative of the help to put meals together for children in the free meals program at the local public schools.

·       Everyone spoke in a pleasing voice. Smiling and encouraging others as we placed our item in the bag and slid it to the next person.

·       Encouraging and motivating atmosphere. While working supervisors went around and said what a good job you’re doing!

·       360-degree experience.

 

 The supervisor, with a smile on her face, proudly announced at 7:10pm that our group of volunteers had assembled 645 lunch bags for the children. She was very proud of our work! She took a picture of our smiling faces.

 

 Helping others is a wonderful feeling and makes me smile!

Volunteer for a cause you believe in. Try it once.

Help others that are less fortunate. Challenge yourself to find something you passionately care about. What are your needs? Why?

Whatever your cause is, smile more!

 

Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Business”. Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a speaker or virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com

 

Accountability by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

Are you accountable for your actions?

When you make a promise do you keep it?

 

What does accountability mean? 

 

Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 says, “Accountability is the state of being liable to answer for one’s conduct; to receive reward or punishment for actions.” Accountability means you can be counted on. You are dependable, honest, trustworthy, and you won’t let your company, your family, your friends, your teachers, or your mentors down. You can be relied on!

 

Webster's Dictionary says Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one's actions.

 

Are you passionate about being accountable? 

 

When you are accountable you stick to the agreement or promise and keep it! 

 

President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk at the White House that said, “The buck stops here.” that served as a reminder to himself and others that as a leader, you must accept responsibility for your actions.

 

In his farewell address to the American people, President Truman said, “The President-whoever he is- has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.”

 

President Truman was saying a leader, a President, must take responsibility for his or her actions and be accountable for them. A leader does not pass the blame on to someone else.

 

Do you want your employees to work as a team and be responsible and accountable for their areas of expertise? Of course, you do!

 

Geri Stevens had a passion for jury duty. She was the head of jury selections in the judiciary department for the city of San Diego. Every Monday she would address a new group of potential jurors, reminding them of the special place they had in our justice system and would review their responsibilities.

 

The majority of people who receive a jury summons immediately begin to think of what they can do to get out of it. It is not a happy place to be!

 

Geri finally convinced John Maxwell to attend one of her jury orientation sessions, and he was beyond surprised by the experience.

 

 

Maxwell recalls Geri standing before her unreceptive audience with an air of excitement and said, “This will be one of the most wonderful weeks of your lives.”

 

He said, That got everybody’s attention.

 

She proceeded to express her passion “about the greatness of America and the right of each citizen to have a fair trial. She explained to the jurors how their decisions would make a difference and that they were examples of why America is a nation coveted and admired by others. At the close of her 45-minute inspiring talk, the potential jurors gave her a standing ovation!”

 

Geri Stevens’ passion for America transferred to the prospective jurors. They were transformed from an uninterested group of citizens, serving their civic duty to an inspired group of Californians who looked “forward to being selected to serve on a jury.”

 

Jerry Steven’s was asking her prospective jurors if they could be counted on? 

 

How often do you make a promise? Do you keep your promises?

 

Professor William Lincer, my teacher and mentor at the Juilliard School, asked me to promise, before he died on July 31, 1997 that I would contact two of the greatest thinkers on the brain in the 20th Century and have a dialogue with them. The two men were Dr. Gerald Edelman and Dr. Oliver Sacks, medical doctors, researchers, scientists, and lifelong musicians.

 

Dr. Oliver Sacks was a physician specializing in neurology. He was an author of many books including “Awakenings”, “Musicophilia” and Professor of Neurology at NYU School of Medicine. 

 

Professor Lincer during my studies with him at the Juilliard School introduced me to many of Dr. Sacks’ books. I enjoyed reading and studying them. I sent a letter to Dr. Sacks after Professor Lincer had passed away and included an article on my research for my new book, “The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music”. I asked Dr. Sacks several important questions about students coping with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain cancers, Parkinson’s, and neurological diseases. 

 

On December 31, 1997, Dr. Sacks wrote to me saying he was “just now making a New Year’s resolution to try and answer all delinquent mail by midnight!”

 

He said, “You bring up far too many deep questions and issues for me to have ready answers to! I take the liberty of enclosing a paper from a conference we had at the inauguration of the Institute for Music & Neurological Function at Beth Abraham Hospital in 1994. I have been very much for music and music therapy, as you know, ever since I first encountered my Awakening patients in 1966”.

 

The article Dr. Sacks sent me was about an elderly patient who had broken her hip. She had had an operation to repair her hip and had physical therapy and yet she was unable to walk. The MRI said the hip had not been repaired. 

 

Dr. Sacks asked the patient If she had moved her hip recently. She responded that she had kept time to the music at a Christmas concert by moving her leg in time to a dance piece. Dr. Sacks had a music therapist play dance music for the patient to move to in dance motions to the rhythm of the music. After a month she was able to walk once more. 

 

Dr. Sacks began studying the piano as a small child and has continued playing throughout his life. He says “music has been the profoundest non-chemical medication for our patients. What we see, fundamentally, is the power of music to organize-and do this efficiently as well as joyfully, when abstract or schematic forms of organization fail.”

 

In other words, music helps keep the neurons in your brain firing and working together. Playing an instrument engages both sides of the brain. The brain is a “use it or lose it” part of your body. 

 

Dr. Sacks had another patient suffering from severe Alzheimer’s. The patient responded to ballroom music by taking his wife in his arms and looking into her eyes and dancing with her.

 

One of his patients had a stroke and could no longer walk or talk. Dr. Sacks brought in an accordionist who played a familiar song, and the patient started to sing the song with him. Music has the power to stimulate memory. “Memory,” says Dr. Sacks, “is the key to a sense of self. Music evokes emotion and emotion can bring its memory.” 

 

Dr. Oliver Sacks’ Legacy: 

 

Dr. Oliver Sacks leaves a legacy of case studies of his patients observing their uniqueness. He cared so much to help others and teach them that their affliction made them unique. Dr. Sacks said, “I am a storyteller, for better and for worse. I suspect that a feeling for stories, for narrative, is a universal human disposition, going with our powers of language, consciousness of self, and autobiographical memory.” 

 

Dr. Oliver Sacks also said, “In examining disease, we gain wisdom about anatomy and physiology and biology. In examining the person with disease, we gain wisdom about life. If we wish to know about a man, we ask 'what is his story--his real, inmost story?'--for each of us is a biography, a story. Each of us is a singular narrative, which is constructed, continually, unconsciously, by, through, and in us--through our perceptions, our feelings, our thoughts, our actions; and, not least, our discourse, our spoken narrations. Biologically, physiologically, we are not so different from each other; historically, as narratives--we are each of us unique.” ― Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

 

Dr. Gerald Edelman was a physician, 1972 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology /medicine for immunology, neuroscientist for his theory of the brain- “Neural Darwinism”, professor, researcher, author, and musician. His interest was in “how the brain works”. Dr. Edelman began playing the violin as a young boy and thought about being a concert violinist. Throughout his life Dr. Edelman has continued to play his violin. 

 

Professor Lincer during my studies with him at the Juilliard School introduced me to Dr. Edelman’s book “Brilliant Air, Brilliant Fire: On The Matter Of The Mind” and his articles. I was fascinated as I read and studied them. Professor Lincer said, “Dr. Gerald Edelman is the most brilliant mind of this century.”

 

I sent a letter to Dr. Edelman after Professor Lincer passed away about the research Professor Lincer and I had done on how music stimulates the brain to promote scholastic excellence. Included was an article Professor Lincer and I had worked on together and my research on a study done on a Virginia public middle school of economically deprived students taking string and band classes and monitoring their grades throughout the school year. 

 

My conversations with these brilliant men were part of the inspiration for my best selling book, “The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music”. 

 

I asked Dr. Edelman several important questions about students coping with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain cancers, Parkinson’s, and neurological diseases. 

 

On September 15, 1997, Dr. Edelman wrote back “I was sad that Professor Lincer died. He was a superb musician and broad ranging spirit.” He went on to say, “Your enterprise using musical training to enhance the scholastic performance of deprived children is a noble one. Unfortunately, there are at present no firm grounds for answering your medically directed questions. Before looking at patients with various disorders, a sound database on normal subjects will have to be collected. …..A few of my colleagues at Neurosciences Institute are beginning to look into these problems but I’m afraid it will be some time before satisfactory answers are forthcoming.”                 

 

Dr. Edelman at the end of his letter said, “You have tapped into some very important issues and your questions are well placed. In any event, your observational data should make a real contribution to the fields of music and education in general.”  

 

Dr. Gerald Edelman’s Theory of “Neural Darwinism” as a musical metaphor:

 

Dr. Gerald Edelman said: “Think: if you had a hundred thousand wires randomly connecting four string quartet players and that, even though they weren’t speaking words, signals were going back and forth in all kinds of hidden ways [as you usually get them by the subtle nonverbal interactions between the players] that make the whole set of sounds a unified ensemble. That’s how the maps of the brain work by reentry. The players are connected. Each player, interpreting the music individually, constantly modulates and is modulated by the others. There is no final or “master” interpretation; the music is collectively created, and every performance is unique.”

 

 

I treasure both Dr. Edelman’s letter and Dr. Sacks’ letter and they are in frames above my desk as an on going inspiration to me to keep asking questions and try to help others every day.

 

What 3 promises will you make to yourself?

      1) Beginning today I will make a promise to stretch my abilities by reading a book, listening to an audio or video by an expert, or taking a course. Write down the date you make the promise (month, date, & year), and the date the promise will be completed. (Month, date, & year)

        2) By the end of the month I promise to_________. By the end of 6 months I promise to ________. Write down the date you make the promise (month, date, & year), and the date the promise will be completed. (Month, date, & year) 

        3)   Once a week I promise to help someone else reach his or her promise/goal.  

 

 

Place this sheet in front of your computer / workstation so you can remember to work on it each day.  

 

 

During the Civil War, Jeb Stuart signed “his reports to General Robert E. Lee “Yours to count on” (YTCO). He meant it and so should you.

 

 

 Remember it’s never too late to be accountable – make a promise and keep it!

 

 Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Business”. Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a speaker or virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com