Stacy W.

Fueled by faith, coffee, quick wit & inquisitiveness. “The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.” ECU Sport Mgmt prof, & community builder!

[Jacob Tingle @TingleJK]

“Managing and Developing Sports Officials” is here! The book connects research to practice & is useful for sport org admins, ref coordinators, & current refs. Sample chapters include: Building community, Decision-Making, Mentoring, & #MentalHealth. https://t.co/uvc6ZnVowj

[Harvard Business Review @HarvardBiz]

Our brains are programmed to expect the worst. But a few mind hacks can shift your thinking. https://t.co/wdMi6jxXW3

[Stacy W. @Stacy__W]

A very special spring break exchange to Peru https://t.co/Js8heJ4eLf

[Stacy W. @Stacy__W]

@NatalieLSmith In the process of moving from Kinesiology to “Rec sciences and Sport Management”….its a process but we’ve experience a 40% increase in majors as well.

[Stacy W. @Stacy__W]

A great story on the work a colleague is doing!

https://t.co/1928zRaEkp

[Jacob Tingle @TingleJK]

Excited that "The Strength of Community: The Role of Social Support Networks in Sport Officials’ Retention" is online in @JSMjournal. TY to @mattkatz49, @Stacy__W, Brittany Jacobs for being amazing co-authors. #Referee https://t.co/QRpfu6Muas cc: @OffyHuman @TheRefereeForum

[Jacob Tingle @TingleJK]

Grading midterms. In her reflection about revising her short story one international student wrote: “Reading is a gift to the mind, writing is a gift to the soul.” This is beautiful. I think the kids are gonna be alright. #Teaching #Learning

[Harvard Business Review @HarvardBiz]

On average, it takes three times longer to finish a task than we think it will. https://t.co/krVjlWTbSv

[Stacy W. @Stacy__W]

@JerhemeUrban83 @TingleJK @Trinity_U Can’t wait to listen….

[Chipotle @ChipotleTweets]

last minute costume idea for u

[ECU Research @ECUResearch]

Trendsetter awardees are co-hosting a professional development workshop series that will provide participants at all levels of service with the ideas and inspiration for being the next Trendsetter. Join us for one or more of these sessions: https://t.co/4dE5hfojqG

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

Don’t mistake silence for apathy. When people are quiet, they’re often busy thinking and learning.

Extraverts like to process ideas by talking them through. Introverts prefer to reflect before they speak.

I'm not disengaged. I'm listening to your views and formulating mine.

[TeacherGoals @teachergoals]

Do you agree?

[Harvard Business Review @HarvardBiz]

Leaders with good judgment listen for what’s unsaid. They surround themselves with people who will tell them what they need to know — not what they want to hear. And they think carefully about the risks of implementation — even for small projects. https://t.co/CgFgPjj7ES

[Brad Weinstein @WeinsteinEdu]

We must give all people a voice and we must truly listen to them. 🙌

[ESPN @espn]

SOUTHEAST WALKS IT OFF TO ADVANCE TO THE #LLSWS SEMIS 💥

[Jonathan Alsheimer @mr_Alsheimer]

Teachers remember this ❤️

[Billy Oppenheimer @bpoppenheimer]

Days after a quarterfinals loss in the 2010 French Open, Novak Djokovic told his coach, Marián Vajda, that he had decided to quit playing tennis.

He was No. 3 in the world, a grand slam winner, and a favorite to win Wimbledon.

After Djokovic said he was quitting, Vajda asked,

“Why did you start playing this sport?”

Vajda immediately sensed what the problem was:

Djokovic was focusing too much on rankings, records, titles, and external expectations. As a result, Djokovic said, “I was mentally at one very messed up place.”

As Djokovic thought about Vajda’s question, he thought about how many of his earliest childhood memories include his “most beloved toy”—a mini tennis racket and a soft foam ball.

He started playing tennis, answering Vajda’s question, “because I just really loved holding that racket in my hand.”

“Do you still love holding a racket in your hand?” Vajda asked.

Djokovic thought about it for a few seconds, got excited, and said:

“I do. I still love holding a racket in my hand. Whether it’s a grand slam final on center court or just playing around on a public court, I like playing for the sake of playing.”

Vajda nodded, “Well that’s your source. That's what you need to tap into. Put aside rankings and what you want to achieve and what you think others are expecting of you.”

Vajda then suggested that Djokovic take a few weeks off.

Djokovic agreed that he would.

But when he woke up the next morning, Djokovic was dying to hit tennis balls. He went to the courts to play for the sake of playing. “And I never looked back ever since that moment.”

The following season, Djokovic enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in sports history. He won 43 straight matches. He won three Grand Slams, including his first Wimbledon title. And he finished the year as the number one player in the world.

“I started to play freely,” he says of that season. “I became the kid that I was when I started playing.”

Takeaway 1:

There's a word for being like the kid who does something for the sake of doing it:

Autotelic.

From the Greek "auto" (self) & "telos" (end)—an Autotelic is "someone or something that has a purpose in, and not apart from, itself."

As opposed to someone who focuses on rankings, records, titles, and external expectations—for an Autotelic...

”The work is the win,” as Ryan Holiday once told me.

Since you control the effort more than the outcome,

“Ultimately, you have to love doing it,” Ryan said. “You have to get to a place where doing the work is the win and everything else is extra.”

Takeaway 2:

When reading about Autotelics—people who describe their work as play, who simply seem to love what they do—a common mistake is to think that it’s all bliss all the time.

One of my favorite Autotelics is the legendary skateboarder Rodney Mullen, who is in his 50s and still skateboards every day.

“There are days,” Rodney said, “where you don’t want to go out. Or it hurts. Or you’re sore. Or you just suck—you're not making progress, and you feel defeated...But that's the nature of love—it's got hate in there, it's got pain in there. And that’s what draws you in, that's the magnetism.”

At one point during the recent Wimbledon final, Djokovic angrily smashed and shattered his racket. And after losing the match, he admitted that it will take him a while to get over the loss.

That’s the nature of love—it’s got hate in there, it’s got pain in there.

- - -

“I see people with talent, with all those things, but the one thing they don't have is just that love for doing it for the sake of it.” — Rodney Mullen

Follow @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!

[Nichole Wischoff @NWischoff]

Over 8 yrs ago someone singlehandedly pulled me out of poverty. Knew him because I trained with his wife who is a professional athlete. He was leading a group at Citi and I desperately wanted to be an analyst. Didnt have the resume for a fancy banking job but grew up in public housing and the job was to help finance affordable housing projects. He called me and said “I will not get this job for you. However I will refer you and teach you whatever I can”.

I got the job. It moved me out to SF which completely changed the trajectory of my life. One year in I received my first big analyst bonus. $20,000. I couldnt believe it. I felt ashamed. That was so much money. I messaged him and asked if they would take it back. This was his response. I read this often.

[Stacy W. @Stacy__W]

@ashleyweingartz @LLSBWorldSeries @womeninturfteam You in town? I was at Elm St. this AM playing pickle-ball! Probably just missed you!!