The Power of Encouragement

As coaches, we know that in order to achieve success on any team, there needs to be an element of encouragement amongst our players.  In fact, encouragement is so important that it should never cease to be done at any point in our lives.  Positive talk was something that Coach John Wooden stressed with his team and exemplified in his everyday character.  One of my favorite Wooden maxims is, "Nothing can give you greater joy than doing something for another."  As I was working at Walt Disney World today, I witnessed this first hand.  A football team from Lakewood High School, Colorado was in Orlando for a game at ESPN Wide World of Sports.  I first encountered them in the queue line for Tower of Terror where there just so happened to be a crying little girl who didn't want to get on the ride.  She was trying everything in her power to talk her parents out of taking her on the ride, but it just wasn't working.  The parents dragged the crying girl into the elevator and buckled her in with no turning back.  All of a sudden from the queue line I hear loud clapping begin, and shouts of, "Go Emma! You can do it!" start up.  It was the group of football players from Lakewood High School.  They just kept clapping and the more they clapped, the happier Emma became!  What happened next was the coolest thing.  This little girl, Emma, brightened up and put the biggest smile on her face.  Not only did Lakewood's encouragement impact Emma, but it impacted me and many others just standing around. The clapping and cheering from these high school football players encouraged her to go on the ride and have a great time.    Now, I don't know if the coach of this football team stressed things like that within his program, but any coach would've been proud of those players for their positive encouragement to Emma and her family.  Even if those guys were just trying to be funny or if they were just goofing around, they turned a horrifying moment into a lifetime magical memory for this girl just by lifting her spirits up.  I hope that moment will impact those football players for the rest of their lives and I hope that they realize what a little positive encouragement can do for someone else.  Keep that up and it will change your season, or more importantly your life.  "Nothing can give you greater joy that doing something for another."