To say I grew up in a basketball family is a bit of an understatement. My dad was a high school boys’ basketball coach, teaching and coaching at the same school for 40+ years, and my mom, in her own right, coached many girls’ teams at the elementary school my brothers and sister and I attended. I spent my summers as a little girl hanging out in gyms and keeping stats for my dad’s summer league teams. My oldest brother found a crazy passion for the game early on, and I remember him shooting free throws in our driveway for hours on end. He defined the disposition of perseverance that is shared in Chapter 11 of Onward. The fog would roll in and the wind would pick up and there he would be…still shooting free-throws on the slightly slanted driveway at the hoop attached to the front of our house.
And growing up in the Bay Area made us Golden State Warriors fans. My brother had Rick Barry posters all over his room, and I have many memories of following them back in the Chris Mullin days. So you bet when my oldest son asked for a Steph Curry jersey a few years back, I bought him one. And lately with their success has come a spotlight on what has made them so successful. This video from a post-game interview talks about their core values: joy, mindfulness, compassion and competition. Watching these athletes at the top of their game valuing joy above all else is inspiring. It’s almost as if they are channeling the little boy inside them that also shot free throws for hours on end. And it is no surprise that mindfulness and compassion also have entire chapters in Onward devoted to them. The Warriors got it right.
Hopefully you have done the core values activity in The Onward Workbook. If not, definitely start there! But equally important is to look at what your organization’s core values are. How are they setting the foundation for the work that needs to be done? Do they align with and compliment your personal core values? Take some time to explore core values as they are essential to knowing yourself. Find more resources for knowing yourself in chapter 1 of Onward and The Onward Workbook.
Share your core values in the comments below. As we continue to build our Onward community, it will be fun to see how all our core values connect us!