Pom-Poms and Positive Purpose....

All of us has "cheerleaders" for ourselves and our group of sub-personalities.....but, do your cheerleaders motivate YOU to play at your best, or do the cheers prompt you to boo the other team?

I remember going to Football and Basketball games in High School. As a member of the marching band, we attended the games to provide music for half-time and to accompany the cheerleaders in the "fight songs". The cheerleaders were so peppy....I wondered how those gals ever mustered up the energy to do all shouting and jumping and dancing for hours.

I remember our crowds at games shouting cheers along with our cheer squad, and our band would blare out the "Charge!" tune, our fight songs and other tunes to motivate our teams to play hard and win big. During basketball games, our band would frequently blare our horns and pound the drums with the opposing team was at the free-throw line, hoping the noise would make the opposing team "brick" a shot. Our band would sometimes play the "neener-neener" tune when the other team would miss a shot or if the other team missed a touchdown pass. We would boo the other team if they celebrated a goal, or we would call the referees "blind" if a call was made against our team. If we werere winning, we'd gloat and make it known.....if we were losing, we were sometimes brutal to the other team.

But, on hindsight, you know what I noticed? The cheerleaders themselves NEVER boo'd the other team. They never prompted us to make noise to mess up a free thow, they NEVER prompted us to curse the other team or other coach. They just led cheers to motivate OUR team. When our teams scored, the cheerleaders cheered, if the other team scored, they would just shout "That's alright! Bring it back!". Meanwhile, the rest of us non-cheerleaders would curse, throw things, and do everything short of wishing a lightning strike on the opposing team, just so we would win. All that negative behavior never changed the fact that the other team was focused and playing well. In fact, all our cursing and shouting at the other team took away the important element....cheering on our OWN team.  The cheer squad sometimes told us to be nice, but we were being the die-hard fans that wanted victory just the same, and we continued to boo the other team. In the end, our favorite team, the football team, ended up winning one game of the season, in what was dubbed the "Basement Bowl". One game for the season. Wow. What a disappointment.

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Whether it is martial arts, your career, or whatever other activity you'd like to "win", we all have "cheer squads"....those inner voices that keep us moving toward our goal, those motivating factors that keep us plugging on and going forward. However, be sure to check your attitude at the door! If you're doing well, then celebrate! However don't place blame on other people or make excuses for your shortcomings or perceive failures. Just concentrate on playing well and playing hard! Accept a loss, and learn what you need to do to make the next "game" successful. Remember, each time a losing team gets upset and places blame and animosity toward the the winning team, the losing team just sits there wallowing in "we suck, we need to win next time!", while the other team is back in practice sessions, getting better and perfecting their play.

Let your cheerleaders motivate you, but don't use them as an excuse to blast the other team. Alright, team, get out there and GO!!!

Let me hear you yell Go Go!
                                       
Let me hear you yell Fight Fight!
                                      
Let me hear you yell Win Win!
                                       
Let me hear you yell Go, fight, win!