So it was an incredibly special opportunity for me to return to my alma mater and speak to the Indiana football team. I shared key lessons I learned from Coach Hep that have completely transformed my life. In many ways, Indiana’s current head coach, Tom Allen, reminds me of Coach Hep. His enthusiasm for Indiana football is unparalleled, as is his genuine affection for his players.

Speaking to Indiana Football Highlights

Here are a few key takeaways from my time speaking with the Indiana football team:

No Excuses

As a football program that is not widely regarded as a premier destination for great college football, there must be a deliberate focus on accepting full responsibility for the current situation. The easy thing to do is to play the blame game and make excuses, but that is not how champions operate. To fully advance and change the course of any team, business, or even life, there must be rigor in taking control of the controllables. We all have control over how we show up, prepare, and put forth effort.

Get Better Today

When I first arrived at Indiana University, Coach Hep had ‘GBT’ written on our shirts, shorts, and on the walls of the facility. It is an acronym for Get Better Today. The premise underlying these three words is that the outcome or achievement of an end goal will materialize if we dedicate ourselves to improving and getting better every day. Focusing more on the process than a specific goal is the essence of Get Better Today. It does not imply that we are less committed to achieving the goal; rather, we have shifted our focus to excelling in the steps that are required to be in position to achieve the goal.

Set the Bar High – Then Jump Over It

The phrase “set the bar high and then jump over it” is one of my favorite Coach Hep sayings that I continue to use in my own life. The meaning of this saying emphasizes the significance of establishing high standards and then striving relentlessly to surpass them every day. When I addressed the Indiana football team, I emphasized the necessity of daily commitment to the pursuit of excellence.

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He was the type of leader who made a lasting impression on me after the first meeting for the rest of my life. His energy, enthusiasm and passion to bring out the best in others is what totally reeled me in when the time came for me to decide where I would play college football.

I still get the question all the time: “Why did you choose Indiana when you had the opportunity to go to programs that won championships before?” The reason why I chose Indiana University over other schools is because of the man who made a profound difference in my life, coach Hoeppner.

While I was at Indiana University, I and other members of my football team wore shirts with the letters GBT engraved on the back. This stands for “Get Better Today.” Coach Hep would remind us over and over again that the only thing that truly matters is to capitalize on the opportunity to live another day and promise ourselves to “GBT.” Above all else, if we focused on getting just a little better than the day before and do this daily, over time the results would be substantial.

I still use the GBT method today and speak about it wherever I go. It doesn’t matter the type of work you do. If you do this daily and utilize the GBT concept it can take you to the top and help you become the absolute best at what you do over time.

Something I often see is people seeking instant gratification without putting in the necessary work required. People forget the importance of waking up each morning and focusing solely on maximizing their life for that particular day — not tomorrow, next week or next month, but today. You must do this daily.

Whether you’re an executive, teacher, salesman or stay-at-home mom, you have the opportunity to get better today. Every single day you’re faced with countless obligations and distractions. It’s your job to minimize the things standing in your way preventing you from becoming the best version of yourself and being phenomenal in the game of life.

One of the first decisions you can make is to determine that each day no matter what your circumstances are, the struggles you’re facing or how unhappy you are, you will find ways to get better. Some days will be challenging and will consume all your energy. But if you don’t make a deliberate effort to get better, you won’t.

Make the decision to GBT. Write it down on a Post-it note and place it where you can see it five or six times every day. Pick one area that you want to get better in for that day and write that down, too. Carry it in your wallet or purse and look at it every chance you get.

Over time, your decision to get better every single day will reap tremendous benefits in your life and drastically increase your success rate.

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

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