Those Who Know August 4, 2025

Those Who Know

August 4, 2025

This morning’s reflection is about knowing—and not knowing.

In the world of mental performance, those who know have one clear advantage: they understand the difference between what they can control and what they can’t. That awareness is the foundation of true mental toughness. Because if you can’t control yourself, how can you ever control your performance?

I learned that from one of my greatest mentors, Dr. Ken Ravizza—the man who wrote Heads Up Baseball, a book that changed my life as a young athlete chasing pro ball. He taught me that at the center of your being is a circle of control, and inside that circle are four things:

• Your attitude

• Your effort

• Your kindness

• Your gratitude

You get to choose your response. You get to decide if you’ll show up bitter or better. And I’ve learned through decades of teaching, coaching, and loving people that gentleness is not weakness—it’s a strength. As Leo Buscaglia once wrote:

“It is the weak who are cruel. Gentleness and kindness can only be expected from the strong.”

That quote shaped my life. In special ed classrooms, in gyms, in moments of chaos or misunderstanding, I’ve always come back to it. Because when you move through the world gently, kindness follows—and kindness reveals a world of beauty and grace.

Still, there are people who think they know you… but they don’t. There are those who don’t know you… and never will. And there are some who truly do know—the ones who’ve walked with you, seen the consistency, the character, the core.

And that’s enough.

Because at the end of the day, mental performance isn’t about proving anything to anyone. It’s about living by principle. About renewing your mind. About knowing your assignment and walking with vision.

There’s a reason Scripture says:

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Vision is the beginning of greatness. And when you have vision, you can choose your mindset. When you choose your mindset, you establish your standards. And discipline—well, that decides your direction.

Nick Saban puts it best:

“I just need the right players on the bus, and the wrong ones off. Then make sure they’re in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.”

So today, I’m walking with vision. I’m walking in alignment. And I’m remembering this truth:

If I can’t control myself, I’ll never control my performance.

Let’s all remember to master the controllables: our attitude, our effort, our kindness, and our gratitude—even when the circumstances stink.