How Do I Become Consistent?

As the head wrestling coach at Mizzou, I’ve been able to coach some incredible men. 

After they graduate, I hope they continue to live Tiger Style. I write this newsletter to give you the tools to help your team do the same. 

Today’s won’t be too different, but with Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I thought I’d start out by sharing what I’m thankful for.

It starts with family — as my children grow up, I get less and less time with them, but when I do get to see them, I cherish that time. Whether I go up to NYC to see my daughter or down to Florida to see my oldest son, it’s always special. I’m thankful to have my youngest working at Mizzou, and I enjoy the time we get together.

Lastly, I’m so thankful for the love and support that my wife Denise gives to me and to my job — she is amazing.

Now onto today’s topic: I want to talk about consistency. 

Q: How do I build consistency in my day to day?

You can’t ensure you’ll have a great day every day, but you can put measures into place to give yourself a better chance. The truth for me?

My days are won (or lost) before 8:30 a.m.

I believe my first two hours of every day determine the success of the next eight. I made an effort to prioritize success in the mornings years ago, and I don’t plan on stopping.

Here’s what my morning usually looks like:

5:00 — Wake up, get the coffee on
5:15 — Listen to a homily on the Hallow app.
5:30 — Pray for others
5:45 — Read
6:15 — Walk to work, audiobook going.
6:30 — Run and get some sort of workout in

Then it’s time for practice. Some days 7:15, some days a bit later.

Then it’s a full day of work: recruiting, admin, emails, calls, watching film, strategizing with my other coaches, prepping for the matches ahead.  

Team lift at 3:30, then the day wraps up after that.

The power in the first two hours

If I don’t get those first two hours right, I’m not sharp, I’m not present, and I feel behind before I even start. 

People ask, “Do you really do that every day?” I tell them I have to. It’s not even discipline anymore — it’s just who I am after years and years of doing it.

If I skip prayer, or don’t read, or miss that workout, I feel off. I notice it in how I coach. How I listen. How I lead. And I think the people around me notice it too. I’m certain they’d notice if I quit prioritizing my mornings.

That’s the thing about habits. At first, they’re hard. You don’t always feel like doing them. But if you stay with it, they become part of you. Eventually, not doing them feels harder than doing them.

So if you’re starting something new, don’t worry about being perfect. Just be consistent. Build something small that makes you just a little bit better, and keep doing it. 

My advice? Win the morning. 

Not every day will go your way, but if you get the early hours right, you’ll be ready for whatever comes.

Bring Tiger Style To Your Team

I speak to organizations across the country about culture, attitude, and teamwork, sharing the principles of Tiger Style and how they can transform performance on and off the mat.

If you’d like me to speak at your organization or event, you can connect with me below.