The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz has a big following. The fourth, “Always do your best,” resonates for many. Coaches help players and teams build character and competence.
The second section of Colin Powell’s book It Worked for Me, starts with a chapter, “Always Do Your Best, Someone Is Watching.”
One pundit said he noticed a kid shooting repeatedly half an hour before summer camp activities started. The kid turned out to be Steph Curry. As Bill Walsh wrote, “Champions behave like champions before they are.”
The best take pride in their preparation, not just performance. When you give your best, it limits regret. Regret stays with us.
How many times in our lives has opportunity arisen because someone saw us giving our best and intervened to help? It doesn’t matter whether their motive was altruism or self-interest. It’s satisfying to have the resourcefulness to pull yourself up by the bootstraps. It’s another to be gifted boots.
Reflect on the many tryouts you’ve attended or supervised.
- Finding the “It Girl,” the player who has “It.”
- Seeing a spark that intrigues you.
- Spotting untapped potential in a youngster with athleticism, size, and skill.
Remember the story of Naomi, the little sixth grader who came up to me two minutes before tryouts and said, “Coach, I am really excited to be here.” Isn’t that the point?
Summary:
- “Always do your best. Someone is watching.”
- “Every day is showtime.”
- “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Lagniappe. Some lists need periodic sharing. Kobe’s inhabits that.
KOBE BRYANT’S 10 RULES:
1 Get better every day
2 Prove them wrong
3 Work on your weaknesses
4 Execute what you practiced
5 Learn from greatness
6 Learn from wins and losses
7 Practice mindfulness
8 Be ambitious
9 Believe in your team
10 Learn storytelling pic.twitter.com/FyW09L7Hjl— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) May 28, 2026