Above the Line
Today is my dad's birthday. This picture is of us two years ago at the Columbus airport. We celebrated his birthday with lunch at the Max & Erma's there outside the terminals. He was coming home from Corpus Christi and I was on my way to Madrid.
This year for his birthday he sent me a book. That's right: it's his birthday and I got a present!
The book he sent was "Above the Line," by Urban Meyer, head coach of the Ohio State University football team. My dad graduated from Ohio State so I grew up as a fan. And my mom new Meyer's wife Shelley when Shelley was just a kid, so that adds a little something extra to our support of the current team.
In the note my dad sent along with the book he wrote: "It has your word in it."
I thought it was awesome that my dad would hone in on the word "intentional" in this 250 page book. But once I started reading I realized there was no way he could miss it. The word is everywhere! It's practically the basis for the book itself: in order to succeed in life, leadership and on the football field, you have to be intentional.
The title "Above the Line" comes from Meyer's belief that you either operate Above the Line or Below the Line. He defines Above the Line behavior as: intentional, on purpose, and skillful. Below the Line behavior, on the other hand, is impulsive, on autopilot, and resistant.
"On autopilot" is the one that really stood out to me, because I think this is how most of us (myself included) go about our days, from one task to the next, work/television/sleep/repeat, dealing with whatever comes our way. We do a good job, but we don't go "Above the Line" to intentionally excel or make things happen. Meyer says that every day is a battle and we get to choose if we'll live Above the Line or Below the Line.
Which isn't just a lesson that Meyer learned on the football field. He has a strong faith that guides him and, while it isn't in the book, I'm sure that this is something his wife has taught him as well. Shelley was raised by her grandparents because her mom died when Shelley was very young. We all know people who have let past circumstances dictate their future, but Shelley's faith and her commitment to her family show that she isn't one of them. She chooses to live an Above the Line life.
There are lots of things I don't understand in this book. I don't know what wishbone formation is, what it means to load the box, or how to recognize a curl pattern. But I do know who "That Team Up North" is and what it means to be part of a team. This is an excellent book on life and leadership, a reminder that, while we can't always choose what happens to us in life, we can choose how we'll respond, and the way to excel is to respond "Above the Line."
This year for his birthday he sent me a book. That's right: it's his birthday and I got a present!
The book he sent was "Above the Line," by Urban Meyer, head coach of the Ohio State University football team. My dad graduated from Ohio State so I grew up as a fan. And my mom new Meyer's wife Shelley when Shelley was just a kid, so that adds a little something extra to our support of the current team.
In the note my dad sent along with the book he wrote: "It has your word in it."
I thought it was awesome that my dad would hone in on the word "intentional" in this 250 page book. But once I started reading I realized there was no way he could miss it. The word is everywhere! It's practically the basis for the book itself: in order to succeed in life, leadership and on the football field, you have to be intentional.
The title "Above the Line" comes from Meyer's belief that you either operate Above the Line or Below the Line. He defines Above the Line behavior as: intentional, on purpose, and skillful. Below the Line behavior, on the other hand, is impulsive, on autopilot, and resistant.
"On autopilot" is the one that really stood out to me, because I think this is how most of us (myself included) go about our days, from one task to the next, work/television/sleep/repeat, dealing with whatever comes our way. We do a good job, but we don't go "Above the Line" to intentionally excel or make things happen. Meyer says that every day is a battle and we get to choose if we'll live Above the Line or Below the Line.
Which isn't just a lesson that Meyer learned on the football field. He has a strong faith that guides him and, while it isn't in the book, I'm sure that this is something his wife has taught him as well. Shelley was raised by her grandparents because her mom died when Shelley was very young. We all know people who have let past circumstances dictate their future, but Shelley's faith and her commitment to her family show that she isn't one of them. She chooses to live an Above the Line life.
There are lots of things I don't understand in this book. I don't know what wishbone formation is, what it means to load the box, or how to recognize a curl pattern. But I do know who "That Team Up North" is and what it means to be part of a team. This is an excellent book on life and leadership, a reminder that, while we can't always choose what happens to us in life, we can choose how we'll respond, and the way to excel is to respond "Above the Line."
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