Get Better Every Day

"When we do what’s right, and get better everyday, winning will take care of itself."

Get Better Everyday

The first time GBED really sunk into me was when I began working with Ed Thomas in 1978. He used one of my favorite quotes, it goes: "When we do what’s right, and get better everyday, winning will take care of itself." That quote was truly the focus of our coaching staff. We did not talk about winning; we just aimed to get better at the little things and trust that our hard work would pay off.

I was able to see Coach Thomas get a group of young men to come to football
practice everyday and understand, believe, and commit to this ideal. They were in fact better each day following a 2½ hour practice. When an entire group of young people do this they can really become good by the end of the season. This became one of the fundamentals of coaching at our school. Not all groups of young people are mature enough to make this happen every year. The years you have a group come to practice everyday with this attitude, you are going to have a very competitive team.

So, one morning I’m walking into my classroom and I have one of those OMG (oh my goodness is what that stands for) moments. I asked myself, “Do youget better everyday?” Am I a better teacher on Tuesday than I was on Monday?My answer at that time was no. From that day forward, I tried to make a change and have constant improvement of my teaching skills. That mindset can make a huge difference.

Adults have challenged me on this by saying that you can’t do that over a 30-year or more career. Well, that may be true, but what you can bring is the attitude of getting better everyday. That attitude can greatly improve our performance. Young people have shown me that working with a group that has the GBED attitude is an extremely fun and productive experience. So much can be accomplished.

"That is why we labor and strive, because
we have put our hope in the living God,
who is the Savior of all people, and 
especially of those who believe."
1 Timothy 4:10

Your Challenge

Think personally about the quote "Get better everyday," and approach each day with this attitude. What are you truly doing to better yourself as a spouse, friend, coworker etc.? We have no trouble asking young people to do this. As adults, we can do this as well.

Respectfully,
Al Kerns & the Ed Thomas Family Foundation

This post is written by Al Kerns, a long-time friend of Ed Thomas and a team member with the Ed Thomas Family Foundation. Al coached with Ed for 30+ years at Aplington-Parkersburg.