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<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.0.0 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:35:21 GMT--><rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#" xmlns:rss="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:cc="http://web.resource.org/cc/"><rss:channel rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/"><rss:title>Sunday Stories</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/</rss:link><rss:description></rss:description><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><dc:date>2008-11-22T18:35:21Z</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.squarespace.com/">Squarespace Site Server v5.0.0 (http://www.squarespace.com/)</admin:generatorAgent><rss:items><rdf:Seq><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/4/24/ill-get-the-next-one.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/24/dont-be-a-wall-flower-be-unique.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/20/remember-the-alamo.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/bumble-bees-in-space.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/positive-self-talk-the-glasses-that-turned-everything-upside-down-and-the-obesed-woman.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/being-grateful.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/15/slingers-not-everyones-going-to-like-you.html"/></rdf:Seq></rss:items></rss:channel><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/4/24/ill-get-the-next-one.html"><rss:title>I'll Get The Next One</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/4/24/ill-get-the-next-one.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Andy Kaasa</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-04-25T04:58:47Z</dc:date><dc:subject></dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A negative past, or a negative action, does not disqualify you from a bright future.&nbsp; No mistake you've made is too much to over come.&nbsp; But you have to get your fire back.&nbsp; Sitting around, living in self pity isn't going to get you on the right path.&nbsp; You have to do this with a strong belief in yourself because everything in yourself is going to be telling you, &quot;You don't deserve this.&nbsp; You're a hypocrite.&quot;&nbsp; You have to have the strength to change your actions. </p><p>Some of you dwell too much on the negative action.&nbsp; You don't see the positive future.&nbsp; Yes you have to work for it, but if you believe in it, you can do it. </p><p>Richard Bach said: &quot;You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.&nbsp; However, you may have to work at it.&quot; </p><p>Do you know what one of the most inspirational inventions that has come out in the last decade?&nbsp; The little electronic maps and direction devices that you put on the dash board of your car.&nbsp; When you get into your car you type in the address of where you want to go and it will tell you the shortest route to get their.&nbsp; It will even draw you a map and tell you out loud where to turn.&nbsp; It's incredible.&nbsp; I have used these things on some of the trips I've been on and they are really accurate and I would guess that it is impossible to get lost if you actually followed the directions that it gives.&nbsp; But I don't always follow those directions.&nbsp; Sometimes I like to think that I know a faster way to get to where I'm going. So I go off on my own and I try to prove the direction giver wrong.&nbsp; I have yet to prove it wrong.&nbsp; But you know what?&nbsp; No matter how many wrong turns I make, no matter how many miles I drive in the wrong direction, the direction giver constantly is updating and giving me the shortest way to get to where I originally wanted to go.&nbsp; That little device never shows it's frustration with me for not listening.&nbsp; It just continues to tell me the best way to get back to where I was going. </p><p>People are the same way.&nbsp; No matter how many wrong choices you've made in your life or in a game,&nbsp;you can still find your way back to where you originally had wanted to go.&nbsp; Some people just sit on the sidelines and tell themselves that they have made too many mistakes in the past to have a good future.&nbsp; Know this; nothing you have done in the past can disqualify you from a good future if you put in the work. </p><p>Alan Shearer, the great England striker, was playing for New Castle about 10 years ago and it was a big Cup game.&nbsp; All kinds of excitement and pressure.&nbsp; The winner moves on and the loser goes home.&nbsp; Right out of the start of the gate a ball comes floating to Shearer's favorite right foot, he takes a touch, the goal is wide open, all he has to do is tap it into the empty net.&nbsp; He shanks it. </p><p>The game goes the next 87 minutes with no goals being scored and the game is nearing the end when another ball comes to Shearer.&nbsp; This time when he gets it, he makes a move, takes a touch, and buries it into the back of the net.&nbsp; 1-0 New Castle win. </p><p>After the game a reporter asked Allen what he was thinking after he shanked the ball when he was all alone in the opening moments of the game.&nbsp; Did missing that shot destroy his confidence.&nbsp; Allen Shearer gave one of the best replies I've ever heard.&nbsp; He said, &quot;No it didn't shake my belief in myself.&nbsp; All I said to myself for the next 80+ minutes was that I would get the next one.&quot; </p><p>&quot;I will get the next one.&quot;&nbsp; What a great attitude.&nbsp; That is life.&nbsp; You're given a chance to make a good decision or you're given a chance to preform a task and you fail.&nbsp; At that moment you have to decide how to go about the rest of your life.&nbsp; Do you dwell on your mistakes?&nbsp; Or do you figure out what went wrong and say to yourself, &quot;I'll get the next one.&quot; </p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/24/dont-be-a-wall-flower-be-unique.html"><rss:title>Don't Be A Wall Flower. Be Unique</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/24/dont-be-a-wall-flower-be-unique.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Andy Kaasa</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-24T06:40:49Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Sunday Stories</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[If there is one thing that I've learned in growing up it's that you don't want to just blend in.  If you blend in what's the point of being around?  Don't be a wall flower.  Stand Out.  Make a Scene.   Make a difference.  Make people have an opinion of you.

Being remembered is tough. It may be easy for some people, but for the other people, it's tough. They don't want to cause a scene. They want to make the smart educated move. The one that pleases the most people. . . But that's not the way to go through life. The wall flowers don't have an impact on history unless there is someone there to lead them. Be that leader. Make a difference.   

Be Outstanding.  Say what you want, but mean what you say.  Think about the public figures you admire the most.  Why do you like them?  Is it because they blend into the crowd?  It isn't.  You like them because they have a certain quality that you find appealing.  That quality sets them apart.  They've done something to make themselves stand out.  Herb Brooks said to the 1980 US Olympic Team, "You can't be common, the common man goes nowhere; you have to be uncommon."  That saying holds true in all aspects of life.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/20/remember-the-alamo.html"><rss:title>Remember The Alamo!</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/20/remember-the-alamo.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Andy Kaasa</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-20T05:36:07Z</dc:date><dc:subject></dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[If you really want to learn the attitude of how to handle risk, losing and failure, go to San Antonio and visit the Alamo.  The Alamo is a great story of brave people who chose to fight, knowing there was no hope of success against overwhelming odds.  They chose to die instead of surrendering.  It's an inspiring story worthy of study; nonetheless, it's still a tragic military defeat.  They got their butts kicked.  A failure if you will.  They lost.  So how do Texans handle failure?  They still shout, "Remember the Alamo!"

He always told us this story when he was about to go into a big deal and he was nervous.  After he had done all his due diligence and now it was put up or shut up, he told us this story.  Every time he was afraid of making a mistake, or losing money, he told us this story.  It gave him strength, for it reminded him that he could always turn a financial loss into a financial win.  Rich dad knew that failure would only make him stronger and smarter.  it's not that he wanted to lose; he just knew who he was and how he would take a loss.  He would take a loss and make it a win.  That's what made him a winner and others losers.  It gave him the courage to cross the line when others backed out.  "That's why I like Texans so much.  They took a great failure and turned it into a tourist destination that makes them millions."

But probably his words that mean the most to me today are these: "Texans don't bury their failures.  They get inspired by them.  They take their failures and turn them into rallying cries.  Failure inspires Texans to become winners.  But that formula is not just the formula for Texans.  It is the formula for all winners."]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/bumble-bees-in-space.html"><rss:title>Bumble Bees In Space</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/bumble-bees-in-space.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Andy Kaasa</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-16T06:55:57Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Sunday Stories</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Hi Guys, 


Starting with last Sunday's futsal session I am going to be speaking to the girls about a new topic each week that they can hopefully use on the soccer field and off of it.  These will just be short stories that I've found to contain a good message and that I think are entertaining.


12-3 The Bumble Bees In Space 


In the early 1990's NASA sent a group of bumble bees up into space with their researchers to see how they would react to the lack of gravity.  When the shuttle was cruising in space and the astronauts were ready they released the bees into the weightless environment.  The bees floated around with ease.  It only took them a couple of flaps of their wings and they could cruise anywhere they wanted with virtually no effort.  The bees looked happy and content with their new found situation. 

Then, after 3 days of floating around and flying with only needing to flap their wings a couple of times, the bees began to die.  After looking into it the astronauts discovered that the bees could not survive because they weren't meant to cruise around with no resistance.  The bees needed the resistance of gravity to force them to use their wings and keep the energy level of their bodies high.  They needed the challenge of flying with gravity. 

This is the same for us too.  We need challenges.  If we're not being challenged we get lazy and do not get any better.  It is my job to challenge each of you to be better.  This means I will be asking you to do things that are difficult and you wont always be able to get it the first time, the first week you've learned it, or even in the first year.  It takes challenges and resistance to make us better.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/positive-self-talk-the-glasses-that-turned-everything-upside-down-and-the-obesed-woman.html"><rss:title>Positive Self Talk: The Glasses That Turned Everything Upside Down and The Obesed Woman</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/positive-self-talk-the-glasses-that-turned-everything-upside-down-and-the-obesed-woman.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Andy Kaasa</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-16T05:10:53Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Sunday Stories</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Did you know that you talk to yourself more than anyone else talks to you?   Granted for most of you, you aren't walking down the street talking to yourself out loud like I sometimes do.  But you've constantly got a record playing in your head talking to you.  And it's sad to say, but most people have a defeated voice playing on that record in their head.  That record is saying: "I'm not smart enough.  I'm not gifted enough.  Nothing ever goes my way."  That negative self talk not only saddens us, but it limits our potential. 

There was a study done with a group of college students where the college students were given special eye glasses that turned everything upside down.  At first the students had to be led to class.  They couldn't read or write and they could barely even function.  It was a total mess.  But day after day, little by little the students started getting used to seeing everything upside down.  By the end of that first week they were able to walk to class and start to function all by themselves.  The researchers were so intrigued with the reaction of the students that they decided to keep the experiment going.  After one whole month those students had totally adapted to their new found situation.  Their minds had totally compensated for their world being upside down and now they could read without a problem.  They could write, type on the computer and do their homework all while seeing everything upside down.]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/being-grateful.html"><rss:title>Being Grateful</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/16/being-grateful.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Andy Kaasa</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-16T05:09:34Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Sunday Stories</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[Be Grateful 
People love to be around people who are grateful.  It is a joy to be around people who are grateful for what they have and what they get to do.  Ever since we took on the task of raising $5000 for Victoria I've been grateful that I've had such a great group of girls and parent's to help out with this task.  What you guys did for that little girl and her family is truly amazing.  This experience has reinforced my feelings of gratefulness for what I have.  
I once heard of this man named Pete who was very depressed, always down and he felt like nothing ever went his way.  He was feeling lousy and he kept complaining to people all the time about all of his problems and eventually he was able to add one more problem to that list; that nobody wanted to talk to him anymore because all he did was complain.
Well one day this man went into talk to his pastor about all of his problems and he started in with his usual routine of how things never go right for him.  His pastor had heard this before so before Pete even got going about all of his problems the pastor said Pete I'm going to take this piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.  On the right side we're going to list everything that is wrong with your life.  On the left side I'm going to write down everything that is good with your life.
Pete said that he didn't think that one side of the paper would be enough for all of his problems.  With an eyebrow raised at that statement the pastor said "Pete I'm terribly sorry to hear about your wife and her passing."]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/15/slingers-not-everyones-going-to-like-you.html"><rss:title>Slingers- Not Everyone's Going to Like You</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.gosportslife.com/journal/2007/3/15/slingers-not-everyones-going-to-like-you.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Andy Kaasa</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-16T04:56:57Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Sunday Stories</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Slingers Are Always Going to Talk 


In the days where cities built walls around the entire city to protect themselves from attacks one of the ways for an attacking army to win the battle and take the city involved people they called Slingers.  These people would take the stones from the wall around the city and sling them into the city's wells.  If they got enough rocks into the wells the water supply would dry up inside the city and they would be forced to leave the city and fight outside the walls. 


This same concept applies to everyone.  People are always going to talk about you.  This concept especially applies to anyone who wants to be great.  How many times have you gotten an "A" on a test and your classmates say "Oh she always gets A's," or "She is just sucking up to the teacher" or something of that sort.  If you win a tournament or score a goal other teams are not going to be happy for you all the time and they might say mean things about you.  The thing about this is that these people probably don't dislike you.  If it wasn't you getting that "A" on the test but someone else did they would say the same thing about them.  You shouldn't feel bad when people say these things, you should simply just let it go.  The issue lies with them.  They probably have yet to deal with their issues.  The fact that they may be jealous of your grade.  


The most hated team in baseball is the Yankees.  The simple reason is that they always win.  People don't like teams that always win because that means they cannot win.  Why do so many people love the Chicago Cubs as opposed to the Yankees?  Because they never win.  Their nickname is the Love-able Losers.  It's easy to be liked when you're not on top.   
When people say mean things about you the best way to get over it is to just let it go.  Realize that the problem probably isn't with you and if you stoop down to their level you've now inherited that problem.  If you hear someone say something bad about you it is tempting to say "Well guess what I'm going to tell people about you.  Just you wait.  You're going to be sorry."  When you do this you're inviting that person and those words to stick around and bother you.  So you should just let it go.]]></content:encoded></rss:item></rdf:RDF>