Chip Kelly on Finding Time
Chip Kelly and Philadelphia Eagles are probably not words you’d ever have expected to see at the start of a post on The Time Finder. But bear with me – he’s got some interesting things to say about time!
I’ve been learning about Chip Kelly from my VA, who is a serious fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. One of the things I’ve learned is that they are a professional football team. (Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but I certainly had never heard of Chip Kelly until very recently – even though he hails from New Hampshire! So that tells you pretty much where I fall on the football fan spectrum!)
Anyway, my VA shared with me an article and video that she had come across. In it Chip Kelly, known as a very innovative coach, offers insights into how he motivates his team – and how he speaks with them about time and about success.
Here’s what he’s said (and you can watch the entire press conference at this link – it’s embedded in the article):
“Everybody has the same amount of time during the day and you can either spend your time or invest your time and that’s what we are trying to get our players to understand. It’s how you allocate your time. We all have 24 hours in the same day and it’s what you want to do. If you want to go play video games and watch TV and do all those other things, you’re going to get beat out by the guy that is doing the little things that are going to make the difference between making the team and not making the team.”
Indeed, time is concrete. In many ways it’s the great equalizer. Whether you’re Bill Gates or an EMT, a teacher or a toddler, everyone has exactly the same about of time each day. Our experiences of time are individual and highly subjective. It feels like it stretches or flies by, depending on circumstance, mood, or perspective – but the entity itself is an unchanging 24-hours each and every day.
The other fundamental fact about time is that it is finite. Whether you spend your time or invest it, the fact is that when it’s gone it’s gone. So, what does Chip Kelly mean when he talks about investing in relation to time? It really comes down to making time choices that are an investment in yourself:
“When we talk about investing in yourself we are challenging the players to understand that every action they take has consequences to it. They can be positive or they can be negative. If at the end of the day your goal is to make this football team or your goal is to be a starter or your goal is to be an All Pro, you have a say in that matter and that’s what we are trying to get across to our guys in terms of that.”
Time is concrete and finite – and you hold the power of choice about how you spend invest it!
So, is the lesson sinking in? What kind of teacher/coach is Chip Kelly? Well, here’s what one young player (Jordan Matthews) has to say about what he is learning:
“You’ve just got to believe in yourself. You come out each day here and you’re working and it’s hot. You’re not going to see the instant success and all of those things. You’ve got to keep working, keep beating down that door and then the results are going to take care of themselves on Sundays. That’s what I feel like Coach is saying. Everybody here has bought into that philosophy and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
I couldn’t agree more. Time is pure potential. You decide how to use it; and once you do, it’s gone. That’s why it’s so important to build on your best time choices! If you feel like your time slips through your fingers, then you’ll want to claim your copy of my FREE “Daily Choices Template: Proven Strategies for Tracking Your Best Time Choices Today, Tomorrow & All Year!” There’s no time like the present – to start moving toward the future you envision for yourself.
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