If you ignore...

One of the greatest pieces of advice I ever received was from Ron Oestrike, head baseball coach at Eastern Michigan University. In 1983, Coach "O" told me simply, "If you ignore, it means you accept."
Seven words, nine total syllables. But a lifetime of following.
If something makes you unhappy, and you do nothing to change it, you accept it. And you have no one to blame but yourself.
As a trainer, if I accept improper form, I am telling my client that it is okay to do thins wrong.
As a parent, if I accept bad behavior, I am telling my kids it is okay to continue to misbehave.
As an employer, if an employee continually comes in late, and I do nothing, I accept his tardiness.
Whatever role you are playing, if something is not right and you do nothing about it, don't wait six months and try and change it. By then it is too late. And it is your fault. No one else's.
This weekend is another RKC certification weekend in St. Paul. For Cat and myself it marks the first time we are sending one of our students off to be "tortured" by Pavel, Andrea, and the rest of the training group.
Over the past six months we have worked with Joel correcting his technique, inspiring him, teaching, and helping him teach as a means of getting him ready for the next three days. Rest assured, we took no shortcuts. We did not ignore minor flaws, because they grow into major ones.
We gave him the tools to excel, and he ran with them
We gave him insights into what he can expect, but didn't divulge too much -- this is a weekend that has to be experienced.
Like proud parents, Cat and I sent Joel off to Minnesota fully confident in his abilities. Like nervous parents, we will be waiting for the report card, and the school bus (okay, Airplane) when he returns.
We have done our part. Joel is doing his. Now it is Pavel's turn.
And, like Coach Oestrike, Pavel doesn't ignore.