Lead Yourself First: Know When to Reset (May 6, 2026)

Monday's thought from Kevin DeShazo:

“Focus on your actions, your mindset, your intentions, your decisions. Lead yourself first.”

Lead Yourself First: But Make Time to Think (May 5, 2026)

Yesterday I introduced this thought from Kevin DeShazo:

“Focus on your actions, your mindset, your intentions, your decisions. Lead yourself first.”

I am at a stage in life where I find myself reflecting more on the different phases of the journey. Earlier this year, I turned 50—and somewhere along the way, I realized I had lost sight of some goals and even a few milestones.

Why is that?

I asked myself that question this morning as I started writing this.

And the answer wasn’t complicated.

I didn’t stop long enough to think.

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Busy Isn’t the Same as Intentional

We live in a world that rewards constant movement. Stay busy. Stay active. Keep going.

But busy doesn’t equal better.

And movement doesn’t always mean progress.

Somewhere between responsibilities, routines, and daily demands, it’s easy to shift from being intentional to just being active.

That’s where the disconnect happens.

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Discipline Isn’t Just Doing—It’s Thinking

Daily discipline still matters. Showing up matters. Doing the work matters.

But there’s another level to it:

The discipline to step away and think.

If you’re always reacting, you’re not leading—you’re just responding.

If you’re always moving, you’re not necessarily progressing—you’re just staying in motion.

At some point, you have to create space to ask:

• What am I actually doing each day?

• Is it aligned with where I want to go?

• Or have I just fallen into a routine?

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Why We Avoid It

Because it requires honesty.

It’s easier to keep going than it is to pause and evaluate.

• Honest about your habits

• Honest about your focus

• Honest about what needs to change

But that’s where growth happens.

Not in the noise.

In the moments where you actually stop and take inventory.

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Self-Leadership Requires Adjustment

Leading yourself isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a daily check.

A reset.

A recalibration.

You don’t just build discipline—you refine it.

You don’t just take action—you evaluate it.

That’s the piece I missed.

Not the work. Not the effort.

The reflection.

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The Next Step

Discipline gets you started.

Awareness keeps you improving.

So yes—lead yourself first.

But don’t just focus on doing more.

Take time to think. Adjust. Refocus.

Because the difference isn’t who’s doing the most.

It’s who’s staying aligned with what actually matters.

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Lead Yourself First: The Daily Discipline That Separates Professionals (May 4, 2026)

“Focus on your actions, your mindset, your intentions, your decisions. Lead yourself first.” – Kevin DeShazo

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In the spring of 2012, I was introduced to Kevin DeShazo after hearing him speak about social media and its evolving impact on athletic departments. That initial exposure turned into a lasting professional influence. Later in my career, I had the opportunity to bring him in to speak to student-athletes and coaches at LeTourneau University—an experience that reinforced the clarity and practicality of his message.

Over time, his work—especially Keep Chopping Wood—has become a steady, quiet driver in how I approach my daily responsibilities. The quote above, in particular, has stayed with me. It’s simple, but it’s demanding. And as we begin May—Mental Health Awareness Month—it felt like the right time to reflect not only on professional growth, but also on personal accountability and mental health.

Because the truth is, those four elements—actions, mindset, intentions, and decisions—don’t just shape careers. They shape stability, resilience, and well-being.

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Lead Yourself First: The Competitive Advantage No One Can Take

In sports communications, it’s easy to misdiagnose success. The industry often makes it seem like outcomes are driven by external variables—access, relationships, institutional resources, or market size.

But strip all of that away, and what actually determines long-term trajectory is far more controllable:

Your actions. Your mindset. Your intentions. Your decisions.

That’s not just philosophy—it’s operational reality.

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Control What Compounds

Your day is built on micro-decisions:

• How you respond to an email

• How quickly (and accurately) you turn around a recap

• How prepared you are for a postgame interview

• How intentional your digital and social strategy is

Individually, these moments feel insignificant. Collectively, they define your reputation.

Consistency—especially when no one is watching—is what compounds into trust and credibility. If you’re waiting for a bigger role to raise your standard, you’re already behind. The professionals who separate themselves operate at the next level before they’re given it.

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Your Mindset Sets the Ceiling

This profession will test your capacity—mentally and emotionally.

• Long hours

• Constant deadlines

• Public visibility and scrutiny

• Internal expectations

If your mindset is reactive, the job will always feel overwhelming. If it’s proactive, you create structure within the chaos.

A strong mindset doesn’t ignore difficulty—it reframes it:

• A tough loss becomes a storytelling opportunity

• A mistake becomes a systems improvement

• A heavy workload becomes a chance to build efficiency

And from a mental health standpoint, that shift matters. Perspective is often the difference between burnout and growth.

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Intentions Drive Identity

Execution matters—but intention defines consistency.

You have to ask:
Are you chasing visibility, or are you building value?

Intentional professionals anchor their work to standards:

• Accuracy before speed (until you can consistently do both)

• Clarity over volume

• Impact over recognition

When your intentions are aligned, your output stabilizes. And in a field built on trust, consistency becomes your most valuable asset.

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Decisions Define Direction

Careers aren’t shaped by one breakthrough moment. They’re shaped by accumulated decisions:

• Preparation over procrastination

• Accountability over excuses

• Long-term growth over short-term comfort

These decisions are rarely visible to others—but they’re always consequential.

And importantly, no one is managing them for you.

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Lead Yourself First

Before you lead a brand, a team, or a department—you have to lead yourself.

That requires:

• Holding your standards, even when no one else enforces them

• Managing your time with intention

• Taking ownership without waiting for direction

• Showing up consistently, regardless of circumstances

Leadership in sports communications isn’t positional—it’s behavioral.

And those who establish that discipline early don’t wait for opportunity. They create it.

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A Final Thought for May

As Mental Health Awareness Month begins, this message carries an added layer of importance.

Leading yourself isn’t just about productivity—it’s about sustainability.

Your mindset, your habits, and your internal standards directly impact your mental health. Structure creates clarity. Clarity reduces stress. And intentional action builds confidence.

So if you’re looking for an edge—professionally or personally—don’t overcomplicate it:

• Focus on your actions

• Refine your mindset

• Clarify your intentions

• Own your decisions

Everything else builds from there.

Lead yourself first—and the rest will follow.

Release the outcome. Keep the boundary. (May 2, 2026)

Burnout isn’t a result of caring too much. It’s what happens when care turns into control—when you start gripping outcomes that were never yours to hold, while quietly stepping past the limits that protect your energy.

There’s a difference between full effort and overreach.

Effort is participation. Control is attachment.

You’re responsible for how you show up—your clarity, your consistency, your willingness to engage. But the result? That lives outside your jurisdiction.

Boundaries aren’t restrictions on your effectiveness. They’re what make sustained effectiveness possible. Without them, even meaningful work becomes depletion.

So the practice is simple, but not always easy:

Show up fully.
Release the result.
Hold the line where your energy needs protection.

Do that consistently, and you don’t just avoid burnout—you build something you can actually keep showing up for.

AI Isn’t Taking Jobs—It’s Eliminating the Starting Line (April 30, 2026)

The pathway into sports communications is no longer linear, and those who adapt early—by building skills, portfolios, and AI fluency—will bypass the traditional entry-level bottleneck entirely. 

Agentic AI systems that can execute tasks independently—isn’t triggering mass layoffs yet. Instead, it’s quietly reshaping the labor market by eliminating or compressing entry-level roles.

• The real disruption: fewer “first-step” jobs, not fewer jobs overall
• Companies are skipping junior hires and using AI + experienced staff instead
• Result: a broken career ladder—harder to get experience, harder to advance

This is a structural shift, not a temporary cycle.

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What this means ...

1. The traditional “pay your dues” model is disappearing

Aspiring SIDs, communications assistants, and GA-level talent—have historically relied on:

• internships
• entry-level media relations roles
• game-day support positions

Those are exactly the types of task-driven, repeatable roles AI can now absorb (writing recaps, stat summaries, social captions, etc.).

👉 Translation:
Waiting your turn is no longer a viable strategy.

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2. Skill expectations are being pulled forward

Employers now expect entry-level candidates to operate like mid-level contributors.

In your world, that means:

• Not just writing releases—but strategic storytelling
• Not just posting graphics—but owning engagement + analytics
• Not just assisting—but running a sport or platform independently

👉 The bar isn’t higher—it’s earlier.

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3. Experience is no longer granted—it must be created

Because fewer formal entry points exist, candidates must:

• Build portfolios independently
• Create your own reps (blogs, social coverage, freelance work)
• Use AI as a force multiplier, not a shortcut

This aligns directly with your platform’s philosophy.

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4. AI is both the threat and the leverage

The same tools reducing entry-level roles can:

• Help one person do the work of three
• Allow students to simulate real-world workloads
• Enable faster skill development

👉 The differentiator becomes:
Who can direct AI effectively—not who competes against it

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Reminders:

• Don’t chase job titles—build capability
• Don’t wait for opportunity—manufacture it
• Don’t fear AI—learn to operationalize it

The Real Game Behind the Game: Protecting Your Time and Energy (April 29, 2026)

Your Two Most Valuable Resources: Time and Energy

We talk a lot about opportunity in athletics communications—better jobs, bigger platforms, more visibility. But underneath all of that, there are two assets that quietly determine whether any of it actually materializes:

Your time and your energy.

They are finite. They are non-renewable in the short term. And most importantly, they are constantly being spent—whether you’re intentional about it or not.

The Misconception: Time Is the Constraint

Most professionals in our space will tell you they don’t have enough time. The schedule is relentless—game coverage, travel, social, writing, stats, relationships, crises. It’s a valid concern.

But time is only half the equation.

You can have a perfectly organized calendar and still feel stuck, burned out, or unproductive. That’s because energy—not time—is often the real bottleneck.

Energy determines:

• The quality of your work

• Your creativity in storytelling

• Your ability to connect with coaches, student-athletes, and media

• Your resilience during long seasons

If your energy is depleted, more time doesn’t solve the problem. It just extends the struggle.

Where We Lose Both

In athletic communications, the leaks are subtle but constant:

• Reactive work cycles – Living in inboxes, texts, and last-minute requests instead of proactive planning

• Low-value repetition – Rewriting the same type of release without evolving your process

• Unclear priorities – Treating everything as urgent, which makes nothing meaningful

• Digital overload – Endless scrolling disguised as “keeping up with trends”

Each of these quietly drains both time and energy without producing meaningful progress.

The Shift: From Spending to Investing

Most people spend their time and energy. Very few invest it.

Spending looks like:

• Completing tasks just to get through the day

• Saying yes to everything to avoid friction

• Operating without a clear outcome in mind

Investing looks like:

• Prioritizing work that compounds (relationships, systems, storytelling quality)

• Building processes that reduce future workload

• Protecting mental bandwidth for high-impact moments

In this field, investing your resources might mean:

• Creating templates that elevate your writing efficiency

• Developing stronger media relationships that amplify your programs

• Allocating focused time to long-form storytelling instead of just transactional recaps

Energy Management Is a Skill

Energy isn’t just about sleep or caffeine—it’s about alignment.

Ask yourself:

• When during the day am I most focused?

• What type of work drains me vs. energizes me?

• Where am I overcommitting out of habit rather than necessity?

High performers in this space don’t just manage deadlines—they manage when and how they show up to those deadlines.

Boundaries Are Not a Luxury

In a profession that often demands availability, boundaries can feel unrealistic. But without them, your time and energy will always be dictated by external demands.

Boundaries might look like:

• Blocking uninterrupted work time for writing or creative tasks

• Setting expectations on response times when possible

• Being selective about additional responsibilities that don’t align with your goals

This isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing what matters better.

The Long-Term Impact

Careers in athletic communications are not built in single seasons—they’re built over years of consistent output, growth, and reputation.

If you constantly deplete your time and energy without replenishment or direction, burnout isn’t a possibility—it’s a certainty.

But if you:

• Protect your energy

• Direct your time intentionally

• Invest in work that compounds

You create sustainability. And sustainability is what allows you to stay in the game long enough to actually grow.

Final Thought

You don’t control every demand placed on you in this profession. But you do control how you allocate your two most valuable resources.

Time is what you have.
Energy is how you use it.

Manage both with intention, and everything else—your output, your opportunities, your trajectory—starts to align.

Expand the Dream: Why “More” Is a Discipline, Not a Desire (April 28, 2026)

In the spring of 2006, I was in a transition period—working as a Media Relations Coordinator in Miami while approaching two defining milestones: induction into the Columbus State Community College Sport and Exercise Studies Hall of Fame and the opportunity to step into a Sports Information Director role at Texas A&M University-Commerce (now East Texas A&M). Those moments didn’t happen by accident—they were the result of preparation meeting expectation.

Around that same time, I came across a quote from Robin Sharma that reinforced a principle I was actively learning: growth isn’t about wishing for more—it’s about building the capacity to handle more. That idea still holds, and it’s the foundation for everything that follows.

“Push yourself to do more and to experience more. Harness your energy to start expanding your dreams. Yes, expand your dreams. Don’t accept a life of mediocrity when you hold such infinite potential within the fortress of your mind. Dare to tap into your greatness.” — Robin Sharma

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Expand the Dream: Why “More” Is a Discipline, Not a Desire

There’s a difference between wanting more and training yourself to be capable of more. That’s the tension sitting at the center of Sharma’s quote—and it’s where most people stall out.

“Push yourself” isn’t motivational fluff. It’s a directive. It implies resistance, discomfort, and—if we’re being honest—a level of intentional effort that most people only visit occasionally. But growth doesn’t respond to occasional effort. It compounds through consistent pressure.

If you’re reading this as someone in athletic communications, sports information, or any competitive professional space, you already understand performance environments. The same principles apply off the field.

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Expanding Dreams Requires Expanding Capacity

You don’t rise to your dreams—you fall back on your systems.

Everyone says they want a bigger role, a better job, more influence, more impact. But very few are actively building the operational capacity to sustain those outcomes.

Expanding your dreams means:

• Increasing your tolerance for complexity

• Improving how you communicate results

• Taking ownership beyond your job description

• Operating with urgency, even when no one is watching

In other words, “more” requires infrastructure.

If your current habits can’t support your future goals, the problem isn’t your dream—it’s your preparation.

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Mediocrity Is Comfortable—That’s the Problem

Mediocrity rarely feels like failure in the moment. It feels like:

• “Good enough”

• “I’ll get to it later”

• “That’s not technically my responsibility”

Over time, those decisions compound into stagnation.

The uncomfortable truth: most ceilings aren’t imposed—they’re accepted.

When Sharma talks about “not accepting a life of mediocrity,” he’s not pointing at external limitations. He’s pointing inward—at the quiet negotiations we make with ourselves every day.

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The Fortress of the Mind: Your Competitive Advantage

Your skill set matters. Your experience matters. But neither will outperform a disciplined mindset over time.

The “fortress” Sharma refers to isn’t just potential—it’s control.

Control over:

• Your focus in a distracted environment

• Your standards when no one else is enforcing them

• Your response to setbacks, criticism, and pressure

In competitive fields, the separation isn’t usually talent—it’s mental consistency.

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What This Looks Like in Practice

If you’re serious about “tapping into your greatness,” it has to translate into behavior:

• You follow up when others forget

• You refine your work when others submit it

• You ask better questions when others stay silent

• You create value before you’re asked

That’s how expansion happens—not in theory, but in execution.

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Final Thought

Dreams don’t expand on their own. They respond to pressure, structure, and action.

So the real question isn’t whether you want more.

It’s whether your daily habits prove that you’re preparing for it.

Because greatness isn’t something you discover—it’s something you build, one disciplined decision at a time.