No one ever built a monument to a critic.
There’s a story behind that.
This is your daily message from Chad number 1081 to upgrade your mental game today by telling yourself a better story, because the most important story you hear is the story you tell yourself. This message is dedicated to Joe Denner.
Here’s the upgrade: it’s easy to point out what’s wrong, but upgraded thinking figures out how to make things right.
Here’s the story: Benjamin Franklin said, “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain — and most do.” Dale Carnegie opened How to Win Friends and Influence People with this exact principle: no one — not even convicted criminals — likes to be criticized. There’s a fine line between criticizing and correcting. A critic points out the flaw, without adding a solution. The better position to take is that of a coach. A coach points out the flaw and shows you how to fix it. A critic tears down. A coach builds up while correcting.
Walk through Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. You’ll find plaques honoring at least three managers: Miller Huggins, Casey Stengel, and Billy Martin. None of them were celebrated as players. All earned their immortality as coaches — men who took other people’s potential and shaped it into championships.
Huggins managed the great Yankee teams of the 1920s. He’s remembered not for finding fault with Babe Ruth, but for surviving Babe Ruth. There were plenty of things to criticize about Ruth. Ruth loved the night life. Ruth didn’t like being told what to do. Ruth was the home run king, but also the strike out king. Yet Huggins coached him anyway. He corrected without destroying. He led without crushing.
That’s why Huggins got a monument. That’s why Ruth — for all his talent — is remembered equally for his humility toward Huggins. A critic says, “You’re doing it wrong.” A coach says, “Here’s what you’re doing, here’s what it could be, and here’s how we get there together.” The critic is forgotten. The coach changes lives.
The better story to tell yourself is, “I’m not here to criticize. I’m here to coach.”
When you see someone missing the mark, don’t just point it out. Show them the mark. Show them the path. Show them you believe they can hit it. That’s how you avoid being a fool.
Tell me a story of a coach who changed your game to fromchadsmith@gmail.com. Send someone a text and ask them, “Who’s been a real coach to you?” You can get a free copy of my book, The Most Powerful Story in the World, by going to fromchad.gumroad.com. The transcript of this message and hundreds of others are always available at www.fromchad.com.
