Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose!

When was the last time you thanked your coach or mentor? Take a minute and think about the powerful impact they have had on your life. There are so many early lessons you learn from a great coach that help to build your character and person that you are today. They teach you to never give up, to believe in yourself, the importance of team work, drive, work ethic, grit, discipline, communicating, learning, conducting yourself with integrity, they demonstrate perseverance and they believe in you!

We were fortunate to have some amazing shows in the 80’s and 90’s that I think helped us learn some life lessons through great writing and acting. Shows like: Cheers, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Full House, Growing Pains, Saved by the Bell, Seinfeld, Beverly Hills 90210, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

My wife and I recently shared with our 14 year old a great show called “The Office” last summer and after that we watched “Friends”. I was hoping to go with “Seinfeld” next but instead we watched “Friday Night Lights”. It’s truly an amazing TV Show. It is not often we are so impacted by a television show, but Coach Taylor is a true leader and demonstrates grit, compassion, empathy, transparency, love and passion throughout. Coach Taylor leads by example; he loves and respects his wife and knows the importance of family.

It is one of those shows about humans, about life, about failing, about winning and all the things that happen in between. It highlights the importance of family, friends, relationships and learning about team work. I found myself reflecting on coaches and mentors in my own life. It seems rare to me that a television show can pull you in so much that you experience and feel for what the characters are going through — love, remorse, pain, losing and winning.

“Friday Night Lights” is all about staying grounded, humble and appreciating everything we have in life. It is about overcoming battles, setbacks and failures. It’s about living in the moment, never giving up and driving forward for the win. At the core of show, there is this marriage between Coach Taylor and his amazing wife Tami. The show does a really good job of being realistic on the many compromises and things that we juggle in everyday life. The incredible balance throughout the entire show around their family and work/life. There are some really important lessons that play out throughout the show as they take characters through many of life’s twists.

Here are some quotes that I think are worth noting that may help you understand the power of the show and the impact coaches have:

1) Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can’t Lose — Coach Taylor

2) Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door. — Coach Taylor

3) Every man at some point in his life is going to lose a battle. He is going to fight and he is going to lose. But what makes him a man is that in the midst of that battle he does not lose himself. This game is not over, this battle is not over — Coach Taylor

4) If you have given 100% of yourself tonight, people are going to look at you differently — Coach Taylor

5) You listen to people that love you and you listen to the people that you trust. — Coach Taylor

6) Champions don’t give up, Champions don’t complain, Champions give 200%, You are not Champions until you have earned it! — Coach Taylor

7) Marriage requires maturity. Marriage requires two people that will listen, really listen to each other. Marriage most of all requires compromise. — Coach Taylor

8) A few will never give up on you. When you go back out on the field, those are the people I want in your minds. Those are the people I want in your hearts. — Coach Taylor

9) Listen to your mother, you listen to her and you respect her: women are to be respected. — Coach Taylor

10) I didn’t say you needed to be better than everyone else. But you gotta try, that’s what character is, it’s in the try. — Coach Taylor

11) Well you’re gonna win or you’re gonna lose. Either way, the sun’s gonna come up the next morning. — Tami Taylor

12) We can either win together or we can lose alone. And I know it sounds stupid but it is an honor to just stand in here with y’all. — Landry Clarke

13) I want an interesting and surprising life. It’s not that I think I’m gonna get all these things. I just want the possibility of getting them. College represents this possibility. The possibility that things are gonna change. I can’t wait. — Tyra

14) Right here, right now, God has placed you to do what you do best. Go all the way. — Coach Taylor

In a world with so many different things happening around us. Where technology has taken over and people do not talk without cell phones in their hands. In a time where it is hard to find the night to have dinner together as a family. I think it is really important that you are having discussions with your kids. It’s mission critical that you are teaching them and helping them to experience life lessons. I believe that a show like this can help you to reach your kids. There will be events that occur in the show that will help you talk about a topic and make sure they understand the importance, responsibilities and values. It is rare that a show can take on so many different things: Love, relationships, change, adversity, losing, winning, accepting, failing, fighting, passion, danger, friendship, family, and diversity.

We already know that kids are learning from videos online and leveraging different resources. I think everyone would agree, if a television show can help you to have more conversations and continue to connect as well as increase your relationship with your kids, it is worth the time together. Always remember, mentor more, improve your relationships, value life as a whole and respect others.

Thanks for reading! It does make you wonder, what would Riggins do?

Hal Lanfear IV

This was originally shared on linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/clear-eyes-full-hearts-cant-lose-hal-lanfear-iv/