Come to Jesus!

No I'm not getting on my religious high horse in this blog! This is the term I use when someone or ones need a dose of reality. It can be a short and brief comment or a full out-"wake the hell up" kind of talk. Either way it hopefully does the trick when it is needed and used!

I had one of these talks with my "team" the other day. I felt like we'd hit rock bottom and we have no where to go but up and there was no way I was giving up.

I chewed them out, I gave them a dose of reality and I didn't ask but I gave them an either or choice in this situation-either straightened up/out AND I'm going to be in your face, in front of God and everyone telling your about your lack of-be it your poor attitude or your half ass-ed attempt at things or you're out. That may be how you do things in your world, but not how we are going to do things in mine. And if you don't like it-there's the door is how I put it in a nut shell.

It shook them up. I had some near tears. Some were pissed off-probably at me-good or if they were pissed at their teammates-that's even better! And some sat nodding as they are the ones who are already giving it their all and didn't need the "come to Jesus" meeting in the first place but had to sit through it anyway. I had two girls missing-they both of course needed to be at this meeting as they were part  also of our big problem-they'll get the abbreviated version in their face in front of the whole team at practice some day if they don't heed the version someone on the team hopefully gave them. I hope they did a good impression of me when they did it.

I don't very often hit a wall or have a straw break the camel's back in my world. But I hit that point on Sunday. Frustration does not begin to define how I felt. Very pissed off was more like it. And after meeting with the individual and the other coach who was responsible for my frustration I had an even worse attitude. You can't make people see things if they don't want to. Some people will never see things from the other side of the desk. It's all about ME-is their way of thinking. No it's not-it's all about US-ALL of us.

So I cancelled a big fund raiser and told my girls that state was probably out on Sunday. They were upset, as they should be. But when I threw down the gauntlet one young lady, someone I least expected, picked it up and rounded up the troops and started to lead them. Amen!! Did she do a good job, hard telling, but at least she dug her heals in and tried which is more than I can say for the rest of the bunch. To be honest it was one of the least likely girls to do so. After a couple of pretty frustrating days I had my "come to Jesus" meeting with my team. I then threw a whole heap of responsibility onto my parents shoulders via an email later that day. My parents are pretty lazy and do little if anything to support our program and their daughters. I was truthful, honest and told the parents how it was going to be and they too were now going to be held responsible for their daughters schedules, their behavior and their attitude. I've got a couple  of girls who have what some of us females call PBF (permanent bitch face). Which means they always look pissed at the world, they are always unhappy, the glass is always half empty and the day mostly cloudy. They are no fun to be around and you sure as hell don't want to have anything to do with them. We all know people, not always women who always have that "look". Well they'd better leave that PBF at the door from now on.

After my "come to Jesus" meeting with my girls, then the email to parents I finally felt like a weight was off my shoulders. I got mad at the people who were ruining things and taking things away because of their lousy attitude and tremendous lack of commitment to their team. No way was I going to let these people win and bring us down. We were about as down as we could get. So I got up early the morning of our next practice and spent about two hours getting some things changed, worked out and ready for practice yesterday. I went in with a new set of rules and goals and I told my girls we were not going to have a can do attitude but a will do attitude. Those young ladies worked hard yesterday minus two of our "problems" one was gone again (go figure) and one "forgot" practice-ya right. Too bad. We went on without them and their place on the team is questionable at best.
This morning at practice EVERYONE was there. YEP! Woo hoo all NINE showed up, even the sick one and the suspended one. And we were all business and worked hard for over an hour. There was no screwing around or little groups of chatter and no one practiced half ass-ed. They worked, they did their part, they gave input when asked. Absolutely the way it should be. No more prisoners running the prison which is a lot of the way I feel at work every day. It is not happening on my watch.

So did my "come to Jesus" meeting work? I think so. If anything it scared them as I covered things all around the horn, not just dance team. I hit life in general. Too often we let the negative in life get in the way and cloud the good stuff. I can't make people change their attitudes but they will check it at the door when they are mine. Put on your big girl panties and grow up is in short what I was trying to tell some of those girls on Tuesday.

Positive thought of the day: See the glass as half FULL rather than half empty-life is a lot better when you do.