John Calipari and the Price of Success

Like many of you I have spent a ridiculous amount of time watching college basketball over the past few weeks. While I have enjoyed that time I also openly admit that I have been less than productive during the phenomenon we all refer to as March Madness.  Even advertisers have poked fun at the average basketball fan’s lack of productivity in a series of ads directing viewers to "play hookie" at one restaurant or another.

There is at least one person, however, who is very proficient and productive during March Madness though.

University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.

I realize that Coach Calipari is a very polarizing figure as I write this post.  Fans either love him or hate him.  It seems that fans love him as long as he is coaching their team but hate him if he is coaching any other team.

Even Kentucky fans were asking for his head just a few years ago when their beloved Wildcats missed the NCAA tournament and were then ousted in the first round of the NIT.

Oh how quickly we forget.

It has been said that time heals all wounds.  Apparently so does a national championship.

As we approach yet another Final Four I find myself reflecting on what really makes a man like John Calipari so successful.  After giving this considerable thought I have come to one simple conclusion: Coach Calipari simply does not care what you or I think about him.

Let that sink in for a moment.

We all pretend not to care at one point or another.  We are told not to read or believe our own reviews.  But how many of us can honestly say that we are completely unaffected by what others say or think of us?

Very few indeed.

But that is what makes Coach Calipari special, unique and quite honestly the best at what he does.

He lets his results speak for themselves and leaves the haters to be damned by their own words.

I often find myself struggling with the daily frustrations of striving to do something that matters.  While there are moments of great encouragement (thank you to all of the people who read this blog, buy my books and have written me with encouraging words) there are also moments of great discouragement.  I am blessed with some very encouraging people in my life but I also encounter some very negative, critical and miserable people as well.  I have made an important decision in my life to silence the voices of this second group and instead focus upon those who have worked to build me up instead of trying to tear me down.

In this way, I empathize with Coach Calipari.  It seems that every day there is one news story or another criticizing his methods, recruitment or coaching abilities.

Yet each and every day he stuns his critics by continuing to be successful on the largest of stages.

I hope that one day the same can be said for me...and for each of you.  I hope that one day we can all silence (or at least learn to ignore) our critics and finally appreciate all of the wonderful experiences that this life has to offer.

I have often been told that success comes at a high price.  Well, to those who say that I offer the following:  so does failure.

I don't know about you, but I think I will take my chances and hope to someday deal with the complications and the price of success rather than the failure that comes with complacency.

John Eric Buckley
Author of Disgruntled, The Worst of Times and Elsewhere

 http://www.amazon.com/Disgruntled-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00U7W3BX4

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