💭 FCL Weekly Thought: 02/07/25

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We hope you enjoyed Week 1 (or Week 0?) of men’s lacrosse and are excited for a huge slate of women’s games kicking off this weekend. We discuss more in today’s podcast episode below.

We’ve been regularly uploading drills and breakdowns to our Circle community and our free content is humming. Be sure to check out our On the Run newsletter and we are rolling out a new Coaches Corner newsletter this Sunday. Fire up those streams and enjoy the weekend!

This Week at a Glance:

🎙️ FCL Podcast:

• Episode 2 of FCL’s In-Season Podcast

🔐 Online Community Highlights:

• (1/28) Jesse Bernhardt Webinar: Maryland On-Ball Defensive Drills & Techniques

• (1/28) Charlotte Sofield Webinar: Army Small Sided Competitive Drills

• (2/6) Film Breakdown: Maryland Invert Defense

📧 Two NEW FCL Newsletters:

• “On the Run”: NCAA Lacrosse Recap - Week 0

• “Coaches Corner”: Nick Saban. Passing Lanes. Maryland Defensive Drills 

WEEKLY THOUGHT

💭 Defining Success

We all strive for success in our endeavors. For the players reading this email, success might look like becoming a star athlete, winning championships, or getting recruited by your dream school.

These are admirable and worthwhile ambitions. But what happens if you don’t achieve them? Does that make you a failure? Perhaps an even better question is: what happens if you do achieve them? Do you simply check the box and move on?

Check out this quote from Tom Brady:

Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, knows a thing or two about the pursuit of greatness. Yet, even after achieving what most would consider the pinnacle of success, he still felt there was something more. If that feeling exists at his level, it’s worth considering in our own ambitions as well.

Rethinking Success

The surest way to be disappointed is to define success incorrectly. To be clear, having big goals is not wrong—ambition is a powerful motivator. However, our goals must be framed with the right perspective.

What if we defined success as:

✅ Setting the right target
✅ Giving your very best effort to achieve it
✅ Not getting caught up in the outcome

In other words:

Success = Setting the right target + Doing your very best – Getting attached to the outcome

With this mindset, success becomes more about the process than the result. The real value lies in the commitment, growth, and resilience you build along the way. Whether or not you achieve the desired outcome is secondary to the person you become through the pursuit.

The Beauty of This Mindset

With this framework, you win by simply committing yourself fully. You win by showing up, by challenging yourself, and by striving for excellence. Winning the game, making the team, or receiving the awards are just bonuses.

This approach can be difficult because it requires letting go of outcomes. We must trust that results will take care of themselves if we take care of the process. While we cannot always control the outcome, we can influence it. And when we measure success by effort and commitment rather than external validation, we set ourselves up for long-term fulfillment.

Best, 
Coach Dunn & Coach Class

IN THE COMMUNITY

Our online community is firing with webinar guests leading up to the season. We cut each webinar into usable drills and tips for you to get the information you need easily.

Watch our most recent webinars with Coach Jesse Bernhardt and Coach Charlotte Sofield.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Want to train with us? Check out all options here. See a selected few highlights below.

Best In Class D3 Showcase

SOCIAL & CONTENT

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