Today I had lunch with members of our boys’ basketball team. This past weekend they won their third consecutive state championship. I wanted to talk with them because not many athletes get to have that type of experience. I asked them what this experience had taught them. I was very impressed with their answers. Here are some of the things they shared.

1. You must have a real desire to win. Everyone that competes wants to win but that desire has to be coupled with intensity. The same is true in life. Everyone wants to win. The difference is in the effort.

2. You must be willing to work hard. These players spent hours running, doing drills and shooting hundreds of shots. They had a very powerful work ethic. Many of us want to win, but we are unwilling to do the work.

3. You must realize the importance of team. This was a very talented team, but an unselfish one. They worked hard to make each other better and move as one man. The good of the team came before individual recognition. The same is true of life. You must learn to work with others or defeat is certain.

4. Every person is important. These players understood that the little things made a difference. Each one of them was willing to be outside the spotlight and do the little things in order to help the team. Little things make the difference in life as well. You make progress in your personal life not because of the major events, but because of the way you live your life one moment at a time.

5. You have to have a leader. Someone has to step up and take charge. The leader must take the responsibility and the others must be willing to follow the leadership. This team operated as a unit. Leadership is a great need in our culture and there are those that need to take a major step forward.

I told the guys that if I could get people to understand these lessons in real life, it would take care of most of their problems. There is a lot of wisdom in what they said. You and I can learn a lot from these guys who have learned some valuable lessons in the midst of victory.