Each week there is a carnival of healing where like-minded health and wellness (think in the broadest definition of that phrase) bloggers contribute and one host blog compiles all the entries.

I am grateful to have been included in this most recent carnival which you can visit: Food for Thought. There are lots of great articles there on wealth, food, energy and connection.

Blogwild! Small Business Book Hits Bookstores Today

Today’s the day! Andy Wibbels’ new book just came out: Blogwild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging. As part of the book launch promotion, if you purchase the book on April 6th through Amazon.com (only $12.97), you’ll receive $50 off your choice of Six Figure Blogging, Easy Bake Weblogs, RSS Essentials or Business Blog Basics. This is a great opportunity to grab this hot new book as well as an online course to ensure your success. Buy the book now over at www.GOblogwild.com.

Besides being a great guy, Andy is an expert blogger. I took his Six Figure Blogging course last fall and it was his enthusiasm that propelled me into launching this blog. No one knows the ins and outs of blogging like he does. And in this book he provides both theory, concepts, and practical application of blogging for businesses in easy to understand, approachable language.

March Madness came to a frenzied end this week as the Maryland Terrapins came back from a 13 point deficit to beat the Duke Blue Devils in overtime. As the youngest team and coach to win a National Championship, they weren’t supposed to win it all. This was supposed to be the year of a more established powerhouse like North Carolina, Duke, LSU, or Tennessee. Freshmen and sophomores aren’t supposed to make clutch shots and they most certainly aren’t supposed to have the poise to beat teams that no one else could beat all season. So what happened? Maryland never got that memo and defied all the odds because they believed they could.

While watching all the games along the way and reading news on the internet, I discovered a number of interesting tidbits that in my opinion set this team apart and enabled them to win it all.

Here are the key life lessons that can be drawn from the brilliant coaching strategy of Brenda Frese and the outstanding performances of her players.

Believe

Repeatedly Coach Frese is quoted as saying “They believed in themselves, they believed in each other”. An unshakable belief that they could beat even the toughest opponents and ultimately win the national title formed the foundation for their success.

Self-confidence

As individuals and as a team they displayed an undeniable confidence in their skills, their passion, and the power of possibility.

Age is just a number

Over and over the media and other disbelievers pronounced the disadvantages of youth — not enough poise — not enough experience in big games — they won’t be able to step up under pressure. Not only did the team bust all these myths but showed up big on all accounts and displayed maturity beyond their years both on and off the court.

Focus and step into your destiny

One of the key success factors in any endeavor is to have a compelling vision to pull you forward and to act as-if even when you have not yet arrived at your goal. In January Coach Frese took her team to the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston to see where the Final Four would be played. She empowered her team to BE in the goal and act as-if knowing that they would be able to see and feel their goal each and every day along the road to the championship.

Chunk it down

What I consider one of the most brilliant coaching approaches I’ve heard in a long team was Coach Frese’s strategy to keep her young squad focused and out of the perils of overwhelm. Rather than approach a tough opponent with the thought that they needed to go out there for 40 minutes and beat the #1 team in the nation, she chunked it down. She coached her team in 4-5 minute increments encouraging them to play full out and simply win the next 4 minutes till the next TV time out. A perfect way to avoid overwhelm this laser-like focus can make the seemingly insurmountable possible.

Don’t panic and Don’t get down on yourself

In the championship game, Maryland was down by as many as 13 points and rallied to take the game into overtime. Despite an ugly first half of basketball the players never panicked and the coach never gave up. Whereas some coaches start screaming like banshees and tear into their players, Frese stayed positive. She was animated alright and certainly was direct and in the face of at least one player who wasn’t stepping up to the plate. But, she could be seen pacing the sidelines and yelling encouragement to her players who never lost faith in themselves and their ability to make the tough clutch bucket even those players who were experiencing a shooting slump most of the night. At no point while they were behind did the players give up or back down. This relentless confidence and positive attitude coupled with heart and poise made even my doubting girlfriend (who always thinks there’s not enough time for a team to make a comeback once they get down by a lot) believe they could come back and win.

Have fun

Even in the big games the coach stressed getting out there, playing ball and having fun. After all, what good is striving and reaching a goal if you’re not having any fun along the way? This attitude of fun kept them loose and allowed them to adjust when things were not working.

Over at Blogher in the Business and Career section, I came across the post Low Tech Breaks Inspire Creativity. Of course this sort of post is right up my alley so I had to share it with you.

The post cites a recent article by Working Solo entitled Get Out and Get Low Tech .

Too few small business women take time out - from the business AND the office - to get the creative juices flowing.

Isn’t this the truth? And the more doing and doing you’re doing, the less chance you have to feed any of the creativity needed to be successful, innovate, or solve problems. We tend to stay glued to our PC and our office figuring if we just work a little harder everything will fall into place. Unfortunately, if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. If you’re looking to start or grow your business, that’s not going to work so well.

When it comes to strategic planning, it is near impossible to do that sort of creative brainstorming and planning without getting away from it all. You don’t need to rent office space or go on a luxury getaway, you only need to disconnect for a while and get out of the usual mode of operation.

So try out a low-tech day now and then to truly set your business and your life plan on course.

I couldn’t let March Madness pass me by without at least one post filled with basketball metaphors. In my house women’s hoops madness is like a holiday. A full month where the ESPN game schedule dictates our social and work lives. A time to live vicariously through the endless possibilities of 64 talented teams who face off knowing for some dreams will be realized, and others’ dreams deferred.

I am a total sucker for the video montage segments where they show highlights and coaches yelling their words of wisdom. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been watching some of the same video segues for 3 weeks now; I still get goose bumps hearing Pat Summit yell and glare.

Media and coaches alike banter about the questions “Is she a player?” “Is she a shooter?”. Meaning is this player a leader on the floor who wants the ball when it counts and will shoot or do whatever it takes to make a play and score points for the team. At this time of year it is exciting because you get to watch all sorts of athletes who no one would’ve ever thought twice about turn into the “x-factor” and win the game for the team with their elevated level of play. Sometimes the star players live up to the hype and command the respect of their team and their opponents by leading with great emotion. Other times the star players don’t quite show up dressed for battle and turn in entirely unremarkable performances. It all boils down to how an individual player shows up mentally, physically, and emotionally for the game on that given day. They either have the heart (and the skills to make it happen) or they don’t.

While many of us will never know the thrill of playing in a Final Four or National Championship, we will have peak experiences in our own lives. We also have the ability to make each day of our life a game day and actually be consciously present for it. Anyone who is breathing and has a pulse has the opportunity to be a leader in some way, shape or form.

Are you showing up for your life suited up and ready to play? Are you a player? Or are you just going through the motions?