Ash Read

Think Different

Ash — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:57:34 +0000

The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.

Will St George’s Park Bring England Level With Rest of the world?

Ash — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:16:31 +0000

Chairman of St George’s Park, David Sheepshanks, believes that England’s state-of-the-art centre at Burton Upon Trent will result in improved performances.

Are You From HERE? 5 things to remember in order to achieve your dreams

Ash — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:11:35 +0000

Every now and then we all need a little inspiration, right?

Earlier on today, whilst checking out one of my daily reads, SlamOnline, I watched the new Derrick Williams ‘Are you from HERE? spot…and it inspired me.

The spot shows Derrick’s journey to the NBA, his background and tells the story behind his life.

Derrick’s spot is the fourth in the ‘Are you from HERE?’ campaign which includes other Under Armour sponsored NBA players Kemba Walker and Brandon Jennings.

The campaign takes us on a journey into the lives of these Under Armour players and shows the hard work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes as well as their backgrounds away from the court (you can check out the videos in the YouTube playlist below).

Here are some key messages I picked out from the campaign;

‘Take Where You’re From and Do Something With It’

Derrick Williams, Kemba Walker and Brandon Jennings all grew up in different surroundings, but had something in common; the heart, desire and passion to make it in the game of basketball.

It doesn’t matter where you’re from and what up-bringing you’ve had, if you want something bad enough then you can achieve it.

‘Here reputation is earned’

In life you have to earn your reputation; Whether it’s on the basketball court or in the boardroom.

Your reputation will be defined by what you do and no-one is going to build your reputation for you.

‘Here is never being afraid to fail and getting back up when you do’

You don’t have to fail in order to achieve your dreams, but you can’t be afraid to fail. If you go through life fearing failure you’ll probably miss out on many great opportunities.

‘Here is putting in the work while no-one’s watching’

If you want to make it, you have to put in the work whilst nobody is watching. Sitting up late on your laptop, working hard in the gym – whatever it takes to get you where you want to be.

It’s often not glamorous, but putting in the work while no-one’s watching is essential to achieving your dreams.

‘The streets are filled with chance and choice’

The world is full of opportunity; Now, even more so than ever.

Never before have we all had such a chance make our voices heard, to build something up and the make our own way in life. Every day we’re presented with chances to shape our future.

There’s chances out there for all of us, we just have to make the most of them.

How bad do you want to achieve your dreams? Are you from HERE?

What do you think of this campaign? Has it also inspired you? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to carry on the discussion.

From Grass Roots to International: Does English Football Lack Philosophy?

Ash — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:55:16 +0000

Saturday night England pulled off an upset, beating the reigning World and European champions Spain 1-0 at Wembley. A great result, there’s no doubting that. But, throughout the game two things stood out; the Spanish team stuck to their footballing philosophy, even when losing. The English, well, we just played football…

The Holstee Manifesto:

Ash — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:56:13 +0000

- Love this.

One on One with Luol Deng

Ash — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:56:20 +0000

Luol Deng is an inspiration, both on and off the basketball court. The NBA star will take a leading role in the Great Britain men’s basketball team at next summer’s London Olympic games and it’s safe to say his journey to the top of his sport has been nothing short of remarkable…
Read More at FundSport.com…

Inspirational Coaches: How John Wooden Redefined Success

Ash — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:25:35 +0000

In the ‘Inspirational Coaches’ series we take a look at some of the most inspiring coaches the world has seen. The first installment of the series features John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach.
Read more at FundSport.com…

It’s About So Much More Than Winning and Losing

Ash — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:21:33 +0000

In its purest form sport is a competition and contrary to this blog’s title, it is essentially about winning and losing, reaching the top and becoming the best. However, there’s so much more to it than just that…
Read more at FundSport.com…

We All Have the Ability to Change the World

Ash — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:45:25 +0000

A few weeks ago, like everyone else, I woke up to the sad news that Steve Jobs had passed away. Jobs was a truly remarkable and inspirational person – in the words of Apple he had been “the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives” and had made the world “immeasurably better”.

Whatever way you look at it Steve Jobs changed the world.

It’s not often someone like Jobs comes along; someone that has the drive, passion, enthusiasm and ambition to follow their heart and make a difference to the world. Whilst he was unique, we all have the ability to change the world like he did.

It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

We won’t all have a worldwide impact like Jobs did, we can’t all change the world on the same scale as he did, but we all have the ability to change the world around us.

You don’t have to come up with the next big invention, revolutionise an industry or be a well known figure to change the world and the lives of those around you. If you’re a blogger one of your blog posts could inspire someone to change their life or do something differently. If you’re a fitness instructor you could help someone become healthier. Even just sharing a laugh with someone can make a difference.

In this ‘Web 2.0′ world and the ‘age of social media’, it’s easy to get carried away with how many Facebook ‘likes’ we have or how many Twitter followers we have. At the end of the day those figures are irrelevant. It’s how we help others and add value to their lives that’s important.

Everyone has the ability to make a difference, that in itself is an amazing thing.

How will you change the world?

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

Are Spiralling Salaries Undermining Game’s Foundations?

Ash — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:40:46 +0000

Shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis has attacked the high wages paid to top Premier League footballers at a time when funding for the sport’s grassroots is being cut.