Tag Archives: ice hockey

Inspiration

What’s your power play?

 By David Tepera, March 10, 2017

If you’re not familiar with the term “power-play,” it’s when one team has player advantage for a period of time because the other team has players in the penalty box. Of course, this means one team has more players in the game than the other. It’s during this time that a team must be more aggressive to score. The most popular known sports with this type of player offsets are ice hockey and water polo.

All teams strategize a series of power plays in order to take advantage and score as much as possible before the penalty time is over.

So, how do we apply power plays into our lives? Actually, many people are doing this and might not realize it.

Mental power is a great example. There are many high school graduates taking off for college hoping for an education that will lead to successful, powerful jobs. Some will — some won’t.

But, I think we can all agree that knowledge is the greatest power one can possess. This doesn’t always have to be through academic education because hands-on experience is at the top of the list.

Now, what happens when you utilize your mental power? You move up in your company with promotions and pay raises. You are put into more powerful positions with critical decision making and leadership roles. Or, you utilize a power play to start your own business or brand.

One power play we all have control of is physical power. Everything you do to your body is by choice. You can be lazy, undisciplined with loads of bad habits, or treat your body with healthier demanding choices.

Admit it, when we see people with athletic body types, we not only see beauty, but also discipline, confidence and power. It doesn’t matter, sex, race or age, if you project an athletic body, along with confidence, then you own the room.

I take my daughter Daylyn to school most mornings. We both use that time as an opportunity to uplift each other. Each day, we both face stresses of school and work, but choose to stay positive and find the good in each situation. It’s become our power play.

So now, throw your shoulders back, lift your head up high, give this world your best power play and make each day amazing.

Inspiration

Let’s accomplish a hat trick

4 Comments

By DAVID TEPERA, March 22, 2017

There is one particular situation in hockey that’s caught my attention, which is known as the “hat trick.” Once this feat has been accomplished, most fans throw their hats out on the ice.

So, what is the “hat trick?” It’s when one player scores three goals within a game. But why all the hats? Back in 1946, a hat maker named Sammy Taft owned a store in Toronto. One day, professional player Alex Kaleta came in to purchase a hat, but quickly found out he couldn’t afford it. Mr. Taft told Kaleta that if he scored three goals in one game, he would give him the hat. Actually, Kaleta scored four goals, so the hat-trick was born.

Well, I don’t plan on playing ice hockey any time soon, but I do want to accomplish a hat trick. My mission was to perform three acts of kindness in one day for total strangers.

I started my morning around 6 a.m. at the local cleaner’s shop. The lady behind the counter was obviously stressed and not too friendly. I noticed, even though it was early, that her hair and makeup looked freshly done.

I gave her a big compliment on her hairstyle of choice, and how it looked good for her. She proceeded to tell me how she just cut it to a new style and wasn’t sure about it. We exchanged a few more words as she continued her morning with a beautiful smile.

My second act was paying for the coffee an elderly man just ordered at the Starbucks next to me. It was a very warming friendly handshake.

My hat trick came toward the end of the working day when I helped a lady carry boxes of supplies from her car to the office. She offered me a few snacks, but I declined. I gave her a big hug and quickly disappeared.

Now, I’m not writing this to give myself a pat on the back. It’s only for you to think about how easily we can all make each other’s lives a little friendlier.

So, I’m challenging you to step out of your comfort zone and perform your own hat trick today.

It could be for you family, co-workers, personal health choices and so on. Be creative.

Hopefully, at the end of the day, you’ll throw your own hat across the room and shout, “Bam, now that’s a hat-trick!”