The Sixth Element

Commitment is “to give in trust or charge”.

Commitment is a major element of toughness shown in Jay Bilas`s book called Toughness. This is going to be another blog post on only my point of view on the element of commitment. I believe that commitment is very important in life and is also a major part of toughness. Commitment is very important in life because it shows a sense of dedication and determination, a drive to do more and get better at what you are doing and when staying committed you are more likely to succeed in the future and live a better life. Commitment is also a very important element of toughness because when committed and determined you become stronger and more confident then allowing you to stay tough and strong towards your own point of views or actions based of what you are committed to.

In conclusion, commitment is not only a very important element of toughness, but also a major element of life. Commitment is a "must need" in one`s life it is the base factor of keeping one motivated and driven towards a goal, which can be determined based off of the example given in the earlier paragraph.

The Fifth Element

Persistent means “constantly repeated; continued”.

Persistence is a major element of toughness and is also key to success within your academic, sport, and everyday lifestyle. In the book Toughness by Jay Bilas and in his interview with Mike Kryzewski, Mike defines persistence as “… your ability to keep going without giving up or giving in.” (Bilas, 119) Although Mike`s definition does not match the dictionary definition in the first paragraph he still does give a very good definition in his own words. An example of persistence I have is my own personal experience. Persistence was introduced to me after playing 3 basketball games 3 nights in row and on the 3<sup>rd</sup> night of basketball not having gon` to bed before 1 o`clock A.M. each morning of the three games, I was absolutely worn. This is when I was introduced to persistence because I had to use whatever energy I had left in order to keep playing and to not give in and to not give up. I had to maintain a structured and solid persistence.

We are able to conclude that persistence is a very important element within "the game" and and toughness based off of the interview between Jay Bilas and Mike Kryzewski.

The Fourth Element

Communication is "the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated."

To me, communication is key, not only when playing sports but also in life. In this blog I’m just going to focus on my own point of view on communication which is an element of toughness in Jay Bilas`s book called Toughness. Well, I believe that communication is key when playing sports because communication is what keeps the game flowing and is what keeps all players on the same page, which makes communication beneficial to all players and helps them get a full understanding of what is going on in the game. An example of this is when players are on the football field they need to communicate in order to set up in the right positions and make the proper play in order to get the greatest amount of yards or a big stop on 4^th down. As I said before communication is beneficial and helps players get a better understanding of what’s going on in the game and make better/ smarter decisions.

Communication is not only a major part on the football field, the basketball court, or the soccer field, but also a major part of the human life. In life it is important to communicate and not lose communication in order for you to stay close with loved ones and friends, which in the end is not very fun to live with no one caring for you and being close with you.

Communication is key.

Taking a Break

Let`s take a break from the life lessons and elements from the fantastic book of Toughness by Jay Bilas and talk about a history making upcoming event... Super Bowl XLVIII! Two of the greatest teams in the 2013-2014 season going head to head in a match-up for the rings and the trophy.

The Super Bowl this year is between the Seattle Seahawks who went 15-3 this year versus the Denver Broncos who had also had a 15-3 season. The Super Bowl this year will be played at the MetLife Stadium located New Jersey.

With both teams going strong, the fight to the finish on it`s way, and the winner of Super Bowl XLVIII is unheard of till the dying seconds on the clock of the forth quarter, this game will be one for the ages.

In an article by Los Angeles Times called Poll: Who will win the Super Bowl, Broncos or Seahawks?, it said that  the Denver Broncos had the best offensive team in the league but it also said that the Seahawks have the best defensive team in the league. The outcome could come out either way...

Who do you think will be crowned champions?
Seattle of Denver?

The Third Element

The word courage means, "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery."

Another element within the book called Toughness by Jay Bilas is the element of courage. Courage as I define it, is the ability to do a task or activity without any sense of fear or nervousness. Jay Bilas has other thoughts, in his writing he says "To me, courage isn`t the absence of fear or doubt. Rather, courage is overcoming it. Everyone, in any endeavor, has moments of doubt, fears of making mistakes or losing. But when you can overcome those fears and doubt, you can perform with a free mind, and get out of your own way." Although I stand strong with my opinion of courage, I also agree with Jay, his definition is what leads to mine because once you have overcome those fears and doubts then you will be able to do that one task or activity without any fear or doubt.

An example of these definitions is of an NBA player such as John Wall and a big dunk, John Wall plays as the point guard for the Washington Wizards and even though he is isn`t as big as the other players he has to get over the fact that he might miss or completely get stuffed in order for him to become free minded and achieve his goal of dunking. This shows that once the players get over their doubts and fears of mistakes then they will be able to achieve with courage and free mindedness.

The Second Element

"Preparation" is defined as any proceeding, experience, or the like considered as a mode of preparing for the future.

In the book Toughness by Jay Bilas, he talks about the many elements of "toughness". In this blog post I am going to talk about the element of... preparation. Jay Bilas says that "preparation" is a lead towards confidence and allows you to react quicker under pressure. This statement is agreeable because when I used to play football, I would study and look over the plays in order for me to be prepared, and this readiness also gave me confidence, even though I should have already known the plays full and well because I was the quarterback. But even though I still knew them just reviewing them got me prepared and confident. Jay Bilas`s explanation is also agreeable because because in the NFL, NBA, matter of fact any sport the players always prepared at the professional level which allows them to make the amazing plays that we all love and enjoy, and also allows them to think quicker under pressure.

Preparation, preparation is an overall beneficial element to sports, with being prepared which allows players/ people to make smarter decisions and better choices on the field. We are able to conclude this based of the evidence from Jay Bilas and myself.

The First Element

"Trust" is defined as the reliance  on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

In the book Toughness by Jay Bilas, he explains many different elements of `toughness` and in this blog tbe main topic is: trust. Jay Bilas believes that it takes a certain amount of toughness to trust others and believe in yourself and, in which I also agree with.

I agreed with Jay`s statement in the last paragraph because i can relate "toughness" to my own personal life. It`s relatable because in high school I play on the basketball team and I  have to TRUST that my teammates will play their hardest and that I will have to believe in myself to do my best in order for our team to win games. So as we can see trust is very important in the act of playing a sport, but what`s it`s course in life? To me, trust is also a major element to the game of life. Trust is a much needed element in one`s life because people need to trust in others and believe in others, which in the long run will make the world a better, more enjoyable place.

In conclusion, we are able to see and figure out that trust is not only an important element of "toughness", but also an important element to life itself. This is able to be determined based off of Jay Bilas`s own self definition of the word "trust" and our shared beliefs.