Happy Monday!

Here you go...

For Athletes: Your Why

A man was walking through a construction site and noticed three workers doing the same job.

He asked the first man, who was lazily swinging his hammer, “What are you doing?”
The worker replied, “Hitting a rock.”

He asked the second worker, who had more focus and energy than the first guy, “What are you doing?”
The second worker said, “I’m building a wall.”

Finally, he approached the third worker, doing the same as the other two, but doing his job with immense enthusiasm and joy, and asked the same question.
The third worker smiled and said, “I’m building a cathedral.”

Three men. Same task. Completely different levels of enthusiasm.
The difference was the why behind what they were doing.

When you remember why you do what you do, you’ll have more power to do it.

Action step of the week: Before you start your day, take 60 seconds to remind yourself why you do what you do.
Write it down. Say it out loud. Share it with someone. When your purpose is clear, your effort has power.

​

For Coaches: Your Critical Few

In every team, a small minority drives most of the results. Economists call this the Pareto Principle — the law of the critical few.

Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th-century economist, noticed that 80% of Italy’s land was owned by just 20% of its people. Later, he found that 20% of his pea pods produced 80% of his peas.

The pattern shows up everywhere:

• 20% of the players are responsible for 80% of the results.
• 20% of your clothes get worn 80% of the time.
• 20% of your contacts get 80% of your communication.

As the coach, your job is to identify your critical few — the people, processes, and priorities that truly move the needle. Then invest, develop, and hold those few to a higher standard.

Action step of the week: Identify your critical few. Look at your roster, staff, or systems and ask: "Who or what drives the majority of our results?" Once you know, double down. Spend more time developing, resourcing, and refining those few—because when those things improve, everything else improves.

​

For Parents: Pull the String

If you want to connect with your child, don’t just talk—listen.

In sports and in your home, strong relationships are a competitive advantage. Building a bridge of trust with your child is critical to your relationship, and one of the best ways to do so is to improve your listening skills. As a father of three teenagers, I know this can be easier said than done.

Real listening isn’t just nodding your head. It’s asking the kind of questions that pull the string and invite your child to go deeper. Questions like:

• “What do you mean by that?”
• “Can you tell me more?”
• “That’s a great point. Can you give me an example?”
• “When have you seen that happen?”
• “What do you think caused that?”

These questions signal that you're with them, that you care, and that you're trying to understand where they are coming from.

The more your child feels heard, the more they’ll open up, and that’s how trust, confidence, and connection grow between you two.

Action step of the week: Try to improve your listening with your child this week. Consider the questions I just shared with you to pull the thread a little further on what they're saying, so you can create space for them to truly feel heard.

Announcement: I'd love to support you, coaches!

Coaches—
I’m putting together a 4-week coaching cohort that will start in a few weeks. We’ll dig into the same frameworks I use with top-level coaches at the professional level (MLB, NBA, NFL, PGA, ATP, etc.), helping you build a championship-level culture, connect deeper with your players, and communicate with clarity and confidence. I want my newsletter friends (you) to get the first crack at getting an available slot before I open it up to the public. I want to keep the group as small as possible so we can really get to know each other.

If this sounds like something you'd like to do, reply to this email and I’ll get you the info.

If this email was forwarded to you and you want it to come directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe

​About Justin Su'a | Instagram | Linkedin | X​

​Click to listen to the "Increase Your Impact Podcast"​

​