COLLIS: Don’t take any of the time for granted. I have three more summers with my 15 year old, and I wish we had made a few different financial decisions early on to make sure we could take bigger family vacations. We kept saying, “We’ll wait until they’re old enough to appreciate it,” but then we kept having kids. Now, she’s traveled a bit, but I would have loved to take more trips togeth- er. But, we still have three summers with all of them, and hopefully we can get her to join us sometimes, even as we travel later on. The main thing I’d tell myself: Don’t take the time for granted. RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS Favorite spot for date lunch… Cecelia Creole Bistro or Ruth’s Chris Steak House. One word that best describes your family… dynamic. Favorite movie… Coming to America . Favorite food… filet mignon from Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Hidden talent… The talent I have— people who watched basketball at LSU 20 years ago know about it. It might be hidden now, but it wasn’t back then.
done well. Work ethic is just like marriage. If it’s important to you, you have to work at it. It requires effort. And focus goes hand in hand with that. I put in the same focus, energy, and effort for my family as I do in my career. So really, it comes down to coachability, focus, and work ethic.
what she was saying. These affirmations are foundational to who they are and how they see themselves. WHO WERE THE BIGGEST ROLE MODELS FOR YOU GROWING UP, AND HOW HAVE THEY INFLUENCED YOU? COLLIS: Absolutely, my parents. All the things I just talked about, the coachability, focus, and work ethic, both my mom and my dad modeled that for me. HOW DO YOU MODEL RESILIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE FOR YOUR KIDS? COLLIS: I think sports play a vital role. My kids are fortunate. They don’t face major life challenges. They have both parents, almost all their grandparents, and they haven’t lost anyone. So they haven’t had to overcome serious hardships. That’s why I believe it’s im- portant to put them, even if it’s in an artificial way, into situations through sports where they have to struggle, work hard, and over- come obstacles. If they want to succeed at a high level, playing sports has been the way. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO YOURSELF A WEEK BEFORE YOU BECAME A DAD, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
WHAT VALUES DO YOU PRIORITIZE IN TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN?
COLLIS: I’d say valuing people over things, valuing having integrity, and affirming who they are as people and what their potential is. HOW DO YOU USE AFFIRMATIONS WITH YOUR CHILDREN? COLLIS: Early on—even before they were born—I started using affirmations with the kids. Britney adopted the practice as well. All of them can repeat their affirmations anytime, and I hope it’s been burned into their subconscious, shaping how they see themselves. We have them say things like: I’m a leader, I’m a champion, I’m a child of God. For my daughters, I add, I’m a princess. My oldest, when she was four or five, asked to add another one; she wanted I’m a winner, and we also added I never give up. That, to me, meant she understood and owned
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