[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Perhaps, but if you keep it to yourself, I don't learn anything. If you pass along your wisdom, I likely will cease getting it wrong. There's always a chance that I saw something differently than the viewpoint passed to me, but those moments you can take in stride. The thing I've come to learn is that the post-game "good game" or "nice job" comments from your partner are quite meaningless. What they're basically saying is, "we got through that one," but these friendly offerings are no evaluation of your work. Instead, we generally have to wait until the end of the season to get the truth, in the form of our evaluations. This is where you want to yell, "where was this information two months ago?!" You can't take corrective action on information withheld, and that's the most frustrating part of it all.

I had the same frustration a few years ago, but my attitude has changed. Now I don't passively wait for advice or constructive criticism. Instead I'm proactive and seek out constructive criticism. Any time anybody sees me work, even the junior varsity officials who stay for the first half of my varsity game, I always ask, "So, what did you see?". Nobody escapes getting this question asked of them. Some respond. Some don't. How does that Serenity Prayer go? Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.