SPARK Insights™ – Issue #0040

A Powerful Week of Story Shifts

Last week, eight people joined me for the Story Shift Experience — and the feedback has been phenomenal.

What started as a two-hour experiment might just grow into a three-hour immersion, or even a two-part series. The conversations we had, and the breakthroughs that unfolded, reminded me why I do this work.

And it inspired me to share a personal story shift of my own.

Closing One Chapter, Opening Another

This week marked the beginning of a new role for me — one I didn’t plan for, but in hindsight, I was already writing into my story.

As some of you know, I retired from coaching basketball at my alma mater last year after 38 seasons. My final year was tough — not because I didn’t love the game or my players, but because I couldn’t recover the way I used to. Physically and mentally, my excitement was fading. Stepping away was one of the hardest choices I’ve made.

But even after leaving, I stayed connected — attending games, sitting on the bench, keeping score — and, quietly, I began writing my next chapter.

The Conversation That Changed Everything

One day, I told our athletic director that if the golf coach ever retired, I’d be interested in talking.

A few months later, that exact opportunity appeared.

Now, I’m stepping into my first season as Head Golf Coach. It’s a shorter season (seven weeks vs. five months), with fewer summer commitments, and it puts me in a sport I love. Between The Mental Yardage Book and SPARK Tee Time™, golf has been a source of joy and insight for years — and now it’s part of my coaching life in a whole new way.

The Who–What–Why Framework

This shift came from a framework I call Who – What – Why:

• Who – Get clear on who you are and who you want to become.

• What – Be specific about what you want to create.

• Why – Anchor it to a deep reason that excites and sustains you.

The part I love most? Leaving the how to life.

I set my what and why, loosen my grip, and allow the details to show up. This is exactly what happened with the golf coaching role — it arrived effortlessly because I created the conditions for it.

What I Want for You

That’s what I want for the people in the Story Shift Experience — to let go of old identities, choose deliberately who they want to be, what they want to do, and why they want to do it… and then let life deliver.

The next iteration is coming soon. If you’re ready to rewrite your story, keep your eyes open — I’ll be sharing the details here first.

Until then, keep writing your own plot twists — and loosen your grip.

— Coach Reg

P.S. A Mystical Birthday Story

The story above was straightforward. This one? Not so much. This one’s got a dash of magic, a sprinkle of “you can’t make this up,” and might require you to suspend your disbelief for a few minutes.

Last October, during my 55th birthday week, I decided to play with manifestation.

A few weeks earlier, Arlene and I were golfing when she spotted a nickel lying on the cart path. We picked it up, laughed about it, and decided it was our tiny gesture of accepting abundance into our lives — even if it was just five cents.

So on my birthday — my “double nickels” milestone — I thought:

Wouldn’t it be fun if I found another nickel today? Not searching for it. Not digging through couch cushions. I want it to literally roll up to me. Fall at my feet. No effort.

The Nickel That Found Me

Fast forward a few hours. We’re in San Antonio, staying a few extra days after a conference. Before our afternoon round of golf, I head into the restroom.

I step into a stall, sit down, and about 30 seconds later, a guy takes the stall next to mine.

Then… clink, clink, clink. I hear change hitting the floor.

And right on cue, one shiny nickel rolls under the divider, past his shoes, and stops dead center in front of my right big toe.

I stared at it, grinned, and thought, Okay, universe… you’ve got my attention.

The Surprise That Could Only Be for Me

But there was a second thing I had asked for on my birthday — something that would surprise me completely, delight me, and be so perfectly “me” that there could be no mistaking it was a gift.

The next morning at breakfast, I spot a guy wearing a Billy Joel Madison Square Garden t-shirt. Naturally, I say, “You’ve seen Billy play there?”

His reply? “I’ve seen Billy over 100 times at Madison Square Garden.”

Then he drops the kicker: “In fact, I’m seeing him tonight.”

I blink. “Wait. Tonight? Where?”

“Right here in San Antonio. He’s playing the Alamodome with Sting.”

Now, if you know me, you know this hits me right in the soul. Billy Joel is one of my all-time favorite artists — part of my teenage soundtrack, my mom’s playlist, and now my daughters’ favorites too. I’ve seen him in concert with both my mom and my daughter, multiple times.

I practically ran back to the table to tell Arlene. Minutes later, we’re online, and what do we find? First-row balcony seats. Discounted. For that night.

The Magic of Leaving the How to Life

Two birthday wishes — one nickel, one once-in-a-lifetime concert — both delivered without me chasing, forcing, or hustling.

I set the what and the why, and life handed me the how on a silver platter.

That’s the kind of magic I want for you, too. Not because you’re lucky. Not because you forced it. But because you trusted it.

What stories like this do you have? I want to HEAR THEM!