Head in the game

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Each morning, she starts her day by taking 15 minutes to sit in silence.

Without any technology, Teri Moren thinks about the most important things in her life: pumping positive thoughts into her brain.

She said she believes that a simple five minutes doesn’t determine a day, and something great can be found in each day of our lives.

That’s the message Seymour’s Teri Moren emphasized during a talk Tuesday at the American Legion Annex.

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In conjunction with the Jackson County Public Library’s summer reading program, “Get in the Game, READ!” Moren took to a podium to discuss the importance of attitude.

Upon her arrival at the Annex, the Indiana University women’s basketball coach was greeted by former classmates, friends and family.

When she took the podium to start her speech, a teary-eyed Moren began by talking about her mother, the late Barb Moren.

“When I walked in, I saw a lot of my mother’s friends, including her hospice nurse,” Moren said. “When I think of attitude, I think of Barb Moren. She never had a bad day. She always looked at you with a smile. She’s what attitude looked like.

Even when she became diagnosed with ALS, she never asked the question ‘Why did this happen to me?’ She made sure that our family realized that things happen in life, but we still have to go on and make it through those tough times.”

She continued, “I think everyone has to surround themselves with somebody that has a great attitude, that can lift you up, inspire you and motivate you to make you a better version of yourself. I was fortunate enough that it was my mother.”

The Friends of the Jackson County Public Library sponsored the program with a donation to ALS, in memory of Barb Moren.

Moren said that every day, you can determine your attitude from when your feet hit the floor.

“Every morning, we have to wake up and answer the bell,” she said. “You have a choice what your day is going to look like. One thing for certain is that your going to have a conversation with each day, and that’s yourself.

When you think about it, it’s a tall task. It’s really easy to wake up and decide you’re not good enough. That choice can impact a lot of people.”

Breaking attitude down, Moren believes it comes down to three things: what you think, say and do.

An avid reader, Moren said that the books “The Positive Dog” and “The Energy Bus,” by John Gordon, exemplify the importance of maintaining a positive attitude.

“One of the most important conversations we have each day is with ourselves,” Moren said. “It’s equally important to pay attention to what you say to others. Words are powerful. Before you speak, think about if the words you choose are helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind.”

When evaluating her players, and looking at future prospects, Moren looks for body language and actions on the court that aren’t related to basketball.

Each of her players has a T-shirt that says, “Indiana University women’s basketball, body language never whispers — it screams.”

“Actions make words unnecessary,” Moren said. “My goal each day is to be better than yesterday. How we show up matters to your family, boss, co-workers. It matters that you do what you say you’re going to do.”

Moren encouraged the crowd to put the negative thoughts in the back of their minds and focused on everything they loved.

“It’s really easy to think about what you did wrong,” Moren said. “I think that is the moment to erase all my self doubt. Self doubt will eat you alive. Self doubt will kick your butt if you let it. Tell yourself you refuse to do that.”

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More from the coach

Following the speech, Moren did an open Q&A with the audience, of about 40, on her second season coaching the Hoosiers. Look for that Q&A in an upcoming edition of The Tribune.

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