5 Ways to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses

5 Ways to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses

As we all know, life is tricky and keeps us on our toes. We’re constantly making decisions–big life decisions and all the small daily ones in between. Having the agency to make choices is such a gift, but it sometimes can be challenging–especially when those choices bring losses. I had the opportunity to chat with Lee Anne Pope, wife of Mark Pope, head basketball coach for Brigham Young University. Here’s her advice and 5 ways to navigate life’s wins & losses. 

Lee Anne Pope grew up as the daughter of Lynn Archibald. He was the head basketball coach at Idaho State, Utah State, and several other schools including BYU where he finished his coaching career in the mid-1990s. Lee Anne loved being the coach’s daughter. She enjoyed all the perks and learned from the hard things that came with it. Growing up as the coach’s daughter prepared her for life now as the wife of the BYU Head Coach, Mark Pope. 

Lee Anne really inspired me with all of the motivational quotes she lives by and preaches to the BYU basketball team and to her family over and over again. I hope you enjoy them too with her 5 ways to navigate life’s wins & losses! 

5 Ways to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses

#1 Way to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses: Understand it’s part of the deal. 

Lee Anne said her parents always did a good job at teaching her and her siblings that “it’s just part of the deal.” All the good and bad that come from choices we make are just part of the deal and we need to accept it and move on. For example, when Lee Anne and her brothers were the new kids time and time again throughout high school, they knew it was just part of the deal and while they didn’t like it, they made the best of it–and it even made her and her siblings closer. This experience prepared Lee Anne as a mother for when her kids went through the exact same thing. 

Lee Anne reminds us that we need to take ownership of our choices–good and bad. She said she never complains about her husband’s work schedule because this is what she chose. And when you aren’t complaining it gives you more time to think about what you’re grateful for. She believes gratitude can be really powerful, especially within a family. 

#2 Way to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses: Stand up for what’s right. 

Lee Anne remembers her mom as someone who always stood up for what is right. That’s where she learned to do it herself. The very first experience she has of standing up for what’s right happened when she was 10 years old. 

It was at the end of one of her dad’s basketball games and someone yelled from the crowd (while it was pretty quiet in the arena) “Coach Archibald, you suck!” And Lee Anne marched right up to this man and said, “I’m Lee Anne Archibald and I’m Coach Archilbald’s daughter. And my dad does not suck.” And the man replied, “Well, his coaching does!” 

Lee Anne will remember that experience forever and it’s something she holds close to her heart because it’s evidence that she is someone who stands up for what’s right, even if it is hard or scary to do. 

#3 Way to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses: Make it the right decision. 

One thing Lee Anne has learned over the years is that sometimes the choice isn’t between right and wrong, but rather between what’s good and what’s better. She has tried with whatever she chooses, to make it the right decision by following after it and keeping faith in that decision. 

It can be scary to make decisions and know which one is the best one. When you have two good choices put in front of you, once you decide which one to take, make it the right one by standing by it and never looking back. 

Before Lee Anne’s husband pursued basketball coaching, he had plans to become a doctor. He was in his third year of medical school when he switched to a coaching career. He and Lee Anne have always pressed forward with that choice and while many hard things have come with it, they’re grateful for their journey and made this choice the right one by committing to it every single day. 

#4 Way to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses: Chase hard and love passionately. 

This tip can go right along with the one just mentioned about making your choices right. When you chase hard and love passionately and let God take care of the rest, you feel much better about things. When you know you’ve done all that you can and left the rest up to your higher power, there’s a sense of peace you feel that can’t come from anywhere else. 

And this piece of advice of chasing hard and loving passionately can refer to so many different life situations. It can be applied to knowing who to date, who to marry, which job to take, where to live, and so many more. These are all really big decisions that could easily weigh you down. But if you keep your faith and work hard, you’ll see that you’re strong enough to carry that weight and enjoy everything that comes with it. 

#5 Way to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses: Do not keep score. 

This tip is perhaps a really important one since it’s coming from the wife of a head basketball coach (and the daughter of one, too). Lee Anne said she and her husband do not keep score. They are really good at forgiving each other and know the value of fresh starts. There’s never too many fresh starts and if you can remember that for your life, especially within your familial relationships, you will be much better off–and a lot happier too! 

5 Ways to Navigate Life’s Wins & Losses

I hope you enjoyed these 5 ways to navigate life’s wins & losses with Lee Anne Pope as much as I did. If you want to enjoy more of Lee Anne’s stories and advice, you can listen to the full podcast episode here. 

I have to tell you that chatting with the wife of the BYU basketball head coach reminds me of my Rocky Road Cake! It’s inspired by the ice cream trips my husband Ryan and I take when we go to BYU basketball games. (I couldn’t end the post without mentioning it!) You can follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for delicious cake recipes and more.