MESSAGE #1345 LIGHT A CANDLE
Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.-Chinese proverb
As a coach, I see many players “cursing the darkness.”
“The referee made a terrible call!”
“It was so windy!”
“Why can’t I make a shot today?!?”
The losers in life curse the darkness, or focus on the negatives.
The winners, on the other hand, light a candle (even if it is a small one), and focus on the positives, and the lesson learned.
“I can’t serve!” —Bad
“I am not a good test-taker!” —Bad
“I don’t have any money!” —Bad
“I missed that shot, so what? It’s in the past and I can’t change that, so let’s focus on this point—you’re still in control.” —Good
“Tests are difficult for me, but I am going to relax and trust all the hard work I put into it.” —Good
“Money may be tight, but this is a great excuse for me to think outside the box and creatively make more money—there are many options.” —Good
What you say to yourself affects what type of results you get. You don’t have to win the US Open to think like a winner.
Stop whining, start winning. And the next time adversity hits, don’t curse the darkness, light a candle instead.
MESSAGE #1337 LET GO #2…
Recently, I gave some advice to a young friend of mine, Madison (above). She had a test in school the next day and I told her to just relax while taking it and give it her all. Well, I saw Madison yesterday and asked her how her test went. Her response was, “I got a 100!”
We all want to achieve greatness, but the problem is we often put too much pressure on the results.
The best way to get the best results is…
Not worrying about the results!
Focus instead on staying loose and concentrating on the task at hand.
If you put the time in studying (or practicing), you are ready. Trust the work you put in, take a deep breath and go for it.
When you focus on HOW you can perform well, instead of IF you can perform well, your world changes. Your results change.
Too many people worry about what parents will think or what friends will think…if they perform poorly. This is a recipe for disaster. Don’t worry about the past or the future…the power is in the present. The best performers in the world from athletes to students to business owners, know the secret.
Relax and go all out!
One question at a time. One point at at time. One meeting at a time.
Gandhi put it best…
“Full effort is full victory.”
Thank you, Madison, for reminding me of this very important lesson and inspiring me to be better at everything that I do!
MESSAGE #1335 NATIONAL CHAMP!
Anthony Robles has just become the NCAA Division 1 National Champion for wrestling. And Anthony Robles has only one leg. Watch this inspiring interview.
MESSAGE #1329 HOW TO BE UNSTOPPABLE
Manny Banuelos, New York Yankees, Spring Training 2011
Have you ever been nervous before a big game?
Have you ever tightened up at a crucial point in a game?
Have you ever doubted yourself?
Of course you have, you’re human.
One thing I have unearthed by talking to some of the greatest athletes in the world is that the world champions and the weekend warriors feel the same feelings. They think the same thoughts. So what sets them apart?
Their perception of the situation.
The actions that they take.
Yankee pitcher, Manny Banuelos just turned 20 years old on Sunday. And on Monday, he was slated to pitch on ESPN versus the Boston Red Sox. The biggest game of his life.
What did he do?
He pitched 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits, 3 walks and striking out 2.
Pretty impressive for someone who was a teenager just two days before.
What’s more impressive is how Man-Ban reacted to the pressure.
His perception was excitement, not pressure.
Banuelos admits he gets nervous, but it doesn’t last long.
In the second inning, Banuelos got into a jam, having the bases loaded and only one out. He stepped it up and forced the next two hitters to ground out.
Then, on his last pitch, the pressure was on again with a 3-2 count. He threw a change-up to Kevin Youkllis and struck him out.
Wow.
The bottom line is that you can either let pressure hurt you or you can let it help you. It’s your choice how you react, and if you are able to do your best when it means the most.
It is then that you will be unstoppable.
Speaking of being unstoppable, I shared my new mental skills workbook, “How to be Unstoppable” with some of the Yankees players when I was down at Spring Training last week. You can pick up your own copy by clicking HERE.
MESSAGE #1324 DAY 2 IN TAMPA
Today didn’t go as planned—it was BETTER.
I woke up here in Tampa to heavy rain. It threw my schedule off. I had meetings planned and wanted to go checkout the Yankees game at the Phillies’ stadium in Clearwater. Due to the weather, I needed to rearrange and cancel some meetings. Then, the weather broke and it looked like the game would be played after all. So again I had to change some plans. But I stayed flexible and figured out the best strategy, and the day went extremely well.
What does this have to do with you, and mental toughness?
In sports and life, we need to be flexible. If you go into a game thinking there is only one way to win, you may be greatly disappointed. Instead, there are many options. Obstacles will always pop up, that’s not the problem. The problem is how we react.
I always tell the following to the athletes I work with: “Every strategy works for someone—NO strategy works for everyone.”
MESSAGE #1319 MORE ON FOCUS
Try this exercise:
1. Find three red things in the room you are in.
2. Close your eyes and quickly think of something green in the room.
If you are like most people, it was difficult to think of something green. This is because you were focused on the red items in the room. How does this affect you?
You get what you focus on.
During peak performances, athletes focus on the right things: their target, strategy or game plan.
During poor performances, athletes focus on the wrong things: results, bad calls, bad conditions, spectators or the score.
Focus is important, but make sure you focus on the right things.
FOR A COPY OF MY NEW MENTAL SKILLS WORKBOOK, CLICK HERE: http://edtseng.com/purchase-game-set-life-the-book/mental-skills-workbook
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