MESSAGE #691 EXCEED EXPECTATIONS…

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“It’s never crowded along the extra mile.”
-WAYNE DYER

At the end of a practice, do a little bit more.

At the end of your workday, do a little bit more.

At the end of your study session, do a little bit more.

Why should you do this?

Because nobody else is.

Read the following article from the OC Register:

Thursday, June 18, 2009
Pixar grants girl’s dying wish to see ‘Up’
Company sent DVD so Huntington Beach girl, 10, could watch it.
By ANNIE BURRIS

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.
From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.
After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.
The company flew an employee with a DVD of Up, which is only in theaters, to the Curtins’ Huntington Beach home on June 10 for a private viewing of the movie.
The animated movie begins with scenes showing the evolution of a relationship between a husband and wife. After losing his wife in old age, the now grumpy man deals with his loss by attaching thousands of balloons to his house, flying into the sky, and going on an adventure with a little boy.
Colby died about seven hours after seeing the film.
With her daughter’s vigil planned for Friday, Lisa Curtin reflected about how grateful she is that Pixar – and “Up” – were a part of her only child’s last day.
“When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie,” said Curtin, 46. “I just know that word ‘Up’ and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven.”
Pixar officials declined to comment on the story or name the employees involved.

THE PREVIEWS
Colby was diagnosed with vascular cancer on Dec. 23, 2005 after doctors found a tumor in her liver. At the time of her death, her stomach was about 94 inches around, swollen with fluids the cancer wouldn’t let her body properly digest. The rest of her body probably weighed about 45 pounds, family friend Carole Lynch said.
Colby had gone to Newport Elementary School and was known for making others laugh, family friend Terrell Orum-Moore said. Colby loved to dance, sing, swim and seemed to have a more mature understanding of the world than other children her age, Orum-Moore said.
On April 28, Colby went to see the Dream Works 3-D movie “Monsters Vs. Aliens” but was impressed by the previews to “Up.”
“It was from then on, she said, ‘I have to see that movie. It is so cool,’” Lynch said.
Colby was a movie fan, Lisa Curtin said, and she latched onto Pixar’s movies because she loved animals.
Two days later Colby’s health began to worsen. On June 4 her mother asked a hospice company to bring a wheelchair for Colby so she could visit a theater to see “Up.” However, the weekend went by and the wheelchair was not delivered, Lisa Curtin said.
By June 9, Colby could no longer be transported to a theater and her family feared she would die without having seen the movie.
At that point, Orum-Moore, who desperately wanted Colby to get her last wish, began to cold-call Pixar and Disney to see if someone could help.
Pixar has an automated telephone answering system, Orum-Moore said, and unless she had a name of a specific person she wanted to speak to, she could not get through. Orum-Moore guessed a name and the computer system transferred her to someone who could help, she said.
Pixar officials listened to Colby’s story and agreed to send someone to Colby’s house the next day with a DVD of “Up,” Orum-Moore recalled.
She immediately called Lisa Curtin, who told Colby.
“Do you think you can hang on?” Colby’s mother said.
“I’m ready (to die), but I’m going to wait for the movie,” the girl replied.

THE MOVIE
At about 12:30 p.m. the Pixar employee came to the Curtins’ home with the DVD.
He had a bag of stuffed animals of characters in the movie and a movie poster. He shared some quirky background details of the movie and the group settled in to watch Up.
Colby couldn’t see the screen because the pain kept her eyes closed so her mother gave her a play-by-play of the film.
At the end of the film, the mother asked if her daughter enjoyed the movie and Colby nodded yes, Lisa Curtin said.
The employee left after the movie, taking the DVD with him, Lynch said.
“He couldn’t have been nicer,” said Lynch who watched the movie with the family. “His eyes were just welled up.”
After the movie, Colby’s dad, Michael Curtin, who is divorced from Lisa Curtin, came to visit.
Colby died with her mom and dad nearby at 9:20 p.m.
Among the Up memorabilia the employee gave Colby was an “adventure book” – a scrap book the main character’s wife used to chronicle her journeys.
“I’ll have to fill those adventures in for her,” Lisa Curtin said.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #690 THE ART OF MEMORY…

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“Art is skill, that is the first meaning of the word.”
-ERIC GILL

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again.

Sports is not about talent, it’s about skill.

Music is not about talent, it’s about skill.

Academics, work, and everything else are the same way.

On Wednesday night, I attended a lecture at Princeton given by a grandmaster of memory, the great Ed Cooke. Grandmaster Cooke can memorize 1,000 numbers in about an hour. And he can memorize a deck of cards in about one minute.

He had the audience remember 20 words, forward and backwards. It turns out it was one way to memorize the Periodic Table of Elements! How did he do it? He created a similar sounding word and linked a picture with it.

He also had the audience memorize pi to 22 decimal places.

And to top it off, at the end of his lecture he memorized a brand new deck of cards in one minute. Amazing.

Author’s note: ALL FEATS ARE LEARNED!

It’s about skill, strategy and hard work. Not talent.

If someone in the world can do it, YOU can do it. I wasn’t born to be a tennis pro or motivational speaker, I was TRAINED to be one.

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you’re right.”
-HENRY FORD

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #689 CAN ONE PERSON MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

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“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”
-MAHATMA GANDHI

As you know, yesterday morning I attended a great lecture on happiness by The Reverend Peter Stimpson. Well last night I listened to another great lecture by Ed Cooke, Grandmaster of Memory, at Princeton University. As a speaker myself, I love listening to other speakers, but unfortunately most speakers are boring. Let me explain. Most speakers memorize their lines and their main goal is to deliver each point, but that’s not what it takes to be a great speaker. A great speaker speaks from the heart, creates energy, involves the audience and is entertaining. I’m going to tell you all about Ed Cooke’s amazing lecture…

Tomorrow.

Today, I want to tell you that you can make a difference.

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “How can one person make a difference?”

Well, imagine if your car broke down inside the Lincoln Tunnel? I’m pretty sure you would affect traffic.

But I want you to make a difference in a positive way.

What do you love? What are you good at?

-Start a blog
-Post a video on youtube
-Compliment your customers
-Cheer on your teammates
-Compliment a stranger
-Cheer on a family member
-Leave a weekly inspirational quote on your voicemail
-Go read to the blind
-Have your dog go sit and listen to children with speech problems while they are practicing

It will matter.

It doesn’t matter what you do, but do something. Start a movement. Make a difference. Be a leader.

Watch the video below. And pay close attention at around the one minute mark. And then close your eyes and imaging what you can do…

Thanks for reading (and watching).

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MESSAGE #688 THE REVEREND JUST MADE ME HAPPIER!

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“The journey is the Thing.”
-HOMER

I wish I could start every day like I did today.

At 7:15AM I pulled into the parking lot of the Nassau Club for a breakfast meeting for the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. Today’s speaker was Reverend Peter Stimpson, director of Trinity Counseling Service, and author of “Map to Happiness.”

I love listening to speakers. And I love learning about happiness. And I love networking. I did it all this morning.

Reverend Stimpson used the quote above by Homer in his talk. He spoke about how it’s not the product (money, status, power) but instead, it’s all about the process (your journey, your attitude and your relationships).

The Reverend said that the key is to learn to love and be loved, in every interaction we have. This is so true in relationships, work, school and sports. He talked about how someone he knew was miserable at the end of his career because he only accumulated five million dollars versus his business partner who made fifty million. Guess what? If you have five million dollars and you’re miserable, you’re just a miserable rich person. It’s about the journey.

Stimpson said not to worry about external opinion, but to focus on internal worth.

The three main points in his talk were:
1. Everyone is insecure – it’s okay to make mistakes
2. We give power to other people – why? Power comes from within
3. Success is who you become not what you attain

Stimpson also talked about depression and how it occurs when there is a big gap between our ego and ego ideal. If we feel we need to or have to or should accomplish this goal or that goal and we don’t achieve it, depression sets in. The cure? Love yourself for who you are, as you are. Separate actions and results from worth.

The Reverend ended by saying “Remember, everyone is insecure. It’s okay if you are too. Just be patient with your growth.”

This applies to all areas of life.


Thanks for reading.

Be sure to checkout my interview on Global Village Tennis News: http://globalvillagetennisnews.com/2009/06/16/seven-questions-with-game-set-life–peak-performance-for-sports-and-life-author-ed-tseng.aspx

MESSAGE #687 USE ADVERSITY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE…

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A special Happy Birthday to one of my good friends and heros, the great Bob Ryland, the first black professional tennis player. 89 years young today!

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.”
-ARTHUR GOLDEN

Kimberly Smith grew up in Brooklyn. I met Kimberly in 2007 during The Book Bank Foundation’s “Shelter From the Streets” campaign, established by celebrity sports agent and philanthropist Glenn Toby. We travelled through all five boroughs of New York City stopping by shelters and even going under bridges and stopping by other homeless locations distributing clothing, books, toys, toiletries and hope to the homeless.

But it wasn’t until recently that I learned Kimberly’s story.

Kimberly has had some adversity in her life, but sports helped her through it.

“Sports have helped me tremendously during the most difficult times in my life. I learned discipline, never to give up, patience, and how to be competitive. This has also helped me in the work force. My brother was killed when I was 16 years but I remained on the basketball, volleyball and softball teams. I became more focused than ever and developed a game plan to achieve all of my goals. Whenever I felt my back was against the wall I never backed down but continue to push to forward with the mindset of succeeding. As a result I graduated in the top 20% of my high school class, earned my B.S. and recently earned my Master’s Degree. Each day I give gratitude for my accomplishments but never lose sight of my goals. With each loss I’ve encountered in life and playing sports, a great lesson was learned.”

So you see, we can either let difficult times beat us down, or we can have them lift us up. It’s a choice. It’s your perception of the situation that ultimately determines whether you succeed or fail.

If you can embrace challenges and difficulties and look at them as learning experiences that help you grow and get stronger, you are on your way to a winning mindset.

The next time adversity is looking you straight in the face, take a step back and ask yourself, “How do I want to perceive this?”


Thanks for reading and thank you to Kimberly Smith for being an inspiration to all of us.

MESSAGE #686 MIND POWER…

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“We are born unarmed. Our mind is our only weapon.”
-AYN RAND

Well, we all had a great weekend at the Special Olympics New Jersey Summer Games at The College of New Jersey.

Some athletes won, some did not, but everyone gave it their all. The weekend culminated with the Awards Ceremony. Everyone either received a ribbon or a medal as we celebrated yet again with each other, then hugged until next year.

These athletes have mental disabilities.

But for many of them, their memory is good.

In fact, the great Alex Armour has an amazing memory. You can tell him your birthday (month, day, year) and within two seconds, he will tell you exactly what day of the week it fell on. Oh, and if you then ask him what day of the week your birthday fell on in 1999 (or any year), he will tell you that too.

He’s never been wrong. I take that back, once Alex told someone they were born on a Saturday and they said that in fact, they were born on a Friday. Later on I found out that the mother went into the hospital on Friday night, but she did not deliver until after midnight. Amazing.

So let me give you a brain twister…

Imagine that you are lost in a forest which is inhabited by Red women and Green women only. The Red women always tell the truth and the Green women always lie. You come to a fork in the road; you have to get to a town called “Umgowa,” but you don’t know whether to take the right or left road. There is a woman standing at the fork, but it is too dark to see if she’s Red or Green. Here’s your challenge: Can you ask just one question of this woman, which calls for a “yes” or “no” answer, and find out which is the correct road to take?

Keep in mind:
You don’t know whether the woman is Red or Green.
Even if you asked two questions, it would be difficult, because if you asked, “Are you a Red woman?” you would get a yes from both (Green is lying).

Nevertheless, there is a way to ask just one question to find out which road to take. Take a piece of paper and try out different scenarios. If you do not write them down, you will forget what you already tried.

Answer:

The question you would ask the Red or Green woman is this: You would point to either road, and say, “If I had asked you before would you have said that this was the correct road to take toward Umgowa?”

If you were pointing to the correct road, both women would have to say “yes” and if you were pointing to the wrong road, both women would have to say “no.”

Let me explain. If you are pointing to the correct road, the Red woman’s answer is an obvious “yes,” but the Green woman would have said “no” the first time, but would have to lie again, which would make her answer a “yes.”

If you were pointing to the wrong road, the Red woman would say “no” and the Green woman would have lied before and said “yes.” But since you are asking her if she would have said “yes” she must say “no.” You would get a “no” from both so you would then take the other road.
Get it?

Have any brain teasers for me? I’d love to hear your comments…

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #685 DAY 3 SPECIAL OLYMPICS SUMMER GAMES…

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“I’m just here to give it my all, make some new friends and have fun. And if I win a medal, that’s great.”
-BRAD ABOUCHEDID, Special Olympics tennis player, Summer Games 2009

MESSAGE #684 INSPIRE GREATNESS…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Gene Swanhart, Director of Training, Special Olympics New Jersey.

Yesterday was a day filled with effort, energy, focus and inspiration. It was filled with laughter, sweat and tears.

It was great to see the many familiar faces of the special athletes, their special family/friends, and the special organizers and volunteers.

I love the smiles of all the athletes.

I love the effort of all of the athletes.

I love the support from the family and friends of all of the athletes.
Everyone was in good spirits and joking around. We laughed.

We saw 8 year old, CJ Inverso, light the torch at his first Opening Ceremonies. He has trouble walking and was assisted up the ladder to the torch by a police officer. We cried.

We saw over 2,500 athletes walk in by county in to Lions Stadium being cheered by a sea of people. We were inspired.

I can’t say enough about the Summer Games. There are so many life lessons during this great weekend.

So come out today to The College of New Jersey and support this great cause. All out effort. Gratitude. Unconditional love. Fun.

I like this world.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #683 IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR…

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“Programmed into our very human nature is the desire to push limits. Here is the proof.”
-Message painted on a Special Olympics van

Today’s message is especially dedicated to all of the inspiring special athletes, organizers and volunteers at this weekend’s Special Olympics Summer Games at The College of New Jersey.

Well, it’s my favorite time of year again – Special Olympics Summer Games.

This amazing annual event gives me a true sense of pure joy and inspiration. I have been a volunteer coach for nearly ten years now and am enjoying every minute of it!

These athletes have mental disabilities.

But I look at it differently…

They are truly special.

Where else can you get an all-out effort and a huge smile and sense of accomplishment with a last-place finish?

All of the athletes, parents, friends, supporters and volunteers experience unconditional love and support during these games.

And everyone is so polite, saying thank you to the ball boys and girls. Cheering each other on, even if they are competing against each other.

Most of these players cannot even keep score, and you think that YOU are not cut out to play sports?

It’s not about winning. It’s about pushing yourself, giving your all, and having fun.

I don’t get paid a dime to work with these special athletes.

I’m lying.

I have gotten unlimited internal riches from my experience. And that will always be with me.

I volunteer because I love it and I feel that it is my way of making a difference.

And the only reason why I tell you about my work with the Special Olympics is that I hope that this may inspire you to do something equally gratifying.

Make a difference however you can.

That’s success. And that’s wealth.

So come out this weekend to support these great athletes. The first person to find me at the tennis courts gets a free copy of my book, “Game. Set. Life.” signed by yours truly and my entire Special Olympics tennis team!


Thanks for reading.