“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
-PATANJALI
“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
Well, today is Day 2 of my 21 day program of exercise, meditation, and organization. I didn’t really have time to exercise this morning, as I’m about to catch the 7:36am train into the city, but I did it anyway. I also meditated and feel great. I will certainly organize later today.
Life is about moments.
Yesterday I talked about doing what you need to do.
Today, I’m telling you that after you do those things, create moments for today.
We tend to think that we will live forever.
We accumulate “things” and save all of our money, but we can’t take those things with us, can we? It doesn’t matter if you’re the richest person in the graveyard.
At the end of your life, it is the moments that you will remember. And it is the things that you wish you had done.
Go all out in life.
Go all out in your sport.
Make every day count.
We only have one chance at this wonderful thing called life.
Start taking guitar lessons. Start taking cooking classes. Make time for reading.
What am I doing today?
Playing tennis in Central Park with the great Bob Ryland, the first black professional tennis player.
Talk about moments.
Thanks for reading.
“Don’t confuse activity with progress.”
-author unknown
I have a feeling that someone reading this message has a busy life.
You’re always on the go.
You feel that there are not enough hours in the day.
You don’t seem to be getting anywhere in life.
Anyone can be busy doing a lot of things, but that doesn’t necessarily help them get to where they want to be. I have certainly been guilty of this.
See, here’s the thing…
Whatever you do, make sure it’s towards your ultimate purpose. If you want to be the best plumber in the world, don’t go out and get your real estate license. You have to keep heading in the right direction. Don’t be afraid to say no to people.
And another thing…
Do what you need to do, whether you feel like it or not. Like your taxes. Like your laundry. Like paying your bills. Like pulling weeds.
These things are not fun, but they need to be done.
I’ve been putting off exercising, meditating and organizing every morning, but today I decided to get back on track and do those things for 21 straight days. They say that if you do something for 21 days, it becomes a habit. That’s my goal. Today was day one, and as soon as I got up, I went for a walking meditation and when I finish this blog, I’m going to go up to my office and do some organizing.
I feel good, but I’ll feel even better after 21 days. Then it will be part of me.
Anybody can do something once – the great ones do things consistently.
Thanks for reading.
“Connections are everything – ask any electrician.”
-author unknown
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Ron Dyson.
I’m here at the 2009 USPTA Eastern Division Annual Convention in Mt. Kisco, NY.
The purpose of this event is to network and further our education as tennis pros. Yesterday was a powerful day as John Yandell, Rob Polishook, Mark Fairchilds, Bill Mountford, Luke Jensen, yours truly, Daniel Burgess, and JoAnne Russell gave some great seminars. Afterwards, Whitney Kraft, Director of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center conducted a Cardio Fast Feed Contest and a One on One Doubles Tournament.
I learned some new things and I met some new people. I think that being here has given me and my book some new exposure. It may also bring about some new business opportunities.
During my talk, I spoke on the fact that we are all on the same team. Our network helps motivate us. It teaches us. It holds us accountable. It could help us in job searches. I will be sure to email every single person I met at this convention. I may be able to help them, and perhaps one day they will help me. You become the people you surround yourself with. Who do you surround yourself with?
Remember, you can’t put your hand in a pot of glue without some of it sticking.
Today – Stan Smith…
Thanks for reading.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to all of the attendees at the USPTA Eastern Division Conference in Mt. Kisco, NY.
“There’s an old story about two men on a train. One of them, seeing some naked-looking sheep in a field, said, ‘Those sheep have just been sheared.’ The other looked a moment longer, and then said, ‘They seem to be – on this side.’ It is in such a cautious spirit that we should say whatever we have to say about the workings of the mind.”
-JOHN HOLT, How Children Learn
One of the worst things you can say is, “This is the right way.”
There is no “right” way.
The worst thing I can do as a teaching pro is to teach everyone the same way. There is no “right” way to teach. Not all students are the same, so why would I teach all of them using the same method?
Some students have been playing longer.
Some students are taller than others.
Some students learn faster than others.
If your main objective is to get through your lesson plan, no matter what, both you and your student are missing out.
Use your lesson plan as a fluid compass, not a rigid map.
As a speaker, the worst thing I can do is focus on getting through my agenda. At every talk I give, I know the material that I am presenting, but I never go in the same order. This way, not only do I speak from the heart, but often, I find new ways of doing and saying things. Besides, every audience is different, so I need to make adjustments accordingly.
There is no right way – just different options.
Thanks for reading.
“An army of deer led by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions led by a deer.
-CHABRIAS, 410-375 B.C.
“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”
-JOHN BUCHAN, 1875-1940
It should be the desire of every warrior to lead others. Leadership is the guiding force that directs the actions of individual warriors to achieve a common goal. A leader should possess the qualities of the successful warrior but also must learn to command and inspire others. To become a leader, one must seek to master the attributes of leadership. They are as follows:
THE LEADER SETS THE EXAMPLE.
THE LEADER IS BOLD.
THE LEADER IS CONFIDENT.
THE LEADER STUDIES HIS PROFESSION.
THE LEADER IS COURTEOUS AND COMPASSIONATE.
(From Warrior’s Wisdom by Major Arthur L. Clark, USMCR)
We all have the potential to be leaders, whether it be a leader on a sports team, a leader in the orchestra, or a leader at work. It’s already inside you.
Thanks for reading.
“The road to success is usually off the beaten path.”
-FRANK TYGER
Last night, I went from the tennis court to the meditation room. I dropped in to a meditation/Buddhism class taught by Western Buddhist nun, Gen Kelsang Dao of the Menlha Buddhist Center. I loved it!
The class began with a breathing meditation, continued with a lecture on Buddhism, and then ended with a giving meditation.
I really enjoy being in the moment. Though not easy, as thoughts often come into your mind, but after a while, you gain focus. I felt a sense of calm, relaxation, and gratitude.
After the class, we had tea together and I asked our wonderful teacher two questions.
The first question was, “How does Eastern philosophy apply to peak performance in sports?” She said that three principles in particular apply – patience, effort, and concentration. We talked about staying in the present (focusing on strategy, effort, and targets), instead of focusing on negative thoughts.
My second question was, “What is your favorite inspirational story?”
The story of Buddha was her favorite. He lived a life of luxury with all the material things you can imagine. One day he came in contact with the suffering nature of life, seeing sickness, old age, and death. This deeply disturbed him and he renounced his comfortable princely way of life. He went out and meditated, and eventually discovered that “the true path out of suffering is a middle way between the extremes of strict asceticism and self-indulgent luxury.” This led him to enlightenment, or the light within.
That’s the key word – within.
It’s not about external riches – it’s about internal riches. It’s not about the next big house, the next nice car, or our next great vacation. It’s not about the next trophy. Why do most people want those things? Because they think that those things will bring us happiness, but those things don’t last.
That reminds me of a story of two men at their wealthy, best friend’s funeral. One of them whispered to the other, “How much did he leave?”
The friend replied, “He left…everything.”
You don’t need materialistic things to make you happy, you can feel happy right now. Be grateful for all the big and little things in your life. If you give it your all every day, help others, and constantly improve. That’s what I think success is. Instead of asking, “Is life beautiful?” ask “Am I noticing?”
Thanks for reading.
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.”
-BUDDHA