Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Joey Clawson.
I don’t understand why people dislike stress. Stress is good. When you go to the gym and lift weights, don’t you put stress on your muscles?
Isn’t that good? Doesn’t that make you stronger?
Life is the same way – stress makes you stronger, so don’t worry about it…welcome it.
Higher stress, better results.
Thanks for reading.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Ryan Frankel.
I always tell people that sports are the same as life. I don’t teach tennis lessons – I teach life lessons. Below are five ways sports are a metaphor for life.
1. Pick your target – The great philosopher Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you could wind up someplace else.” Figure out, specifically, what goals you want to accomplish instead of just seeing “what life brings you.”
2. Keep your racquet face going towards your target – If you know what you want to accomplish, keep heading in that direction. Keep your eye on the ball and stay focused on your goal.
3. Work harder than everybody else – If you want what nobody else is getting, you must do what nobody else is doing. Committed athletes practice in the rain and are first on the field and last off. You should do the same.
4. Be optimistic – Remember, you get what you focus on and you can’t get positive results from negative thoughts. EXPECT that you will succeed in all that you do. Act how you want to feel and then you will feel the way you act.
5. It’s not about winning – Focus on the process (strategy) instead of the product (winning). If you focus on winning and the end result, you’re putting too much pressure on yourself and actually make it difficult to win. When you focus on your strategy and giving all out effort, winning will come as a by-product.
Winners do what losers don’t want to do…whether they want to or not.
Thanks for reading.
Happy Belated Birthday to the great Mary Ellen Abouchedid.
Tiger Woods says…
“I truly believe if you concentrate hard enough, good things happen.”
Ed Tseng says…
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do it.
Now go do it!
Thanks for reading.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Nicole Arendt in Sydney, Australia.
Some people are leaders and some people are followers. There is no right or wrong – some people would rather be followers and that’s fine. But if you’re a follower because you think you CAN’T become a leader, you’re wrong!
Anybody can become a leader – all you have to do is copy what great leaders do and start to act like a great leader.
This week’s TIME magazine features Nelson Mandela and talks about the eight secrets of leadership. Below is my favorite part of the article…
No. 1: Courage is not the absence of fear – it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.
“In 1994, during the presidential – election campaign, Mandela got on a tiny propeller plane to fly down to the killing fields of Natal and give a speech to his Zulu supporters. I agreed to meet him at the airport, where we would continue our work after his speech. When the plane was 20 minutes from landing, one of its engines failed. Some on the plane began to panic. The only thing that calmed them was looking at Mandela, who quietly read his newspaper as if he were a commuter on his morning train to the office. The airport prepared for an emergency landing, and the pilot managed to land the plane safely. When Mandela and I got in the backseat of his bulletproof BMW that would take us to the rally, he turned to me and said, “Man, I was terrified up there!”
Stengel, R. (July 21, 2008). Mandela: His 8 lessons of leadership. Time, p. 44.
See, it’s okay to feel afraid, but you don’t have to act afraid. I see many athletes nervous before a competition and they look terrified. I see many athletes tired at the end of a match and I see many employees tired at the end of the work day. Most people act according to how they feel, but it’s the great ones that act how they want to feel. And if you’re part of a team, whether it’s a sports team, work team or relationship team, you can be a leader by how you act.
Thanks for reading.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Robin Anderson.
“We cannot escape fear. We can only transform it into a companion that accompanies us on all our exciting adventures…Take a risk a day – one small or bold stroke that will make you feel great once you have done it.”
-Susan Jeffers, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
Thanks for reading.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the Major League Baseball players competing in the All Star Game tonight at Yankee Stadium.
There’s a great story I heard recently about a speaker who was talking about stress management. At one point in his talk, he held up a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?” The answers shouted out ranged from eight to twenty ounces. In response, the speaker said, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.
In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. And that’s the same with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested. Life is short. Enjoy!”
You can use this in all areas of life…
Thank you to Aimee Schiller for sharing this story.
Thanks for reading.
So you know how sometimes you’re in a bad mood or tired or low energy? You will never totally get rid of these feelings, but the next time you’re not feeling “into” it, just CLICK IT.
I thought of the “click it” concept a few weeks ago.
Do you have an iPod? You know how you can just click it and go to a different song? Or a different playlist?
Well, you can do that with your mind too. Whenever you feel in a negative or low state, just press your thumb and index finger together like you’re clicking fast forward to a new song. Go from a negative “song” in your mind to a happy or positive one. It’s as easy as that.
The only thing that we can control is our mind.
Thanks for reading.
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain’t gonna be just a face in the crowd
You’re gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud
It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I’m alive
It’s my life
This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow’s getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain’t even lucky
Got to make your own breaks
It’s my life
And it’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I’m alive
‘Cause it’s my life
Better stand tall when they’re calling you out
Don’t bend, don’t break, baby, don’t back down
It’s my life
And it’s now or never
‘Cause I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I’m alive
“It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
Last night Bon Jovi performed a free concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park as part of New York City’s Major League Baseball’s All-Star Weekend. Perhaps you saw it on the news. I was there in the sea of people witnessing history, like Simon and Garfunkel’s classic performance on the very same lawn. The energy was amazing and the song that stuck with me was “It’s My Life.” It motivated me and I hope it motivates you…watch the video below.
Thanks for reading.