MESSAGE #230 BE YOUR OWN INNER COACH VIDEO AND BLOOPERS
This video is especially dedicated to the great Abi Singaram who just made his middle school tennis team. Great job, I’m not surprised.
MESSAGE #229 PRECISION
NICE SHOT.
MESSAGE #228 THIS IS IT…
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Jake Myers in Belgium. Mr. Myers made Varsity on his highly competitive International School’s tennis team. Thanks for the voicemail. Congrats, I’m proud of you.
“This is it…I know
’cause it doesn’t feel
complicated.
This is it…I know
’cause when I’m with you I don’t need to be
medicated…”
Oh sorry, I still have The Alice Project’s song in my head from yesterday’s blog. I actually went to see Alice play a solo gig last night in Basking Ridge, NJ and was transformed into another world. It’s amazing to me how a good movie, book, piece of art or music can take you into a magical place. Yes, I requested “This is it.”
I asked Alice what she thought it took to become successful as a singer/songwriter. Here’s what she had to say:
1) Persistence… writing a lot of music (the good and the bad)
2) I’m careful not to second guess myself and go with my instincts
3) Always have paper and pen handy to catch ideas wherever and whenever they come
That is it. Whatever your passion is…be persistent and stick with it. Do a lot of it regardless of whether you think it will be good or not. You might learn something. Use your head and go with your instincts. Whenever you get inspired write it down. Commit to constant learning and improvement.
Checkout www.thealiceproject.com for more on my favorite rock diva…
Thank you to Alice in NY and Jake in Belgium.
Thanks for reading, wherever you are.
MESSAGE #227 BONUS MESSAGE…
Here is a new video by my favorite band, The Alice Project. It’s called “This is It.” I liked it so much I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to post it…enjoy!
MESSAGE #226 YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
Napoleon Hill once said…
“Sow an action and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
What kind of life do you want to live?
What kind of destiny do you want to create?
What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
Stop talking and start DOING.
Thanks for reading.
MESSAGE #225 WHAT WE’RE ALL LOOKING FOR…
DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE’RE ALL LOOKING FOR?
I ask people all the time what they want out of life. Most people don’t know; they don’t know because they’re “too busy” with life. This doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s like saying you don’t have time to get gas because you’re too busy driving.
Then there are those who want a bigger house, a nicer car, the newest iPod or cell phone; others want a new wardrobe or a good job. There’s nothing wrong with wanting nice things but you have to understand WHY you want those things. Most people want those things to feel happy, confident or secure.
Guess what? You can have those feelings right now. You can be happy right now; it’s a choice. THAT’S what we’re all looking for…feelings or a state of mind. If you CAN’T be happy, just smile for one minute. It’s not what’s happening around you or to you, it’s what’s happening INSIDE you. When you have the right mindset, nobody can take that away.
Cultivate gratitude and happiness every morning and you will set the tone for the rest of the day. Here’s how you do it…
As soon as you wake in the morning, write down three things that you are either grateful for and/or that make you happy. When you write those things down, really FEEL how grateful and happy you are; visualize that they are always a part of you. Take deep breaths while you are doing this.
If you get in the habit of doing this exercise every morning, you will increase your chances of having more “good” days versus “bad” days.
Thanks for reading.
MESSAGE #224 SACRIFICES
Yesterday I had tickets to go see the long-awaited tennis match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but I also had a gratitude celebration for a great charity, Stockings With Care at the same time.
I had to choose between a great match and a great cause; between selfish pleasure and selfless contribution.
I chose to help others.
It was a great event; I made the right choice. I spoke with writers and producers that have won many Emmy Awards, talent agents, as well as people who work at homeless shelters in Brooklyn.
When you’re around great people, great things happen.
“You can’t stick you hand in a pot of glue without some of it sticking.”
Thanks for reading.
MESSAGE #223 BECOME THE ARTIST OF YOUR OWN LIFE
Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter, who has achieved great international popularity. She painted using vibrant colors in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico as well as European influences that include Realism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. Many of her works are self-portraits that symbolically express her own pain. Kahlo was married to and influenced by the Mexican/Spanish muralist Diego Rivera and shared his Communist views. Although she has long been recognized as an important painter, public awareness of her work has become more widespread since the 1970s. Her “Blue” house in Coyoacán, Mexico City is a popular museum, donated by Diego Rivera after his death in 1957.
-Wikipedia
Yesterday I went to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and was blown away. There were beautiful black and white photographs of Kahlo, Rivera and their friends/family along with the powerful paintings of Frida’s. I loved looking at the technique, colors, and surfaces that Kahlo used, along with the symbolism from her own life.
The thing that left the greatest impression on me was the fact that Frida Kahlo hated her life but still was an amazing artist and became a legend. Due to an accident, she was in pain most of her life, oftentimes painting from bed. She had a rocky relationships with Diego Rivera, divorcing and then remarrying him with affairs by both sprinkled in. She had such a distaste for life that during her last days, she wrote in her diary, “I hope the exit is joyful – and I hope never to return – Frida.”
Some of the most successful painters were miserable, some of the greatest musicians went through terrible breakups, and some of the richest people in the world were at one time broke.
There’s something powerful about hitting bottom; it often motivates you to become something great.
So don’t worry about setbacks, they are often a setup for a comeback.
Thanks for reading.
MESSAGE #222 LEARN FROM THE MARTIAL ARTS
KARATE: “Kata is about correct and proper form; engaging in a real fight is something else.”
TENNIS: “Tennis practice is about correct and proper form; playing in a real match is something else.”
To a certain extent, when practicing an art or skill you need to focus on technique and proper form. But many people worry TOO much on those aspects and wonder why they don’t get the results they want in competition.
Anyone can look good in practice but if you want to get results in competition you need to PRACTICE competitive situations.
Life works the same way. If you want to become a great public speaker, practicing in your living room is good up to a certain extent. In order to gain confidence speaking in front of people you need to…speak in front of people.
So practice good form and technique, but know when to stop preparing so much and start performing. Life doesn’t reward preparation, it rewards action.
“The best way to hit a target is to start firing and make adjustments.”
Thanks for reading.
MESSAGE #221 EXCUSE ME, DO YOU HAVE THE TIME?
Time is the only thing that everyone has the same amount of. Some people have more money; some people have more cars and some people have more problems; but EVERYONE has 24 hours in a day.
We live in a society that is very fast paced so if we don’t consciously SLOW down and focus on the quality of things instead of the quantity, life will control us instead of living the life that we want.
Sometimes you have to say no. Sometimes you have to do less. Success is living the life you want, on your terms.
“Control your time. Don’t let it be done for you. If you are working off the in-box that is fed you, you are probably working on the priority of others.”
-Donald Rumsfeld
Homework: Sit down for 5 minutes today and ask yourself, “Is time FLYING by or am I ENJOYING every day? If I were to live life on MY terms, what would I spend more time doing? What would I spend less time doing? How can I focus more on quality versus quantity?”
Write these answers down then start to apply them to your life today. This exercise will help jump start your way to a successful future.
Thanks for reading.