Of all the rings and all of the money and all of the color and display—they linger only in memory. The spirit, the will to win, and excel, these are the things that endure. The quality of any man’s life is the full measure of his commitment to excellence and to victory, regardless of what field he might be in.
—Vince Lombardi
To me, sports is not about trophies. It’s not about money. It’s not about saying you’re better than somebody else. The beauty of sports is who it makes you become. It’s about character. Watch the recent Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony with one of my favorite athletes, the great Andre Agassi. Enjoy.
Congrats to Derek Jeter, the 28th man to reach 3,000 hits and the first Yankee to do so. The following quote puts it best…
I’ve seen him since the Fall League when I think he was 19 years old. He’s still the same kid. A little different haircut, but always plays the game right. He always treats people right and he tries to beat your brains out. That’s a good way to go about things.
—Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
Happy Birthday 76th birthday to the Dalai Lama.
Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
—Dalai Lama
I really like this quote.
Can you apply this to sports? Of course you can.
You can substitute “success,” “peak performance,” “mental toughness,” “personal finance,” and “academic success” with “happiness” and still make this quote true.
It is not our intentions that create our results.
It is not our thoughts that create our results.
It is our ACTIONS that create our results.
Positive actions equal positive results.
Negative actions equal negative results.
Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077
Today’s message is especially dedicated to my grandmother, Fung Shee Pan, who turned 105 years young yesterday. Happy Birthday!
My grandmother is Buddhist and I think that is part of her secret to longevity.
Today, you will learn her secret.
Some say much of sports psychology came from Eastern philosophy. Recently, I was reading a great book by former professional baseball player, Shawn Green, “The Way of Baseball.” In the book, Green talks about how meditation and Zen helped him become one of the best hitters in his era.
Green mentioned the following Zen saying:
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
It’s not about what you do, it’s all about how you do it.
Are you fully engaged when you are working, practicing, studying, eating, etc?
Most are not.
Staying present is key to peak performance, satisfaction and improvement. Unfortunately, in today’s world of televisions, iPods, iPads, XBox and iPhones, it is easy to get distracted.
Whether you want to become like Shawn Green or my 105 year old grandmother, practicing meditation can help you perform better, live fully and live longer.
Try my meditation from yesterday’s message to get you on the path (click HERE).
Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077