MESSAGE #1240 WINNING MINDSET
Practice like you are the worst player.
Compete like you are the best player.
Work hard in practice.
Stay loose in competition.
MESSAGE #1239 MENTAL TOUGHNESS FROM A MONK
Here is a great short story by an unknown monk from 11 A.D. entitled “I Wanted To Change The World”
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”
Many athletes worry about things that they cannot control, for instance, winning and losing, the weather, their opponents, the umpires, etc.
If you can’t control it, don’t worry about it.
Control the only thing you can…
Yourself.
Your actions.
Your reactions.
MESSAGE #1238 A MESSAGE FROM JOHN LENNON
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.
-JOHN LENNON
People don’t sing to get to the end of the song.
Athletes don’t play to get to the end of the competition.
You shouldn’t “live for” the weekends or your vacations.
Enjoy the process of singing, playing your sport or everyday life, in general.
The more you savor each and every thing you do, the happier you will be…and the better results you will get.
MESSAGE #1237 MENTAL TOUGHNESS FROM ICE SKATING
“When I go out on the ice, I just think about my skating. I forget it is a competition.”
-KATARINA WITT
Don’t worry about the situation, or the results. Worry about playing your best game. Do the things that will help you perform at your peak.
It is then that you will win more.
Trust me on this one.
MESSAGE #1236 I REALLY LIKE THIS QUOTE…
“Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else.”
– VINCE LOMBARDI
I really like this quote from the great Vince Lombardi.
And does it really stop at sports?
Of course not.
If you have a job (or even a job interview), the best thing you can do is go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.
Do you have to be gifted to do this?
Of course not.
MESSAGE #1235 JOE MCCARTHY’S TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR SUCCESS IN BASEBALL
Ten Commandments for Success in Baseball
by Joe McCarthy (1949)
1. Nobody ever became a ballplayer by walking after a ball.
2. You will never become a .300 hitter unless you take the bat off your shoulder.
3. An outfielder who throws in back of a runner is locking the barn after the horse is stolen.
4. Keep your head up and you may not have to keep it down.
5. When you start to slide, slide. He who changes his mind may have to change a good leg for a bad one.
6. Do not alibi on bad hops. Anybody can field the good ones.
7. Always run them out. You never can tell.
8. Do not quit.
9. Do not fight too much with the umpires. You cannot expect them to be as perfect as you are.
10. A pitcher who hasn’t control hasn’t anything.
MESSAGE #1234 GREETINGS FROM COOPERSTOWN!
So here I am at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, doing research for my new book, “The Pinstripe Principles.”
Today, I was in the A. Bartlett Giamatti Library from 9am-5pm going through several Yankee player files. Today I got through Jim Abbott, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Red Ruffing. Not nearly as many as I would have liked, but the files are quite extensive, and rare, including articles, team documents, personal letters and photographs. I even had to wear white gloves to go through the files and could only bring in my laptop, notepad and a pencil.
Tomorrow I will go through the rest of the player files, as well as choose a photograph for the cover of my book.
This is a tedious process.
Do I want the book to be done?
Yes.
But I am LOVING the process. I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to be in this “throwback” town (in the snow) in the largest baseball library on the planet, going through history. This is as close as I’ll get to going back in time. I love it.
As you go through your day, and as you work towards your goals, remember to enjoy the process. Stay in the present moment.
The Hall of Fame Library opens tomorrow morning at 9am.
I’ll be there at 8:59.
Wish me luck.
MESSAGE #1232 MY SHE-RO
I just got off the phone with one of my she-ros, Rayna DuBose.
Rayna was a top basketball recruit and received a full scholarship to Virginia Tech. After her first season, she contracted a type of meningitis and within 24 hours, she had all four limbs amputated. Now she is a motivational speaker.
She said that was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Why?
Because now she is helping other people.
A pretty bold statement from someone who, wakes up and first thing in the morning, puts on her arms and legs (prosthetics).
We cannot control our situations but we can control our attitudes towards them.
Be like Rayna.
MESSAGE #1231 THIS COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING…
We, as humans, tend to focus more on the things we DON’T have, versus the things we DO have.
Common statements are:
“I don’t have a backhand.”
“I don’t have enough money to pay the bills.”
“I don’t have the iPhone 4.”
One of the best things you can do to become happier and more successful is cultivate gratitude.
Focus on the things you DO have.
Here’s what you do:
1. Make a list. At the top, write, “I am grateful for…”
2. Create three columns.
3. Name the columns, “Things,” “People,” and “Other”
4. In the column of “Things,” write down any material possessions you are thankful for; in the column of “People,” write the names of people you are thankful for; and in the column of “Other,” write down anything that doesn’t fall into the other two categories (i.e., health, job, education).
5. Read your list 4 times a day (after lunch, after dinner, before bed, first thing in the morning).
6. Do this for a week and see if you feel any different.
Let me know your reactions.
What else would you write in the “Other” category?