Most successful people are not especially talented, educated, charming or good-looking.
They become successful because they WANT to be successful.
How badly do you want to be a great athlete, musician, student, parent or artist?
They say you can’t steal second by keeping your foot on first.
What does this mean?
You have to get out of your comfort zone.
You have to take a chance.
Here is Luis Nunez of the Trenton Thunder taking a chance on a ball hit in the gap.
Yesterday Alex Rodriguez finally hit his 600th home run. An amazing feat. Or is it?
Admitting to have taken performance enhancing drugs because of “an enormous amount of pressure to perform” is ridiculous.
I don’t know about you, but as much as I love the Yankees, I can’t fully enjoy A-rod’s accomplishment.
That’s like using an aluminum bat in the majors.
Yes, Rodriguez will soon surpass Sammy Sosa and Willie Mays, then approach Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds.
But at what expense?
Cheating? Lying?
Professional athletes are role models, whether they want to be or not.
I know Alex is trying to walk the walk and is more focused on teamwork as of late.
That I can respect.
The cheating and lying?
Not so much.
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is more important than the outcome.
-ARTHUR ASHE
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Brandon Laird of the New York Yankees.
On Sunday night, Brandon Laird was promoted from Double-A Trenton Thunder to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. He went home, packed his bags and left the next morning to meet his new team in Syracuse for his Triple-A debut Monday night.
He was nervous.
He then proceeded to go 4-for-4 with two home runs.
How did he do it?
He didn’t act how he felt. In the time that I spent with Brandon this season, I figured out one of his secrets.
When he is in a pressure situation, he takes a few deep breaths and tells himself that he’s been in this situation before, then “just does it.”
The first pitch he swung at went over the right-center field wall. Laird then hit two singles and another home run over the left field wall.
“I was just getting pitches to hit and putting good swings on them,” Laird said. “I know my zone. I look for my pitch. I got it a few times tonight. Hitting all over the field, that’s what I wanted to do.”
“I just wanted to put a consistent approach together, learn how they pitch me, how they pitch the players in front of me,” Laird said of trying to transfer that success. “Earlier in the game, I was (nervous). After that first at-bat, I settled down a little bit.”
Notice how many times Laird said the word, “just.”
The first time I spoke with the Yankee prospect, I asked him about his best home run. He gave a similar response, using the word “just.”
I then reached into my pocket and took out a folded piece of paper and showed it to him.
It said, “JUST.”
Am I psychic? No, I just know what it takes.
In peak performances, the athlete has a simple approach (something he can control) and then just trusts his swing.
Yogi Berra once said, “You can’t think and hit at the same time.”
So true.
Congrats, Brandon. Keep up the good work.
Laird next to the clubhouse before his last game in Trenton
1. Focus on things you can control (your effort, attitude, strategy)
2. Stay in the present moment.
3. Act as if it were impossible to fail.
So here I am in the press box at the Trenton Thunder game. Tonight is a pitcher’s duel with Yankee prospect, Adam Warren of the Thunder (3-0, 2.95 ERA) versus Kyle Drabek of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, who threw a no-hitter earlier this season. Kyle is the son of Cy Young Award winner, Doug Drabek.
I spoke to Yankee prospects, Brandon Laird, Austin Romine and Adam Warren in the locker room before the game.
I asked them if they changed their approach when facing a pitcher that threw a no-hitter earlier in the season.
They all agreed that they wouldn’t change their approach. Anything can happen on any given day.
Laird said, “Today’s a new day, I’m just going to be patient and hopefully he’ll give me something good to hit.”
Austin Romine said, “He’s a good pitcher but it doesn’t change my approach. I’m still trying to do the same thing when I step in the box.”
And starting pitcher, Adam Warren said, “I just have to do my job, throw my game, I can’t control what the other pitcher does.”
So what does this mean to you?
Focus on the things you can control and don’t worry about the things you can’t. Anything can happen.
The Davids beat the Goliaths all the time.
Will beats skill any day.
Diligence beats intelligence any day.
Desire wins.
How bad do you want it?
Keep doing things that put you out of your comfort zone, until you feel comfortable.
Then find some new things to do that make you uncomfortable.
This is mental cross-training at its best.
Do you want to be comfortable, or do you want to be great?
Keep pushing yourself and you will find yourself in a whole new world.
Whatever is real, your mind accepts as fact.
Whatever is imagined, your mind accepts as fact.
What does this mean?
1. Practice visualizing your perfect stroke, it’s almost as good as physically doing it.
2. Focus on things that you want to happen, not things you don’t want to happen.
3. Imagine different scenarios that may occur and think about how you will react when those situations arise–then you will be prepared.