MESSAGE #910 IT’S NOT MAGIC…

“We are all capable of infinitely more than we believe.”
-DAVID BLAINE, magician

The great David Blaine once stood atop an 80 foot pole for over 30 hours and then proceeded to jump off into a pile of cardboard boxes.

How did he do it?

He practiced at twenty feet. Then at forty feet. And finally at eighty.

When he performed the stunt, he imagined that he was jumping off and landing on air mattresses (which is what he did when he was training).

Why did he do it?

Because he had a fear of heights and wanted to overcome it.

That’s mental cross-training at its best.

What can you do today to put yourself into an uncomfortable position so you can be more COMFORTABLE and perform at a higher level?

The only way out is through.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #909 A MESSAGE FROM NAPOLEON HILL…

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”
-NAPOLEON HILL

What do you want out of life?

What do you want to be known for at the end of your life?

How badly do you want it?

Do you want to be a great tennis player? Chef? Salesperson? Artist?

All of your efforts should go towards making that happen. I see too many people go from one thing to the next and they are just spinning their wheels.

1. Figure out what you want.
2. Plan out specific steps to get there.
3. Take action.
4. Make adjustments if necessary.
5. Persist.

Oh, and I forgot, don’t try your best…

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.

MESSAGE #908 BETTER LATE THAN NEVER…

As you know, yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

I read an amazing quote by the nonviolent activist on my friend Adnan Shamsi’s Facebook status. But I had already posted the day’s message. So today I am sharing it with you; better late than never, right?

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

In martial arts, when you are pushed, PULL and when you are pulled, PUSH.

If your opponent makes bad line calls, should you make bad line calls back?

If your teammates make fun of you, should you make fun of them back?

If someone cuts you off on the road, should you speed up and cut them off?

Of course not, but that happens all the time.

If someone does something bad to you, and you do something bad back, doesn’t that make you just as bad as them?

MESSAGE #907 I LOVE MONDAYS!

“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.”
-ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER

Most people hate Mondays. It’s the start of the work week. The weekend is over.

I love Mondays. I teach quite a bit on Saturdays and Sundays, so by the time Monday rolls around, I have free time to catch up on things.

It’s all perspective.

When you’re competing in sports, do you always want to give your opponent the same perspective?

Does a pitcher always want to throw fastballs?

Of course not.

A smart pitcher will have a good change-up and curve ball in their repertoire.

My challenge to you is to look at things from others’ perspectives. Your opponents, your coach, your boss, your co-worker, your peers, your family members, your romantic partner.

When you do this, you see things differently, you learn new ways to do things and you are less likely to be on autopilot. Oh, and you will get better results.

Here’s an exercise you can do.

Crawl around on all fours like a baby, or a dog. Notice how everything looks different. It’s not right or wrong, it’s just different.

We tend to get mindless in our actions and our thinking. If we can stop and look at things from other points of view, our world changes and it becomes a new game, a game where there are no limits.

MESSAGE #906 I SAY I WANT A REVOLUTION…

Today’s message is especially dedicated to tennis greats, Jordan Kolb and Kevin Shi. Happy Birthday to two peak performers!

“You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world.”
THE BEATLES

I like to think that I’m changing the world.

And anyone can do it – it’s a choice.

That was my main message yesterday when I spoke at a local juvenile detention center.

These inmates have obviously made mistakes in their lives…

But who hasn’t?

Your past doesn’t affect your future, unless you let it.

Everyone wants a revolution, we all want to change the world.

But nobody’s doing anything about it.

We all want to get more fit, be more organized, quit smoking but nobody’s taking action.

Many people have already broken their New Year’s Resolutions.

You don’t need to be great at the start, but you need to start to be great.

And if you fall off the horse, just get back on.

Here’s a quote I shared yesterday with the inmates…

“You don’t drown by falling in water. You drown by staying there.”

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Start today.

MESSAGE #905 A TOUGH CROWD

“Approach the game with no preset agendas and you’ll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts.”
-PHIL JACKSON

Today I’m giving a talk at the Mercer County Juvenile Detention Center.

Talk about a tough crowd.

Someone asked me, do you know what you’re going to talk about?

I said, “Nope.”

That’s not entirely true. I have given close to 50 talks in the past year or two and they have all been pretty much the same talk. So I do know what I’m going to talk about, but I’m not going to have a set agenda.

My philosophy is that you should speak from the heart, instead of speaking mindlessly. When you do this, the message is more real and many times you figure out new ways to deliver it.

If you go into a tennis match thinking, “This is the ONLY way to win,” you’re setting yourself up for failure.

There is no “one way” but many options.

MESSAGE #904

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Jeron Baker, head tennis coach at Hesston College in Kansas.

A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strode through his backyard, baseball cap in place and toting ball and bat. “I’m the greatest baseball player in the world,” he said proudly. Then he tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed. Undaunted, he picked up the ball , threw it into the air and said to himself, “I’m the greatest baseball player ever!” He swung at the ball again, and again he missed. He paused for a moment to examine bat and ball carefully. Then once again he threw the ball into the air and said, “I’m the greatest baseball player who ever lived!” He swung the bat hard and again missed the ball.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. “What a pitcher!”

STAY POSITIVE

MESSAGE #903 MENTAL CROSS-TRAINING, THE PRACTICE


Ed Tseng has one of his college tennis players, Paul Roveda perform mental cross-training by singing Happy Birthday at the top of his voice in a public place. https://www.edtseng.com

MESSAGE #902 CAN ONE PERSON MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
-author unknown

Do you think that one person can make a difference?

I do.

What if one car broke down in the Lincoln Tunnel?

Traffic would be backed up for miles.

But I challenge you to do something positive. Something that makes a difference.

Last night I went to an amazing benefit concert, Wintermezzo, at Princeton University, celebrating the 96th birthday of William H. Scheide, featuring the Wiener KammerOrchester, conductor, Maestro Mark Laycock and George-Emmanuel Lazaridis on piano.

There were fifty musicians in the orchestra, and if one of them made a mistake, it would have ruined the whole show.

Do you still think that one person cannot make a difference?

What can you do today to make a difference on your sports team…in school…at work…or in your relationships?

Compliment.
Give an all-out effort.
Lead by example.
Win or learn.
Just do it (whether you feel like it or not)
Smile.
Change the world.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
-NELSON HENDERSON

MESSAGE #901 ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS…

“Many people think we need to motivate ourselves before we take action, but the opposite is true-by acting we can motivate ourselves.”
-TAL BEN-SHAHAR

I remember hearing about Tom Fleming, one of the greatest marathon runners of his day. When Fleming was in training, he would run between 150 and 175 miles per week.

Pretty amazing.

He was twice the New York City Marathon winner and runner-up in the Boston Marathon.

Someone once asked Fleming, “Did you ever NOT feel like running?”

Fleming responded, “EVERY DAY I didn’t feel like running…until I started running. Then I got into it.”