MESSAGE #830 THE GREAT ONE…AIR JORDAN

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“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”
-PAUL VALERY

When I was younger, I idolized Michael Jordan. I remember watching him fly through the air in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest, with my mouth wide open. And I didn’t even like basketball.

Is Jordan the greatest ever?

Probably.

Anyone can tell you that Jordan has the highest scoring average (30.6) in the regular season and post-season, in NBA history.

He was the leading scorer 10 times, also a record.

He won 6 Championships with the Bulls, and was named Finals MVP…6 times.

There’s no question that Jordan’s physical abilities were out-of-this-world, and even though that is what initially drew me to him, that’s not why I am one of his biggest fans.

I’m a Jordan fan because…

He had fun playing basketball.

He had a will to win.

He got cut from his high school basketball team, but instead of giving up, he worked harder.

He goes all out, physically and mentally.

Money means nothing to him…”I just love playing.”

He divided his $12,500 prize for winning the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest among his teammates.

He played every game like it was his last.

He came out of retirement 2 weeks after 9/11 and donated his entire season’s salary (approx. $1 million) to the post-9/11 cause.

Greatness isn’t just about physical talent and results.

It’s okay to want to be the best in the world, as long as you also want to be the best for the world.

Be like Mike today…

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #829 WHAT AM I DOING?!?

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“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
-ALBERT SCHWEITZER

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Rob Gurden in Orange County, CA.

It’s 2:52am…

I am awake and motivated.

To my defense, I did go to bed early, at 9:30pm.

I didn’t even watch the end of the Yankees game. Anyone that knows me, knows that I bleed pinstripes. But it’s just a game, isn’t it?

Yesterday, I gave a three-hour workshop with the great Naime Jezzeny at Yogaphoria in New Hope, PA.

There were athletes and coaches there. Some were runners, some were swimmers, some were tennis players and some were equestrian riders. Some were there for the game of life.

During the workshop, Naime talked about caring.

“If you care too much in sports and life, you’re weak. If you care, but not too much, you’re powerful,” Jezzeny said.

I care about the Yankees, but if they don’t win, I know that it’s not the end of the world.

When I compete, I like winning, but when I don’t, I make sure that I learned something.

I care about my new Tseng Performance Academy, and was up writing down ideas, but it’s not a “have to,” it’s a “want to.”

When you’re competing, strive for relaxed focus, or as my friend, noted-sports psychologist, Jeff Greenwald says, playing loose.

Go all out, but be a little relaxed…like Bruce Springsteen in Message #807.

Remember the quote above.

Do what you love and you will work harder.

If you work harder, you will have a greater chance at success.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #828 A RIDDLE…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Erin Crandall in New York. Happy Birthday to a true peak performer!

Here’s a riddle for you…

What gets wetter the more it dries?

The answer will be at the end of this message.

I love riddles – some are easy, some are difficult, some are funny and some are not.

Sport and life are the best riddles of all. You never know what is going to happen, and it helps to think outside the box.

If you’re competing in a sporting event, or in life, and the strategy you are using isn’t working, you should try a different strategy. If that doesn’t work, try another one.

The worst thing you can do is continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.

If you’re playing a tennis match, it’s probably not a good idea to be losing 0-6, 0-5, and say, “Maybe I should do something different.”

Here’s the answer to the riddle…

What gets wetter the more it dries?

Answer: A towel.

Enjoy the riddle of life today.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #827

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“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’ “
-MUHAMMAD ALI

MESSAGE #826 CLEAR YOUR MIND…

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“I believe you make your day. You make your life. So much of it is all perception, and this is the form that I built for myself. I have to accept it and work within those compounds, and it’s up to me.”
-BRAD PITT

I remember a story that one of my yoga masters told me…

Once upon a time in India, there was an old wise man. And this old wise man would spend time near the Ganges River, which was a place of worship. It was sacred, but it was very dirty. One of the dirtiest rivers in the world, in fact.

And one day a woman came to visit the Ganges and noticed that it was extremely dirty. As she stood standing there, she saw the wise man and asked, “I thought this was supposed to be a beautiful sacred river? It looks dirty to me.”

The old wise man looked at the woman and responded, “Your mind is dirty.” And walked away.

It is your perception of things that create your reality.

Two people can have totally different perceptions on the same exact thing.

It is your choice whether you win or you learn.
Whether you consider it failure or feedback.
Whether you’re positive or you’re negative.

Your perceptions are your reality.

Bottom line.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #825 HAVE YOU EVER FAILED?

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“It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success.”
-HAVELOCK ELLIS

I’m very excited about today.

I’m going back to Rider University, where I started college, to speak to Professor Cordonnier’s Sport and Gender class.

I really like going back to Rider to speak to the current students and help out the professors, but what I like most about going back to Rider is the fact that I failed out of there…twice!

Yes, you heard that correctly.

I failed out of Rider twice and then went back and was MC of their Leadership Day, was a facilitator for an athlete-musician workshop and spoke to another Sport and Gender class.

So what happened?

It turns out that failing out of Rider was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had a choice whether to continue with computers, which was my father’s field, or follow my passion. I did some soul searching and decided that if I didn’t follow my passion, I would regret it.

So I “transferred” to Ferris State University and their Marketing/Professional Tennis Management program. The funny thing is that once I started that program, my grades skyrocketed.

Did I get a brain transplant?

No, I became “into” school. Then I graduated and was named the USTA Pro of the Year in 2005.

Most people are just in their sport or job.

But the great ones are “into” their sport or job.

Do what you love, love what you do.

Then you’ll work harder.

Then you’ll get better results.

Then you’ll have more fun and reach peak performance.

Everyone fails, but not everyone gets back on the horse.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #824 SIMPLY PUT…

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“I have a simple philosophy:
Fill what’s empty.
Empty what’s full.
Scratch where it itches.”
-ALICE ROOSEVELT LONGWORTH

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Angie Holmberg in Oklahoma.

Well tonight’s the night. New York Yankees versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The Turnpike Series begins. Bragging rights for the tri-state area.

These are the two best teams in the Major Leagues this year.

And they’re going to be nervous.

That’s normal, and inevitable – they can’t control that.

What they can control is how they react under those conditions.

Derek Jeter has a simple approach. He just focuses on staying in the present. He stays in his own world. He’s the eye of the hurricane, calm and focused, no matter what’s going on around him.

In the New York Times yesterday, they were talking about how Jeter didn’t even know Yankee-rival and former Red Sox player, Pedro Martinez was slated to pitch Game 2.

“Is he pitching Game 2?”

“…Jeter’s approach works for him. He is focused on baseball, focused on what he must do to get prepared for games. At some point on Tuesday, he would have learned in a scouting meeting that Martinez was pitching on Thursday. So he would have two days to get ready to face a pitcher he knows intimately. Possessing that knowledge any earlier would not have mattered to Jeter, who said that his success was based on simplifying things.

‘As players, you can try to over analyze,’ he said. ‘You can over analyze things so much that you can put yourself in a funk. This is baseball. Whether you’re 8 years old playing Little League or you’re playing out there in the World Series. It’s still the same game.’ ” (NY Times, October 27, 2009)

It’s no wonder why Derek Jeter is the guy that any manager would want up at the plate when the game is on the line.

You may not be able to hit, throw and run like Derek Jeter, but you can instantly be just as mentally tough as him.

Good luck to the Yankees and Phillies; let’s hope the weather cooperates.

Thanks for reading.


MESSAGE #823 YOU MOTIVATE ME!!!

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“If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much room.”
-JAYNE HOWARD

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Eric Ryan.

People consider me a motivator.

But I am also a motivatee (I’m pretty sure I just made that word up).

It means that others motivate me. I look for it in everything I experience. The quote above is from Eric Ryan’s Facebook page…it motivated me.

Yesterday I received probably over 700 birthday messages on Facebook.

From people like…

Geo Utter in Big Lake, WA
Alma Prelec in Boston, MA
Rob Gurden in Orange County, CA
John Carrigan in the UK
Kyle Foster in Big Rapids, MI
Jessica Battaglia at USTA Player Development in Boca Raton, FL
Leman Oktay in Turkey
Jimmy Ross in who-knows-where on the globe
Denise Capriati in FL
Beatrice Moberg in Sweden
Sadili Oval in Nairobi, Kenya
and Thanusha Puvunanayagam (say that 10x FAST) in NJ

I am a teacher and I am a student.
I motivate and I get motivated.

When I play a tennis match, I see my opponent as my student and my teacher. I’m trying to win the match by exploiting his weaknesses (which is helping him improve) and he is trying to win the match by exploiting my weaknesses (which is helping me improve).

When you view sports, and life, with that mindset…

You always WIN.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #822 A GIFT FOR YOU…ON MY BIRTHDAY…

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Normally, people get gifts on their birthday.

Well, today, I’m going to GIVE a gift on my birthday.

Yesterday, I went to hear one of my favorite authors, Dan Millman (above) speak at the Mind Body Spirit Expo in Philadelphia.

It wasn’t for me, it was for you.

I love listening to speakers to help me become a better speaker and person, but more importantly, so I can help my students and blog readers become better people.

Millman was a dynamic speaker and I walked away with some great tidbits.

“What is talent? The ability to learn faster than others. It is twenty percent innate, but it can be developed,” Millman stated.

“Effort over time is better than magical thinking. You can’t control the outcome, but you can control your effort.”

Many people went to hear Millman’s best technique for peak performance and happiness. He said that daily life is the best technique. “It’s like spiritual weightlifting. There are hidden gifts in adversity – it’s all in your perspective. Life is an experiment. And your only goal should be excellence in the moment. Check your posture, notice if you are relaxed and see if you are breathing.”

You don’t have to give up all of your possessions to become happy. “I’ve seen many grumpy monks. It’s a balance between Western and Eastern philosophies.”

“Thoughts are natural, but don’t mistake them for reality. The only way to tame your mind is to make peace with it. Be aware of your thoughts and then let them go. It’s okay to have an angry thought, just don’t ACT angry.”

“Life is not about successes and failures; life is about testing your limits.”

I really like that one. Just keep pushing yourself and get a little bit better every day.

Millman mentioned that his mentor, Socrates (from Way of the Peaceful Warrior) once said to him, “The difference between you and me is that YOU practice gymnastics and I practice EVERYTHING.”

Do I teach tennis?

Not really. I teach life through tennis.

Do I practice tennis?

No, I practice life through tennis.

It’s all about going all out.
Relaxing under pressure.
Enjoying the moment.
And getting better every day.

Anyone can have this mindset, immediately.

Be more aware of what you are doing and your whole world will change.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #821 HOW SUDOKU CAN HELP YOU…

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So yesterday I did a little mental cross-training and competed in the National Sudoku Championships in Philadelphia. I wanted to put myself in an unfamiliar situation to test my focus, relaxation and motivation.

It certainly did. I didn’t get much sleep the night before, but I did it anyway. There were some serious competitors there and my brain hurt after the first round. But I stood up, relaxed, made sure I was breathing.

Well I didn’t make the playoffs, but may have come in first for the bonus round for my city, Lawrenceville, NJ. That’s if I was the only entrant for Lawrenceville.

It was a great experience as there were 828 competitors as young as 8 and as old as 93. The came from 23 states and from as far as British Columbia.

I caught up with Thomas Snyder (above), the 2006 and 2007 National Sudoku Champion from Silicon Valley.

I asked Snyder how he prepared for the event. “The week before the competition, I do about 300-400 puzzles. I can do an intermediate to advance puzzle in a few minutes. For the finals, you have to write on this large Sudoku white board and there isn’t much room, so I built a make-shift one at home with tiles and whatnot to make it as realistic as possible.”

Another question I asked was if he gets nervous beforehand. “Yes, but I try to stay relaxed by singing songs in my head and give myself a little pep talk.”

“Can anyone become successful at Sudoku?”

“Yes, with practice and the right strategy,” Snyder responded.

“How does Sudoku help you in other areas of life?”

The Sudoku expert responded, “In many ways…in life you have to know your task, have the right strategy, constantly observe, adapt, explore new ways to do things, and relax under pressure.”

Interesting, it sounds a lot like tennis.

Today I attended the Mind. Body. Spirit. Expo in Philadelphia and heard one of my heroes, Dan Millman give a lecture. Tune in tomorrow for details.


By the way, if you missed the Tseng Performance Academy shout-out in SportsIllustrated.com this week, click here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_wertheim/10/21/exhibitions/index.html