MESSAGE #1276 ARE YOU A GENIUS?
The definition of a genius:
A person who aims at something no one else can see and hits it.
MESSAGE #1273 HOW TO WIN MORE
Today’s message is especially dedicated to Quinn Martin and his high school basketball team in Washington State.
What happens when you are in a slump?
If you are like most athletes, your body language is poor, you begin thinking too much and you get down on yourself.
Most people begin thinking about the past (we haven’t won a game in weeks), or the future (what if we lose again tonight?). But the great performers focus on the present moment (your effort, energy level and adjustments).
Last night the Jets beat the Patriots when they should not have. On paper, the Patriots were the better team.
But the Jets played better.
The better team never wins, the team that plays better always wins.
So when you are in a slump, act like you are on a streak.
Go all-out and focus on the things you can control (your effort) and don’t worry about the things you cannot control (winning/losing). I think you will be pleased with the results.
MESSAGE #1271 DON’T BE NORMAL
Do you fit in with the pack?
Do you WANT TO?
If you do what everyone else does, you will get what everyone else gets.
Society frowns upon people that are abnormal.
I WANT you to be abnormal.
I was once speaking to a coach of the great Pete Sampras.
He was getting Pete ready for a clay court tournament in Europe.
They played a few groundstroke games and Pete lost.
As my friend thought about how to console Sampras on his loss, Sampras came up and said, “That was great! I feel like my game is really coming along and I am looking forward to playing in Europe.”
My friend thought, “That is not normal thinking.”
Don’t be normal today.
MESSAGE #1264 IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME
The other day, I was teaching a private lesson to two ladies, who happen to be good friends. We began our normal warmup at the service line and for some reason, they were extremely chatty this particular morning. I gave them some tips, but my voice seemed to get drowned out by their voices. For a moment I was frustrated. They are not competitive players…should I just let them talk and have fun?
I gave them about a minute to chat and then I brought them up to the net and said:
“Okay, here’s what we are going to do. (Puts a target on the court). For the next few minutes, I want you to focus on aiming for this target.”
The chatting instantly stopped and I saw focus in their eyes. They even began hitting better.
Then, I said, “Now you have a new focus, aim high over the net.”
They did it quite successfullly and the focus remained.
After that, I told them to focus on exhaling at contact.
Same great result.
These two ladies ended up having a great session.
So what’s the moral of the story?
It’s not the student. It’s the teacher.
It’s not the customer. It’s the salesperson.
I think you get the point.
If you are not getting the results, change your approach. Focus is not good enough, you need to focus on the right things.
It’s not whether you can focus or not, it’s whether you CHOOSE to or not.
MESSAGE #1263 KEEP CLIMBING
Suppose you are down at the beach and you catch a crab. If you put it in a bucket, you need to cover the bucket or the crab will climb out. But if you catch more than one crab, you don’t need to put a cover on the bucket. Why?
Because when one crab tries to climb out of the bucket, the other crabs will grab it and pull it back in. It doesn’t matter how many crabs are in the bucket.
Now what does this have to do with you?
You’re not a crab and other crabs will not bring you down.
But other people might bring you down by things that they say or things that they do. Certain events or situations might bring you down.
But don’t let them.
You choose how you react to different people and different situations. There are some things that you cannot control, but you can control your actions. And your reactions. Here’s my recommended action:
Keep climbing.
MESSAGE #1262 A MESSAGE FROM MARK
The only pressure I’m under is the pressure I’ve put on myself.
-MARK MESSIER, hockey great
Recently, there was a football kicker training at my sports center. He is only 13 but has “phenom” written all over him. He has been working hard, doing all the right things and developing quite nicely.
This past week he was training for a pro event, which is a very big deal and only a few days away.
Then something happened.
He started missing kicks he was making easily the weeks prior. He started looking and feeling nervous. He was not the same person.
What changed?
Nothing physically, but mentally he started over-thinking. He was focusing on how important this upcoming pro event is. He started trying too hard. The little negative voice inside his head began getting louder and louder.
This happens all the time in sports and life.
When the pressure’s on, many people fold.
But it is not pressure, it is perception.
There are two ways to look at pressure–you can either get frustrated or fascinated by it.
The choice is yours.
What would be my advice to this young kicker?
1. Understand that nerves are normal. Everyone gets nervous.
2. Take a deep breath to lower your heart rate and stay in the present moment.
3. Focus on the target, not the outcome.
4. Act as if it were impossible to fail.
5. Cultivate gratitude and have fun!
For a free 10-minute mental toughness consultation, email: or call 609.558.1077
MESSAGE #1260 THE WORLD’S SHORTEST SAD STORY
Once upon a time a young boy said to his family, “I want to do great things in this world; I know I can.”
Then, an old man said to his family, “I wish I had done great things in this world; I wish I did.”
End of story.
Why is this story so sad?
Because the young boy and the old man were the same person.
At the end of your life, do you want to say, “I wish I had” or “I’m glad I did”?
I think we all know the answer.
You can also apply this mindset to each and every day. Each and every practice. Each and every game.
At the end of the day, or at the end of the game, take the mental toughness test.
You pass the test if you say:
“I’m glad I did.”
MESSAGE #1259 HOW TO SUSTAIN MOTIVATION
Today’s message is especially dedicated to Nate Kunnen and Dan Beedle in Michigan.
How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.
-MARTIN LUTHER, German priest
By request, I was asked to blog about how to sustain motivation and how to persist and have inner strength. Two separate requests which are actually related.
It’s that time of year where people are looking to become more fit, get better grades, be a better romantic partner or save more money. I don’t know if I am a fan of New Year’s Resolutions, but I do know that most people don’t stick with them.
Do you want to be like most people?
Today, one of my students told me that in school they were making New Year’s Resolutions. The teacher said that most people don’t stick with their resolutions, so this year they were going to make resolutions they definitely couldn’t break, like:
1. Ice skate with the Queen of England.
2. Eat a live frog.
3. Date a Sports Illustrated model.
When I heard this assignment, I said to myself, “NO! This teacher doesn’t get it.”
It’s not about just keeping your resolution, is it?
To me, resolutions are made to better yourself, to kick-start a new you. And to lead by example so that everyone around you wants to become better as well.
It’s January 3rd…Everyone is motivated right now. But by the last week of January, most resolutions will be broken.
So how do you sustain motivation?
How do you persist and gain inner strength?
1. Understand that motivation is not a feeling, it is an ACTION. Do what you need to do, when you need to do it, whether you feel like it or not.
2. Understand that you already have inner strength, but you have to make your goals important enough. Think of it this way, if someone knew that if they smoked a cigarette today, they would get lung cancer tomorrow, would they still do it? Of course not. So we have the will-power, we just have to exercise it.
3. Use my 15-minute rule when you don’t “feel” like persisting. Whatever it is you have to do (work out, study, make calls, clean the house), just do it for 15 minutes and then you can stop. But you won’t. Once you start you get into it and you will keep going. But most people don’t even begin.
I planned on going to the gym tonight after work at 9pm, but I didn’t feel like it.
I did it anyway.
Why?
Because anyone can do something when they feel like it. I like doing things when I DON’T feel like it.
So tonight, I not only worked out my body, I worked out my mind.
You can too.
Final words:
Don’t quit, can’t fail.
MESSAGE #1253 IS THIS WHAT YOU DO?
Think about the last time you were under pressure.
Perhaps it was during an athletic competition.
Perhaps it was with a deadline at work.
Perhaps it was speaking in front of your class in school.
Physically, how did you react?
If you are like most people, your body tensed up.
How did you perform?
If you are like most people, you didn’t perform at your best.
Now think about the last time you performed effortlessly.
Physically how did you react?
Your body was probably pretty loose.
How did you perform?
Quite well, I’m sure.
A large part of peak performance is staying loose. Focused, but loose.
How do you do it?
Here’s one way:
Think of something funny before you perform.
It could be a joke, a comedy clip or video, maybe even reading from a joke book you carry around with you. And when things get tough, think of that funny thing.
Here’s an exercise: The next time you see a “big game” on television, watch how some of the players react with smiles and laughter.
Then watch what kind of results they get.
MESSAGE #1252 THIS IS COURAGE
Courage is not the absence of fear-it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.
-NELSON MANDELA
Fear is part of sports…and life. Let me share with you a secret:
Winners and losers feel the same feelings.
The difference is in the action they take.
Before the Super Bowl, the US Open, and World Series, the athletes are nervous. Some players even get sick in the locker room before the game.
But once the competition begins, they don’t ACT nervous. They move beyond their feelings.
That’s courage.
That’s mental toughness.
And you can do the same.