Someone once asked George Foreman, former world heavyweight boxing champion of the world, how he withstood the pain from being a boxer.
Foreman replied:
“If I see what I want real good in my mind, I don’t notice any pain in getting it.”
How does this relate to you?
1. Visualize the athlete, student, or salesperson you want to be.
2. Do whatever it takes to get there. No exceptions.
3. Begin today.
“Defeat is a state of mind.
no one is ever defeated
until defeat has been accepted
as a reality.
To me, defeat in anything
is merely temporary,
and its punishment is but an urge
for me to exert greater effort
to achieve my goal.
Defeat simply tells me
that something is wrong in my doing;
it is a path leading to
success and truth.”
-BRUCE LEE
As promised, today’s message will include more of Bruce Lee, who would have turned 70 yesterday.
“If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is going to help you.”
-BRUCE LEE
Think about it. If you learn all the technical and physical aspects of your sport/job, that is good. But you have to put yourself out there to get “tougher.”
In college, you learn theory.
In the real world, you gain experience and first-hand knowledge.
In practice, you learn theory.
In competition, you gain experience and learn how to win.
Most people don’t like to be thrown into pressure situations, but it is there where you learn the most.
It is there where you grow the most.
With Billie Jean King at my US Open book signing
Champions keep playing until they get it right.
-BILLIE JEAN KING
I once had a student who began playing tournaments. In her first tournament, she lost first round. In the next tournament, she had the same result. And the next, and the next. For practically the first year, she didn’t get past the first round.
I told her, “This is a great way to improve, learn and develop as a player.”
She agreed with me, although she wanted better results. Well, she stuck with it and then started getting results.
She started winning some matches. She got to the 2nd round, then the 3rd and now it is rare if she doesn’t make it to at least the semifinals. She is also on her high school varsity team.
Most people give up too soon. They want immediate results. The great ones persist.
You need to hang on until you catch on.
Winning may feel good temporarily, but you learn more from losses.
The two most important questions you can ask yourself after a game/match/practice session are:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how did I play?
2. What can I do differently next time to get to a 10?
Focus on constant improvement and as a by-product, you will win more.
Players get better after their coach gets better.
Students get better after their teacher gets better.
Employees get better after their manager gets better.
Many coaches, teachers and managers wonder why their players, students and employees are not getting optimal results.
But it’s not about the players, students or employees.
It’s about the coaches, teachers and managers.
So what can you do?
1. Lead by example. Others will follow.
2. Show your passion. It will be contagious.
3. Respect EVERYONE. We are all equal.
4. Strive for constant improvement. We can always improve our craft.
5. Develop a TEAM-first mentality. The great ones know individual goals come second.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the great basketball/tennis players, coaches and parents that attended my “Mental Edge” seminar.
In my seminar today, in conjunction with the great Micah Lancaster’s basketball session, I talked about how to get the mental edge in sports and life. I shared some of the mental secrets of the world’s greatest athletes.
One of the keys I stressed was that knowing the mental secrets was not good enough–you need to APPLY them.
Information is nothing without implementation.
Everyone knows what they need to do, but most people don’t do it.
And here’s the secret…
A real champion does what they need to do, when they need to do it, whether they feel like it or not.
You don’t have to feel like a champion to act like a champion. It’s a choice, and it can begin right now.
A special thanks to Brian Klatsky for making “The Mental Edge” possible today.
One thing we all look for is happiness.
Happiness may be in the form of sports, business, finances, hobbies, spirituality, school or relationships.
But most people have it all wrong–they think that happiness is something to be found.
The truth is, happiness comes from within.
You may not be the athlete you want to be…YET. It is your choice whether you are happy with where you are. My feeling is that regardless of what level you are, if you strive for constant improvement, work hard, set goals and believe that anything is possible, that is success. And that should make you happy.
You don’t have to be satisfied, but you could (and should) be happy right now. It’s a choice.
