MESSAGE #1212 BE PRESENT

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Are you living or are you alive?

I study athletes and most are in their sport, but few are into their sport.

What’s the difference?

Passion.

If you are in your sport, you are participating.

If you are into your sport, you are passionate.

Most athletes focus on the past and future.

The best athletes focus on the present moment.

One of my favorite things to do is mental cross-training.

Physical cross-training is working out your body to make it tougher.

Mental cross-training is working out your mind to make it tougher.

One way to mentally cross-train is to do something new.

It could be trying a new food.

It could be trying a new hobby.

It could be being extremely nice to someone you cannot stand.

See if it makes you more present, alert, alive.

Most people are living, but they’re not alive.

Practice, play and live more mindfully and you may be pleasantly surprised.

This will help you stay in the present moment and that is where greatness lies.

MESSAGE #1211

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Want to be more mentally tough?

You can!

Focus LESS on what you’re feeling on the inside and focus MORE on what you’re doing on the outside.

Your actions change your attitudes.

Your movements change your moods.

Act how you want to feel and you will soon feel how you act. Try it.

MESSAGE #1209 ARE YOU A TEAM PLAYER?

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When I was younger, my cousins brainwashed me into liking the Dallas Cowboys. The truth is, I didn’t really enjoy football but they were passionate Cowboy fans, so it rubbed off. To this day I still do not follow football but I can remember Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, and others.

For some reason, the player I remember the most was #12, Roger Staubach. Recently, I hear an amazing story about Roger.

In 1963, while playing football for Navy, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy for being the most outstanding collegiate football player.

After Roger received the award, he went back to Navy and a team meeting was held. As he spoke to his teammates, Roger said that the trophy wasn’t his, it belonged to all of them. He said he would not have won the trophy without them.

And then Staubach proceeded to smash the Heisman Trophy into pieces.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Staubach walked over to each teammate and handed them a piece of the trophy.

Now that’s a teammate.

And that’s a leader.

MESSAGE #1205 ADVERSITY

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Adversity cause some men to break; others to break records.
-WILLIAM A. WARD

It’s all perception and reaction.

Go all-out today!

MESSAGE #1203 THE BEST PLACE TO COACH

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Someone once told me that the best place to coach is in an orphanage.

No parents.

There is a lot of truth in this joke.

I have seen many parents OVER involved in their child’s sport.

I have even had to kick parents out of a tournament site for coaching during a tennis match.

I understand that a parent wants their child to succeed, but by being overly involved and putting a tremendous amount of pressure on their child is not the way.

The main role of the parent is to provide LOVE and SUPPORT.

Period.

MESSAGE #1202 THEY DID IT!

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Well, Justin Gimelstob won his bet with Andy Roddick, as he finished the New York City Marathon in 4:09:58, well under the 4:45 that Roddick predicted he wouldn’t finish within.

I’m sure Laura Skladzinski, his running mate had a large part to do with it.

And my new hero, Edison Pena, Miner #12 finished in 5:40:51. Pena was having trouble with his knees and had to stop between mile 19 and 20 to ice. He could have quit, but he didn’t. His goal was to finish the marathon in 6 hours and he was determined to do whatever it took.

Congrats to Justin, Edison and everyone else who ran today in the New York City Marathon.

What an inspiring day!

MESSAGE #1201 ACCOUNTABILITY

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Tomorrow is the New York City Marathon.

Guess who is running?

Ex-pro tennis player, and tennis analyst, Justin Gimelstob. See my interview with him at the 2010 US Open here.

Andy Roddick bet Gimelstob that he couldn’t finish the marathon in 4:45. Justin took the bet and the loser gives $10,000 to the other persons charity.

I remember recently when Justin was downloading motivational videos onto his iPod for the race. He was getting ready.

Well, he also got a little bit of luck. Laura Skladzinski, the youngest female to run a marathon in all 50 states volunteered to help Gimelstob out.

She will be running alongside Justin to make sure he finishes and wins the bet.

Brilliant.

That’s accountability.

We all need that.

I have a feeling Justin Gimelstob is going to win this bet.

MESSAGE #1199 A QUOTE FROM VINCE LOMBARDI

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“There’s only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything. I do, and I demand that my players do.”
-VINCE LOMBARDI

MESSAGE #1197 ARE YOU RUSHIN’?

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Someone asked me recently how to stay in the present moment.

I said that great athletes tend to slow the game down–they stay in the present moment.

They focus on one point at a time.

One shot at a time.

Deep breaths help.

Focus on what you can do get the result you want.

Do not focus on the result.

Someone once said, to do two things at once is to do nothing.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you might miss it.”
-FERRIS BUELLER