MESSAGE #1637 MY NEWEST FACEBOOK FRIEND

One of the traits successful people share is their desire for constant learning. When you have a growth mindset like that, the sky is the limit and anything is possible.

Well, my newest Facebook friend is almost in the sky, she’s 6 foot 11.5 inches tall. Her name is Marvadene “Bubbles” Anderson. I first met Bubbles after her first high school basketball game back in 2009 when she was ONLY 6 foot 10.5 inches tall. A wonderful young lady who has a growth mindset. Enjoy the video of us below and take notice how her goals were to learn as much as she could.

MESSAGE #1631 THE SECRET TO JEREMY LIN’S SUCCESS

By now, nearly everyone on the planet has heard about Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks and “Lin-sanity.” If for some reason, you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, let me recap for you.

After getting cut from the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and nearly the New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin came off the bench for the Knicks on February 4th and scored 25 points against the New Jersey Nets. He then scored 28 points versus the Utah Jazz, 23 points over the Washington Wizards, 38 points over Kobe Bryant (34 points) and the Los Angeles Lakers and 20 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was named Player of the Week and the floundering Knicks went undefeated with Lin in the starting lineup. And the sports world exploded. What makes the Asian-American Harvard grad from California so special?

Here are my top five keys to Jeremy Lin’s success:

1. He’s a team player. In a league dominated by superstar players who often are like a one-man show, Lin does what most great athletes do…he makes the rest of the team better.

2. He is isn’t affected by external factors. With all the hype and media attention he is getting, Lin still seems down-to-earth and composed regardless of what is going on around him.

3. He goes all-out. One of Jeremy Lin’s goals for every game is to give a full effort. Gandhi said, “Full effort is full victory.”

4. He has faith. In post-game interviews, Lin often thanks God for all that has happened to him. Whether you are religious or spiritual, having faith helps you trust your abilities and focus on the process, not the outcome.

5. He has fun. You can see by how he plays the game that Jeremy Lin loves what he does. Hard work and passion go a long way.

Here are a couple of my favorite Jeremy Lin quotes:

“I’m not playing for other people; if I start thinking in those terms I would put too much pressure on myself. I play basketball because that is what I love to do.”

“I’m not playing to prove anything to anybody.”

How far will Jeremy Lin go in his basketball career? Nobody knows, but one thing is for sure. If he stays healthy and keeps living by these principles, the sky is the limit.

MESSAGE #1573 PERSEVERANCE

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

You may not be a snail, but you still need to persist.

If your goal is to make your high school baseball team, or become a chocolatier, it doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.

One of the biggest problems people have is that they stop too soon. Then they try something else. And probably stop too soon with that as well.

If you persist while others give up when they face adversity, or get frustrated, guess who’s going to be left at the top?

YOU.

Don’t try your best, do whatever it takes.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1561 A MESSAGE FROM MICHAEL JORDAN

I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot…When you think about the consequences, you always think of a negative result.
-Michael Jordan

When I give seminars on the psychological aspect of peak performance, I always ask someone in the audience to name their favorite athlete. Many times it is Michael Jordan. I then ask the following questions…

“Who is faster, you or Jordan?”

“Who can shoot better, you or Jordan?”

“Who can jump higher, you or Jordan?”

The answer is always Jordan (if they are being honest).

I then ask how long it would take for them to be physically equal to Jordan.

Most say forever.

I follow up and say, “Do you know how you can become just as good as Jordan, almost instantly?”

I have the entire auditorium’s attention as I say…

“By having the same mindset as Jordan. And by giving the same effort as Jordan.”

I recently asked the winningest coach in college history, Paul Assaiante, squash coach at Trinity College, if giving a full effort was one of the main goals for his team. He responded…

“It’s the ONLY goal.”

Comments? Leave them below.

MESSAGE #1553 WANNA BE IN THE HALL OF FAME?

I recently attended the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Auction at the Seaview Hotel and Resort. The inductees were: Louise Gengler Thomas, William Stoner, Jeff Holman, and Dave Haggerty. It was a great event and I enjoyed seeing so many wonderful people in the industry, including my fellow USTA NJ board members.

As I sat during the induction ceremony I couldn’t help but think about all the great things Louise, Bill, Jeff and Dave have done for the game of tennis. But if you asked them if they were TRYING to get into the USTA Hall of Fame, they would say no. They made a difference in the industry because they WANTED TO. They wanted to add value and focused on the process instead of the results.

Another way to say it is, if you want to get in the Hall of Fame in tennis, or life, the best way is to stop trying to get into the Hall of Fame. Strive for excellence every day and as a by-product, you just might like where you end up.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1546 WHO’S IN CONTROL, YOU OR YOUR DAY?

The other day, I overheard someone saying, “I wish I had more time in my day.”

Well, today, I’m going to show you how to do just that. It’s called time management, or being efficient. Instead of “seeing what today brings,” after today, you will be able to CREATE your day and get more done in the process. Not only will being efficient buy you more time in your day, you will be better at your job, your school work, your sport…everything. Ready? Here we go…

Ed’s Efficiency Exercise

1. Create a to-do list: Write down three to five things you want to accomplish today.

2. Prioritize your list: Rank your tasks in order of importance (A = most important, B = very important, C = Not very important).

3. Just do it: Begin with your most important task. Focus all your energy on it, and do it until completion, or until you choose to stop.

4. Repeat: Continue doing “A” tasks, then move to “B” and finally to “C.”

5. Break it up: Don’t forget to take breaks throughout your day so the quality of your work/practice/study time is not compromised.

6. Make it a game: At the end of the day, see how many tasks you checked off. Your goal should be to have all of them checked off. This is also a great way to build confidence. Don’t be afraid to reward yourself.

7. Remember: Spend more time on your important tasks and less time on unimportant ones. In other words…Make the important thing the important thing…that’s the important thing.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1536 AROUND ME

I love what I do.

As I look around my office, I see books like these…

Body Mind Mastery
Sports Slump Busting
Heads-Up Baseball
The Golfer’s Mind
The Fighter’s Mind
Mind Gym
Mindset
Secrets of Mind Power
Clutch
Awakening the Giant Within
Hypnotism
The Inner Game of Tennis
Success
The Tao of Bruce Lee

This is just a small sampling of my library.

Why did I share this with you? Because I wanted to show you that I’m totally INTO peak performance and the mental game. I can’t get enough of it.

How INTO it are you with your sport, job, academics or relationships?

Many people say that you should be well-rounded.

I feel differently.

I say that you should be sharp-edged.

Be REALLY, REALLY good at one thing.

MESSAGE #1527 THE MENTAL GAME VIDEO

I’m a Yankee fan, but I have to respect this guy:

E:60 Evan Longoria from E60 on Vimeo.

MESSAGE #1526 BE LIKE PAULO COELHO

Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, is one of the greatest writers in history. His book has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide.

Recently, I was listening to an interview he did with the great Brendon Burchard and Coelho said something amazing.

Often, he does not feel like writing, but at 10pm, Coelho makes an agreement with himself to write for half an hour.

Guess what?

He then proceeds to write until 3 in the morning!

Most writers wait until they FEEL like writing, but the great ones just start writing.

It’s the start that stops most people.

When you start writing, you begin to get into it and then you gain momentum.

Working out is the same way. So is practicing the piano, cleaning the house and studying.

The next time you need to do something but don’t feel like it, just do it for half an hour. Or be like me and do it for fifteen minutes and you can stop.

But you won’t.