I recently sent this secret formula to a pitcher on the New York Yankees via Facebook message:
T + T + T + T + T = C
Today + Today + Today + Today + Today = Your Career
The best way to have a Hall of Fame career is to ACT like a Hall of Famer TODAY. Then do it again tomorrow. And the next day and the next day…
Focusing on the past and the future is weak.
Focusing on the present moment is powerful.
Pitchers and catchers have already reported to spring training camp and position players report in a couple of days. Baseball is in the air again, and players are getting ready for their upcoming season. Some are trying to get in shape and others are trying to make an impression.
At the professional level, everyone has the physical skills, but part of what sets the minor league players and the major league players apart, is the mental side.
I know some baseball players in the Yankees organization who will be trying to make an impression down in Tampa this spring. You know who you are, and if you’re reading this, here’s my advice to you:
1. Go all-out—Be the most energetic player on the field. If you hustle on and off the field, not only will the coaches notice, you will actually FEEL more energetic and your performance will increase.
2. Ignore that little voice inside your head—There will be times that your inner voice will speak negatively to you. That’s normal. But you don’t have to believe that voice. Accept it, let it go, and act like the most confident player on the field.
3. Just do it—The great philosopher, Yogi Berra said, “A full mind is an empty bat. You can’t think and hit at the same time.” Trust your game and all the hard work you’ve put in.
4. Visualize—The more you visualize how you want to perform, the more likely you will perform at a high level. Most athletes leave their performance to chance—something YOU don’t want to do.
5. Focus on the process—Don’t worry about results, you can’t control that. Worry, instead about the things you can control, like your effort, your attitude, your energy level and your reactions to situations. When you do this, you will get better results. Oh, and have fun!
That’s it. See you in Tampa on March 9th.
“Never hurry when it counts.”
-JOANNE CARNER
When things are not going your way, time goes by very quickly.
When things are going your way, time goes by very slowly.
The greatest athletes in the world slow the game down to their speed.
How do they do it?
1. They focus on taking deep diaphragmatic breaths.
2. They focus on playing one point at a time.
3. They focus on the process, not the result.
4. They focus on things they can control.
5. They focus on having fun.
And you can do the same.
Gandhi said:
“Full effort is full victory.”
What does this mean?
Here’s how I see it:
1. Go all-out.
2. Focus more on your effort.
3. Focus less on your results.
4. Most people don’t give it their all.
5. When you focus on the “process,” (effort) you get the “product” (winning) that you want.
Let’s face it, most people play a reactionary game.
When they play well, they react positively.
When they play poorly, they react negatively.
The champions create how they play.
Here’s a great exercise to help you play your best game more often:
1. Think of a past great performance.
2. On an index card, write down what you did well during that performance.
3. Write down what you were focusing on.
4. Write down how you were feeling.
5. Write down what type of body language you had.
6. Keep that index card in your bag.
7. Read it before you practice or compete.
8. Then go out and duplicate that performance.
At the end of an athlete’s career, he/she never says, “I wish I would have held back.”
If successful, an athlete most likely will say, “I’m glad I went all-out.”
Taking risks is a key element to success in sports and life. You need to get out of your comfort zone.
Do you want to be comfortable, or do you want to be great?
Today, I took a risk.
I emailed Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology. The guy is a rock star.
Part of me felt that I shouldn’t do it. Why would he want to talk to me?
But I did it anyway.
Not only did he respond, he shared some valuable resources with me.
Have you ever NOT reached out to someone who you thought wouldn’t give you the time of day?
Have you ever NOT hit a shot that you thought you might miss?
It happens all the time. But when that occurs, people are just training themselves to hold back.
Is that how you want to play the game?
A critical element of mental toughness is goal-setting. Many people think they have goals, but in actuality, they are merely wishes.
Most people know what they need to do, but most people do not DO what they know they need to do.
Here are a couple quick tips on setting goals:
1. Write them down.
2. Make them specific.
3. Make them measurable.
4. Make them attainable.
5. Make them realistic.
6. Make them timely (give yourself a deadline)
7. Find an accountability partner (to keep you on track)
8. Begin now.
9. Persist.
10. Celebrate (then set a new goal)
The above is not a new formula, it has been around forever. The reason why, is because it works. And the reason why most people don’t achieve their goals is because they don’t stick with it. Taking action is the key.
I once went to the shooting range with a police sergeant friend of mine. He showed me how the gun worked, how to load/unload it, and he gave me tips on shooting techniques. We chose our type of target, i.e., a traditional target with a bullseye or a silhouette of a person holding a gun (a “bad guy”), which we could control the distances of.
My first shot was right in the bullseye! Beginners luck or good technique? I vote for good technique.
So what’s the point here? If I had just taken the gun and shot around, I would not know what I was doing, I would, most likely, not hit any targets, and someone could have gotten hurt.
Police officers go to the shooting range so that they can practice hitting targets. And practicing hitting targets will help them perform when it matters the most.
This applies to sports and life as well.
Write down your goals today!
If you play the game like that-one pitch, one hitter, one inning at a time-the next thing you know you look up and you’ve won.
-RICK DEMPSEY, major league catcher
Present-moment focus is the key to peak performance on and off the field.
Like Rick Dempsey says, when you focus on one pitch, one hitter or one inning at a time, you are focusing on the “process” and as a result, you will get a better “product” which is winning.
Today I did a demonstration with a tennis pro. I had him hold one hand up, then said, “Catch!” I proceeded to throw two balls to him simultaneously and he only caught one.
It was a set-up. Nobody can catch two balls at one time.
What does this mean?
Nobody can perform well when they are thinking about the last pitch they missed, or in tennis, the last shot they missed. Many athletes are playing several points at a time and that never works.
Let go of the last pitch or the last point. You can’t change it. Focus on the current pitch or point and that will give you your best chance at winning.
In sales, give your full, undivided attention to your conference call, instead of checking your email or organizing your office.
I think you get the point.
Now go out and do it.
Anthony Kelly (above) likes to catch arrows with his bare hands. In fact, he also likes to catch paint balls. Kelly holds five Guinness World Records and supposedly has the fastest reactions on the planet. I caught up with Anthony recently and below is what I unearthed.
ET: What inspired you to do what you do?
AK: I was brought up watching Mohammed Ali and Bruce Lee and wanted to be like them (or better). I was amazed with their speed and power, also their strength of character.
ET: How do you train?
AK: I train and coach everyday both martial arts and Reaction Training from the beginners through to Olympic level athletes. This is important as our brains work in the same way but on different levels and I have found a way to open the channel between advanced and unexperienced athletes by the use of using basic learning skills and by building a strong foundation of learning to get the brain to reacting faster and faster as their training progress. Learning to react to stimuli, basically people on all levels enjoy learning and playing fast skills and are always happy to compete with others to gain extremely fast skills. One example I can give is play knuckles with me and you will quickly learn to respond faster. So to answer the question is I train by teaching and interacting with athletes on all levels of competencies.
ET: How do you cross-train?
AK: I am a coach of several sports and believe that training in many different sports is important, but the single most important aspect is to keep sharp by incorporating reaction action skills into every part of my life, like slipping through a door that’s about to shut, trying to catch things at ridicules speeds and enjoying the challenge of being as fast as I can be.
ET: How many other people do what you do?
AK: I hold many very unusual Guinness World Records and some have never been challenged, so that means that people are not interested or unwilling to achieve what I have. And as far as I know I am the only Specialist Reaction Coach. I introduced the World’s first electronic training device in 1995.
ET: What is your typical event like? Do you speak? Demo? Both?
AK: Training as I Coach is the best way for me to demonstrate the level that I work at and the level that athletes can achieve if they follow my Reaction training programme. Also once people are in the zone during training it is easier to communicate my ideas and philosophies about being super fast.
ET: Can reaction time be improved?
AK: Yes. Some people are born with ‘faster’ twitch fibre muscles then others, but I am a firm believer that you can improve any skill that you put your mind and body into learning. Through the correct training including:
A) Dedicate your life to being as fast as YOU can be. That means try and do the impossible like slipping into an automatic door before it closes play games with kids, but most importantly have fun.
B) Dream, visualize and create an awareness that you are the best that you can be and that you can even be better
ET: Do you work with athletes? How?
AK: I coach many local, state and national teams each year and individuals that what some training that is out of the ordinary.
ET: Were you “born” to do this?
AK: I have just been tested in some of the world’s best Universities and the conclusion is that I am 10 times faster than the average human and this is contributed to my genetics, (my father was very fast and strong and my grandfather was an famous bushman with extraordinary abilities, like grabbing a red-belly blacksnake and creaking (like a whip) their heads off and also my diet, which consists of just meat, potatoes, rice, bread and chocolate, I have NEVER eaten fruit or vegetables. Also my intense training resume.
ET: How has this helped you in other areas of life?
AK: Well I have a lot of fame but not much fortune. But training in martial arts and delving into the works of what goes on in our minds and body, it has shown me that we can all achieve what we want if we really want it.
My motto is ‘practice is the key to success’ so if I have a message it is find out what you want out of life and start training hard. Will you see results? Yes, but it will take time. Do not give up and you will achieve greatness.
For more on Anthony Kelly, visit: http://www.anthonykelly.com.au/
Many athletes and coaches focus on doing something until it’s automatic. Sometimes this is good, but sometimes this is bad.
I recently read about a study at McDonald’s restaurants. Researchers had many people in different locations go to a McDonald’s restaurant and ask for only an order of french fries. Not a very interesting study so far, but…
63 percent of the McDonald’s employees responded, “Do you want fries with that?”
Do you want fries with your fries?
The employees were conditioned to ask that question, even though it made no sense.
Sometimes automatic is bad.
What if you only practice under perfect conditions? What if you only practice against the same people?
You won’t be able to perform outside of your “vacuum.”
Be mindful when you practice.
When I train tennis players, I purposely hit them different types of shots, different types of spin and different types of speed. I even hit different types of tennis balls once in a while, that bounce differently, just to keep the players honest.
Training should be purposeful, not just so you “look good.”
Think about it.