MESSAGE #1369 THE EASTER BUNNY AND THE ENERGIZER BUNNY

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Children and families love the Easter bunny because it brings colored eggs, candy and toys.

I love the Energizer bunny because it brings motivation and inspiration.

The pink Energizer bunny, used in commercials for Energizer batteries is known for its ability to “keep going and going and going.”

You don’t have to have Energizer batteries in you to persist, to do what you need to do. You just have to choose to keep going and going and going.

Is it easy?

Not always, but the pain of persisting goes away and you will always have the pride of accomplishment.

Muhammad Ali said, “Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

Let me put it another way…

If you persist in sports, sales and school, you will be one of the few left standing after everyone else gives up.

See you at the top, and Happy Easter to everybody celebrating.

MESSAGE #1366 THE 8 MOST POWERFUL WORDS

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Today on Success Hotline, my friend and mentor, Dr. Rob Gilbert shared a great quote, the eight most powerful words…

“Do the thing and you’ll have the power.”

-RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Today, I also gave a workshop on mental toughness at Nick DiPillo’s basketball skills camp. Afterwards, I spent some time with Nick and Hamady Ndaiye, the 7′ 0″ center for the Washington Wizards (above).

Hamady Ndaiye, or “H” as I now call him, did the thing and now he has the power.

“H” only started playing basketball six years ago and now he’s in the NBA. He admits there are challenges and that he has negative thoughts, but in his mind, there are no limits regarding how far he can go.

According to DiPillo, nobody works harder than “H.” As a matter of fact, DiPillo said, “He’s had nothing handed to him. He’s worked for every minute of playing time, and every spot on every team he’s played on. His work ethic is unmatched, and his enthusiasm is infectious. He’s the epitome of a team player.”

That’s the “thing” and “H” is doing it. And he wasn’t even a starter for Rutgers University until the end of his senior year!

The other thing that impresses me about “H” is that he is determined.

Hamady Ndaiye does not strive to do his best…

Hamady Ndaiye strives to DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.

Everybody knows what to do, but very few people do what they know.

“Do the thing and you’ll have the power.”

MESSAGE #1363 SETBACKS

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Hollie Holcombe.

Earlier today, I spoke to about 40 young basketball players at Nick DiPillo’s Spring Break Skills Camp. A key point I brought up was that failure was inevitable. Everyone fails. It’s part of the process.

Michael Jordan got cut from his basketball team in high school, but he didn’t give up.

Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times when trying to invent the lightbulb.

Babe Ruth hit the most home runs, but he also had the most strikeouts. And each time The Babe failed, he said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

How does this relate to you? Let me put it to you this way…

A SETBACK IS A SETUP FOR A COMEBACK.

Bounce back today!

MESSAGE #1362 ARE YOU A THERMOMETER?

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Nick DiPillo, former WNBA assistant coach of the New York Liberty.

I had a meeting of the minds today with Nick DiPillo. We were talking about mental toughness in basketball…and life.

I asked him what the biggest challenges were for basketball players.

One common challenge was that some players lacked focus. They were thinking about the wrong things at the wrong time.

Many young basketball think about homework, other sports or other external factors when practicing or competing.

The pro basketball players think about the commercial they need to shoot or other commitments they may need to tend to after practice or the game.

The specific distraction may be different for young and pro basketball players, but the challenge is the same—they have the wrong focus.

The average or below average players are thermometers—they focus on what’s happening on the outside, other than basketball.

The great basketball players are thermostats—they can change their internal temperature, re-focus and kick butt on the task at hand.

Mental Toughness Tip: Before practice or competition, make a list of specific issues that may be concerning you. Write them down. Keep them in your locker and forget about them until the end of your session. Stay focused on the present moment, that’s where the power is.

MESSAGE #1361 PLEASE FAIL

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Recently, I was speaking with a club manager and he mentioned that many parents today are too protective of their children. Parents want their children to be perfect—they don’t want them to fail.

Is this really helpful to the child?

Is this the mindset we want our children to have?

First of all, there’s no such thing as perfect. In fact, successful people fail the most.

If you’re not failing, you’re not taking risks. You’re not working hard enough.

Remember Zeke Bonura back in Message #1268? If not, click here.

Zeke Bonura had one of the highest fielding percentages in pro baseball, but that was because he didn’t try for any balls that he might miss.

Is this how we want to live?

There is a reason why you didn’t recognize the name Zeke Bonura.

Henry Ford went bankrupt five times while trying to develop businesses…eventually the Ford Motor Company was built.

Soichiro Honda applied for a job as an engineer for Toyota Motor Corporation but did not get the job and was unemployed for quite some time…eventually he began making scooters out of his home and started his own company.

Bill Gates failed out of college, and his first business, Traf-O-Data failed as well…eventually he started Microsoft.

Ever heard of the name Walt Disney?…he was fired by a newspaper editor because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”

So all of you parents, future parents, coaches and athletes…

Embrace failure, for it is where we learn the most. In fact, don’t even call it failure, call it feedback.

I hope you fail today.

MESSAGE #1359 IT’S NOT TOO LATE

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Well here I am back in good ole New Jersey, and as wonderful a time I had on my honeymoon in Hawaii, it’s great to be back. I love traveling, but there’s something I love even more—real life.

Most people “live” for their vacations.

Most people “can’t wait” until the weekend.

Why is that?

1. Many people don’t do what they love.
2. Many people don’t cultivate gratitude for what they already have.
3. Many people don’t think success in sports and life is possible.

Some say that I am successful.

I don’t look at myself that way. I look at myself who is doing what he is passionate about, truly wants to make a difference in the world, and believes that anything is possible.

Did you know I failed out of college—twice?!?

Anything is possible if you believe you can achieve. All you have to do is start taking the correct action.

TODAY.

It’s not too late to be what you might have been.

MESSAGE #1338 YOUR MENTAL DIET

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What are you feeding your brain?

Negative thoughts or positive intentions?

It’s your choice what type of mental diet you have, but be mindful that you will reap what you sow.

I once knew someone who didn’t take chances and who didn’t have high expectations due to the fact that he didn’t want to be disappointed. He was right, he was rarely disappointed, but he also didn’t do much with his life.

Let me tell you a story.

There once was a young man who said, “I want to do great things in this world, and I know I can!”

Then there was an old man who said, “I wish I would have done great things in this world, and I regret that I didn’t.”

End of story. To me, this is the saddest story. Why?

Because it was the same man.

You see, you may be living, but are you ALIVE?

Are you counting the days, or are you making the days count?

Recently, I got a message on Facebook from a young man in Toronto who was determined to help others…after he received his medical degree. I said that he didn’t have to wait to get his degree to make a difference in others’ lives. He could pay someone a sincere compliment. He could volunteer his time to people in need. He could just be a good listener.

So take a look at your goals. And take a look at your mental diet.

Someone once said that the beauty of life is that you need not wait another moment to make a difference in the world.

Yes, I’m talking to YOU.

MESSAGE #1335 NATIONAL CHAMP!

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Anthony Robles has just become the NCAA Division 1 National Champion for wrestling. And Anthony Robles has only one leg. Watch this inspiring interview.

MESSAGE #1331 PLAY THIS GAME…

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What game are you playing?

Are you trying to beat your opponent? Do you have anger towards the other team? Do you want to crush the competition at work?

If so, stop it.

When you start with a negative intention, you are limiting yourself. Negative intentions create negative results. You may get some positive results with negative thoughts, but they are not lasting.

Instead, begin with positive intentions. Love—love the game, love the learning and constant improvement. Love everything about the game.

You see, it’s not about beating your opponent, it’s all about mastering yourself. Mastering the game.

This is a game that very few people are playing.

The ones that are playing this game, say things like, “I’d like to thank everyone for their support; I couldn’t have become world champion by myself.”

The ones that are not playing the self-mastery game say things like, “Would you like fries with that?”

MESSAGE #1329 HOW TO BE UNSTOPPABLE

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Manny Banuelos, New York Yankees, Spring Training 2011

Have you ever been nervous before a big game?

Have you ever tightened up at a crucial point in a game?

Have you ever doubted yourself?

Of course you have, you’re human.

One thing I have unearthed by talking to some of the greatest athletes in the world is that the world champions and the weekend warriors feel the same feelings. They think the same thoughts. So what sets them apart?

Their perception of the situation.

The actions that they take.

Yankee pitcher, Manny Banuelos just turned 20 years old on Sunday. And on Monday, he was slated to pitch on ESPN versus the Boston Red Sox. The biggest game of his life.

What did he do?

He pitched 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits, 3 walks and striking out 2.

Pretty impressive for someone who was a teenager just two days before.

What’s more impressive is how Man-Ban reacted to the pressure.

His perception was excitement, not pressure.

Banuelos admits he gets nervous, but it doesn’t last long.

In the second inning, Banuelos got into a jam, having the bases loaded and only one out. He stepped it up and forced the next two hitters to ground out.

Then, on his last pitch, the pressure was on again with a 3-2 count. He threw a change-up to Kevin Youkllis and struck him out.

Wow.

The bottom line is that you can either let pressure hurt you or you can let it help you. It’s your choice how you react, and if you are able to do your best when it means the most.

It is then that you will be unstoppable.

Speaking of being unstoppable, I shared my new mental skills workbook, “How to be Unstoppable” with some of the Yankees players when I was down at Spring Training last week. You can pick up your own copy by clicking HERE.