MESSAGE #534

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the mothers at MOPS International in Bordentown, NJ.

To laugh often and much,
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children,
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of
false friends,
to appreciate beauty,
to find the best in others,
to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden
patch, or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-RALPH WALDO EMERSON

MESSAGE #533 DEFINITION OF SUCCESS…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Zach Perles.

“If you find yourself being stimulated, being challenged, being driven, being pushed, inspired, influenced, and also encouraged-when anybody is in a position that any of those things can happen to them or to a group, then that is success.

When you reach the stage where you feel complete, where you feel as though you have accomplished as much as you were given an opportunity to accomplish. If you can reach that stage where you feel every morning, every day, that you’ve given your best, that kind of success becomes not just objective, but it becomes subjective because you know that you’ve given your best.

I always say to my guys, ‘The most important day of your life is today. This very minute is the most important minute of your life. You must win this minute. You must win this day. And tomorrow will take care of itself.’ “
-JOHN CHANEY

MESSAGE #532 BE LIKE MIKE…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Michael Jordan.

We all know that Michael Jordan was cut from his basketball team in the 10th grade. He then went home and cried for the rest of the night. Many people would have given up and tried a different sport, but Michael went to work. The next school year, Michael arrived at school every morning at 6am to worked out with the coach.

Size-wise, many people had the same physical build as Jordan, some more so. So how then did Michael Jordan become MICHAEL JORDAN?

He certainly worked hard. VERY hard. But Jordan also had something inside. DESIRE. He says he was “hungry.” He also had the mindset of a champion BEFORE he became the Michael Jordan that we all know.

Jordan once said that if he ever woke up and thought that he couldn’t get any better than the day before, he would give up basketball. He had a growth mindset.

He was never satisfied. He never said, “I’ve made it.” In his eyes, he never got to the top of the mountain, he was always climbing.

I try to be like Mike. I try to get better every day in all areas of my life. It’s a process, and I’m enjoying the process. Someone once said that there are no limits, just plateaus and we need to continue to go higher and higher.

I agree.

Homework: Be like Mike…today.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #531 DON’T WAIT!

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Jim Mulligan in Orlando, Florida.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
-BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

MESSAGE #530 THE ONLY FORMULA YOU NEED TO KNOW…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Grant Williams in Cape Town, South Africa.

Do you have a voice inside your head?

Of course you do-we all do.

It is your choice, though, whether you use it in a positive or negative way.

Let me explain…
If you’re in a match situation and you hit two forehands into the net, do you say to yourself…

A) WHY am I hitting everything into the net?!
B) WHY am I so terrible?!
C) HOW can I fix this?
D) Maybe I should try golf…

These are different reactions to the same situation.

Hopefully your answer was C).

Winners ask “HOW?”
Losers ask “WHY?”

The only formula you need to know is this…

E + P = R

Event plus Perception equals Reality.
Write it down on an index card and keep it in your tennis bag, book bag or briefcase. Look at it and think about it often.
A winner says “I can do this better,” and a loser says, “That’s the way I’ve always done it.”

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #528 I’M PLAYING IN THE US OPEN TODAY!

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It is many a child’s dream to play in the US Open.

Today, I will be playing at the US Open, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in their brand new indoor facility.

Am I playing for money?
No.

Is it a tournament?
No.

I am hitting with sports agent, Ian Rubel.

I work hard, but I play hard. See, success is not about money. There is nothing wrong with making money, but many people think that in order to be happy, they need a lot of money. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Success is about enjoying the journey.
Working hard and playing hard.
Making a difference in the world-every day.
Making the best of every situation.
Being nice.
Having gratitude for all the big and little things in your life.

In these tough economic times, it’s easy to say, “Why me?” but it’s all perception. Even though you may be out of a job, there are people in the world that don’t even know if they will live long enough to have their next meal. Bob Ryland, the first black tennis pro, went through hell, but if you look at him, he is always smiling and laughing.

Don’t look for success in money or material things.
Don’t look for success in the future…

Success is already inside you. Enjoy today, it’s all we have right now.


Thanks for checking in.

MESSAGE #527 HAVE A GREAT DAY…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to Bernie in the UK…safe trip to Zimbabwe.

A young woman successfully achieved a considerable weight loss-here is what she did: She pictured explicitly the weight she wanted to reach by a certain age. Each time she was tempted, she estimated how long it would take her to eat the gooey desserts, chocolates, or other rich food. Then she thought how happy she would feel after those few minutes she had not eaten it. For the first time she began to experience the thrill of self-mastery. At bedtime, she ran over her temptations mentally and added up all the fattening things she had not eaten that day. Eagerly, she looked forward to topping her record the next day. She achieved her weight goal. And she held it, too.

From Have a Great Day by Norman Vincent Peale.

Do you think this only applies to weight loss?

Of course not. Apply this strategy to sports, sales or school and you will get closer to peak performance.

Listen to Ed Tseng on Heal Yourself Talk Radio with Rebbekah White and top sports psychologist, Dr. John F. Murray… http://www.blogtalkradio.com/healyourselftalkradio/2009/01/07/Improve-Your-Mental-Performance

MESSAGE #526

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I had a bad day yesterday. Let me rephrase that…Nothing went my way yesterday.

Hmmm…

How about this?

I learned a lot yesterday.

YES!

I could sit here feeling sorry for myself, or I could change my perception of the situation. What do you think I’m going to choose?

LET’S GO!!

A setback is a setup for a comeback.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #524 HOW TO USE SELF-TALK…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to my sister, the great Lucy Perrine…Happy Birthday!

I know you talk to yourself. It’s okay, don’t worry. That is normal. But my question to you is how do you talk to yourself when things aren’t going your way?

There are two ways to talk to yourself. Permanently or temporarily.

Permanent self-talk:
I always crack under pressure.
I can’t beat players ranked higher than me.
I am so mentally weak.
All referees are unfair.
Why should I even try, I’m not making any more money.
I just can’t do this.

Temporary self-talk:
I had a chance to win today but just made too many errors.
I tried my best, next time I’ll do better.
I can’t do that…yet.
I lost focus towards the end today.
My energy level was low today, probably because I didn’t eat properly.

Words are powerful. Many times we don’t even realize what we are saying to ourselves. Be mindful of how you are speaking to yourself…it is the difference between winning and losing.

Don’t call it failure, call it feedback.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #523

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Melissa Thurston in Boston.

“Success is not due to some genius or some magic. It is generally due to holding on, failing to let go. You decide to learn a language, to become a pianist, to reach a goal in business, to become a better human being.

Will you succeed or fail? It depends on how much pluck and perseverance you put behind your decision. The decision that nothing can conquer, the grip that nothing can detach brings success. The Chinese have a saying for it: With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes satin.”
-author unknown


Thanks for reading.