Have you ever had a fear of something?
Perhaps playing in front of a big crowd? Speaking in front of a group? A piano recital?
Fear is normal. But you don’t have to act like you are fearful. Focus on the process, not the outcome.
As a matter of fact, fear is nature’s way of testing you to see if you are serious about your goals.
Are you?
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Jane Atkinson in London, Ontario, Canada.
Have you ever been in a pressure situation?
Of course you have. But the question is, what do you do in those situations?
Most people tense up, stop breathing and pray that it will be over soon.
Next time, try what Michael Jordan did…
When the pressure was on, Jordan called up past successes in his mind. Most of the time he replayed the last-second shot he made in the 1982 NCAA Championship when he was at North Carolina.
And we all know what kind of results Jordan got.
So next time the pressure’s on, go back in time when you were in control, you were in the zone and you could do no wrong.
Or you can focus on the negative stuff.
Your choice.
“Set your goals high and don’t stop until you get there.”
-BO JACKSON
I have a confession.
I like taking notes at movies.
The movies I like to watch are inspirational. They have a lot of great quotes. Recently, I went to see The Karate Kid, I knew it would have some good quotes. Here is my favorite…
There is no such thing as bad student only a bad teacher.
The “evil” kung fu instructor’s motto was “No fear, no mercy.”
Mr. Han’s (good kung fu instructor) motto was “Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. Fight hard, earn respect…Kung Fu is about making peace.”
I know coaches that tell their players to call the ball out when it is close. They teach them to be jerks on the court. They think winning is everything.
Is it?
When I work with athletes and business professionals, I ask them, “At the end of your life, what do you want to be known for?”
The answer is never, I want to be #1 in the world, or I want to be a millionaire with five homes and a boat.
The answer is always something like, “I want to have been a role model; someone who made a difference and led by example. I want to be known as someone who went all-out, regardless of the situation.”
We may not all be coaches, but we are all teachers. We may be teaching our children, our friends, our parents, our fans, our employees or a stranger on the street. But what are we teaching them?
Roger Federer said, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.”
People say, nice guys finish last.
I say, nice guys are winners before the game begins.
I saw a sign today that read…
“First we will be the best, then we will be first.”
This is a great quote, but unfortunately most people have it backwards.
Most people think that they need to be first to be the best.
That’s the wrong focus.
When you focus on being first, you probably won’t become first.
But when you focus on being the best by giving the best effort/service/attitude, you will be first at whatever you do. And don’t worry if you don’t become first right away, stick with it because I’d like to see who’s going to beat you in the long-run. I guarantee there won’t be many still around.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Justin Shackil.
I thought of this blog entry while I was out running this morning. My ideal start to the day is a visualization/gratitude/meditation run, then some weights and ending with yoga.
As I was doing my interval running (walk/jog/sprint), I found myself wanting to stop when I couldn’t go any further. And in the first round, I did stop. But then I thought, I am going to just go a little longer next time. I did. It wasn’t so bad. Then I did it again. I pushed myself.
The problem with stopping when you “feel like” stopping is that you are training yourself to ease up.
The key is to do a little bit more. Whenever I’m training someone in the gym, I say, do as many repetitions as you can, then do two more.
When you push yourself through the initial uncomfortable state, you end up in a whole new world.
And you get whole new results.
Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish that your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round — remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.
-JAMES CORBETT, heavyweight boxing champion
The less tension and effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.
-BRUCE LEE
If you’re an athlete, go back to a time when you were performing at your peak. Notice how you weren’t exerting that much energy? Weren’t you “just” doing it?
Be loose, clear your mind. But be focused.
When you are practicing, you should think about your technique.
When you are competing, you should be more automatic.
Take a deep breath and trust your game.
You have only one job today.
Take a risk.
Now, don’t take this the wrong way…I’m not saying you should quit your job and sell coconuts on the beach, but you should get out of your comfort zone — in your sport, in your job and in school.
Eleanor Roosevelt said that you should do one thing a day that scares you. She knew that you have to take risks to get results.
One of the biggest risks I took was starting my own business. I was scared to death, but I did it. And I’m glad.
If I had stayed in my comfort zone, I would still just be a tennis pro.
But now, not only am my own boss, I am a speaker, author and authority on mental toughness.
With big risk comes big reward.
One of my biggest risks became one of the best decisions I ever made.
Someone once said, “Go out on a limb, because that’s where the fruit is.”
What do you aspire to be?
What level is your effort?
If your effort is less than your aspirations, the space in between is just HOPE.
Recently, I had a female student who has been progressing nicely. Unfortunately, she goes to a school that has a strong tennis team, so she did not make the team last year.
But she’s not giving up. In fact, she’s working harder.
I recommended that she play some tournaments to get match-tough and experience some pressure situations.
She did. And played well. She lost, but she learned a lot and gained much confidence by just putting herself out there.
I have another student who, when he started playing tournaments, lost in the first two rounds for the first year. But he persisted, and then started winning. He now consistently gets to the finals of tournaments.
Most people don’t like to lose, so they don’t compete. But those are the people who don’t grow.
My students’ efforts are high.
I like that. And I’m proud of them. With a mindset like that, you can’t lose. The results come as a by-product.
Effort = Aspirations = Success
You cannot control your emotions. They go up and down, like a roller coaster.
That’s normal.
However, most people’s actions are congruent with their emotions.
But that’s not what the peak performers do.
The peak performers maintain a high level in their actions, regardless of how they feel.
You can feel tired, negative, or not into it, but it is your choice what kind of attitude you have and what kind of effort you give.
The greatest athletes in the world can do their best when they feel their worst.
And so can you.
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