MESSAGE #1299 PERSPECTIVE

Today I was coaching some high school tennis players. I talked about how their perception was more important than what happens to them. Bad line calls, the weather, spectators, loud noises and other distractions are inevitable, but very often winning and losing is determined by our perspective.

I then had them stare at a disk as I rotated it for ten seconds. After staring at the disc, they were told to stare at my face. Because of the special effect, my head appeared to shrink. Everyone was in shock.

Did my head really shrink?

No, it was their perception from staring at the disc.

I then talked about how we can change our perceptions by focusing by thinking about what else the situation could mean, namely, how it could be used to our advantage.

When you are facing a supposed better player/team, you can look at it as a potential loss or as a great experience.

It’s your choice.