Your “I Can” is more important than your “IQ.”
“I can’t hit a serve.”
“I can’t make any money.”
“I can’t stay positive.”
“I can’t stop smoking.”
Success does not come in bottles, it comes in “cans.”
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. -BUDDHA
“As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.”
-THE BUDDHA
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
-THE BUDDHA
Someone once said that the purpose of life is to discover your gifts and the meaning of life is to give those gifts away.
What are your gifts? What do you love to do most? What are you good at?
Are you keeping those gifts to yourself, or are you sharing it with others? Can you teach it?
Every morning I am excited to start my day because I am doing what I love. One of my gifts is teaching tennis and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to share it with others on a daily basis. I feel that my message is too important to keep in Princeton, NJ and tennis. That is why I wrote my book and now work with not only athletes in all sports, but people from all walks of life. My book, “Game. Set. Life.” is not about tennis – it’s about life. And beginning this Fall, the Tseng Performance Academy will be at the brand new Monroe Sports Center with tennis, fitness/nutrition and mental training programs. It will also feature workshops for coaches and athletes from all over the world on how to achieve peak performance.
We all have gifts. Many gifts. In fact, everything we do is a potential gift. Whatever we do, we should do it well. Whomever we come in contact with, we should put a smile on their face.
If you’re an athlete, leave it all on the field. Do a little bit extra. Compliment your teammates. Teach others. Thank your instructors and coaches. Thank your parents for their support, even if it seems like they are pushing you too much.
It’s because they care.
And you should care.
I know what you’re thinking, “It’s not cool to try.”
But do you want to be cool, or do you want to be great?
I challenge you to light as many candles as you can today. Make it your best day yet. Do something…and make it amazing.
I think you will like the results.
With much gratitude,
Ed
Last night, I went from the tennis court to the meditation room. I dropped in to a meditation/Buddhism class taught by Western Buddhist nun, Gen Kelsang Dao of the Menlha Buddhist Center. I loved it!
The class began with a breathing meditation, continued with a lecture on Buddhism, and then ended with a giving meditation.
I really enjoy being in the moment. Though not easy, as thoughts often come into your mind, but after a while, you gain focus. I felt a sense of calm, relaxation, and gratitude.
After the class, we had tea together and I asked our wonderful teacher two questions.
The first question was, “How does Eastern philosophy apply to peak performance in sports?” She said that three principles in particular apply – patience, effort, and concentration. We talked about staying in the present (focusing on strategy, effort, and targets), instead of focusing on negative thoughts.
My second question was, “What is your favorite inspirational story?”
The story of Buddha was her favorite. He lived a life of luxury with all the material things you can imagine. One day he came in contact with the suffering nature of life, seeing sickness, old age, and death. This deeply disturbed him and he renounced his comfortable princely way of life. He went out and meditated, and eventually discovered that “the true path out of suffering is a middle way between the extremes of strict asceticism and self-indulgent luxury.” This led him to enlightenment, or the light within.
That’s the key word – within.
It’s not about external riches – it’s about internal riches. It’s not about the next big house, the next nice car, or our next great vacation. It’s not about the next trophy. Why do most people want those things? Because they think that those things will bring us happiness, but those things don’t last.
That reminds me of a story of two men at their wealthy, best friend’s funeral. One of them whispered to the other, “How much did he leave?”
The friend replied, “He left…everything.”
You don’t need materialistic things to make you happy, you can feel happy right now. Be grateful for all the big and little things in your life. If you give it your all every day, help others, and constantly improve. That’s what I think success is. Instead of asking, “Is life beautiful?” ask “Am I noticing?”
Thanks for reading.
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.”
-BUDDHA