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MESSAGE #838 PARADISE…FOR 23 HOURS…

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Yesterday I was in Florida for exactly 23 hours and 9 minutes.

I loved and made use of every moment of it.

I made an appearance at the beautiful new All Tennis shop in Lake Park, gave a talk at BallenIsles Country Club, the first site of the PGA and current home of Venus and Serena Williams. Had a great dinner at Vic and Angelo’s and then met up with the great Denise Capriati, mother of former World #1, Jennifer Capriati.

During my talk I said that one problem with tennis players is that many of them are just “in” tennis, instead of “into” tennis.

When you’re “in” tennis, you’re playing. You’re just on the court and present.

If you’re “into” tennis, you live, eat and breathe tennis. You strive for constant improvement.

The good ones are in it, the great ones are into it…

What are you?

MESSAGE #772 MORE UPSETS IN THE US OPEN…

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Yesterday I was at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for another beautiful day of US Open tennis.

But for some of the top players, it wasn’t so beautiful.

Maria Sharapova lost.

Andy Roddick lost.

Dinara Safina lost.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s message, anything can happen.

In the world of running, Roger Bannister ran a four-minute mile in 1954, after all the experts said it was impossible. Then, thirty-eight people did the same thing the following year.

The same thing is happening now at the 2009 US Open. The youngsters are invading. The underdogs are prevailing. They know they have a chance. And so do the top players.

My condolences to Sharapova, Roddick and Safina. Here are my tips to you…

1. Winners know that a loss is a source of feedback.
2. There is no such thing as failure, only new beginnings.
3. You don’t drown by falling in water, you drown by staying there.
4. A loss is like a knife, it can either serve you or cut you. It’s your choice whether you grasp them by the blade or the handle.
5. Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.

Tuesday I will be back at the Open bright and early doing tennis trivia in the ticket line with Denise Capriati and giving away a few signed copies of my book, “Game. Set. Life.”

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #761 I’M BAAAAACK….

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“Game. Set. Life. is a very motivating and inspiring book. Ed does a great job of teaching how to be positive and flip the thought process on the court or in life when negativity enters the mind. My friends and I recently attended one of his seminars and we were very impressed with his ability to capture his audience! We truly enjoyed his tips for peak performance.”
-DENISE CAPRIATI, mother of Jennifer Capriati, former world #1 tennis player

So I’m back from a successful trip to Florida. I spoke to tennis players, coaches, business professionals and even a family from Brazil that didn’t know much English. Denise Capriati showed up and brought her tennis friends.

I also had a great meeting with the great Tracy Hanlon and she, along with Chris Kennedy, the top racquet stringer in Palm Beach County, and Sandy Bell, tennis teaching pro at RiverWalk, are helping me line up some more speaking engagements for November. I already have one talk lined up at Ballenisles, home of Venus and Serena Williams, and am working on The Breakers, SeaView and other locations.

So I’m back home in Princeton, NJ and getting back in the groove as I prepare for the US Open. Sunday I will be heading into the city for the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference; Monday I will be speaking to tennis teachers, coaches and administrators from all over the world at the Grand Hyatt. After my talk I will be doing a book signing for the conference attendees. Then, on Tuesday, September 1, I will be doing a book signing at the US Open bookstore (near Court 10) during the day session.

I know what you’re thinking, “What’s the message of the day?”

The message of the day is this…

If I can fail out of college, twice and then become Pro of the Year and start my own business, then write a book and present it at the US Open, you can do whatever it is you want.

Anything is possible. There is a decent buzz going around about my book and speaking engagements, but guess what? I spent the past year promoting it, full-time. And now I’m reaping the benefits.

You get out what you put in.

I don’t think that my book is the best book out there, but I certainly put in the time to market it.

If you put in the time in your sport, in your job, in your relationships, you will get better results, so long as you’re doing the right things.

Talk is cheap. Take action today.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #758 LIVE FROM WEST PALM BEACH – IT’S ED’S BLOG!

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“What I want out of tennis is not necessarily just winning.”
-JENNIFER CAPRIATI, former world #1 tennis player

If you have been reading this blog, you know that life is not about winning. It’s not about making a lot of money. It’s not about fame.

The quote from Jennifer Capriati is a great one. If winning were everything, we would only play people we knew we could beat. That would be boring.

You need to enjoy the process of improving, push yourself and be a good person.

Today I am in Palm Beach, Florida getting ready to give a talk to some tennis players and coaches on the mental side of sports and life. Denise Capriati (Jennifer’s mother) and her tennis team will be among the attendees.

I’ll probably be nervous. (I usually am before I give a talk).

But I won’t act nervous.

One of the mental secrets of the pros is that they focus only on the things they can control. It is then, that they win more. NOT when they are trying to win. You can’t control whether you win or not and I can’t control if the attendees will like me, or not.

Billie Jean King said, “When you stay in the process is when you win. Not when you get into the end results.”

I’m going to enjoy the fact that I am trying to help others and hopefully will help players and coaches think differently. If one person walks away more motivated or with more hope, my job is complete. But regardless, I will be focusing on giving my all and having fun.

After all, what else is there?


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #682 TEAMWORK…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the special guests on my radio show last night – Bob Ryland (the first black professional tennis player), Carling Bassett-Seguso (former world #8 player), Linda Courier (mother of Jim Courier, former world #1 player), and Denise Capriati (mother of Jennifer Capriati, former world #1 player).

We had a great radio show last night on how sports help you in life. As you can see, I had a powerful line-up of guests talking about their experiences in the game of tennis and their own lives.

In my book, “Game. Set. Life.” I share some of the mental secrets of the greatest athletes and successful people in history. I want to create a paradigm shift in how people teach, play and view sports. But I can’t accomplish my goals on my own. Last night, my guests helped support the message. We talked about teamwork and how nobody can do it on their own. They need help from others.

What are your goals?
Who is helping you reach those goals?
Are you making a difference?

Right after you read this blog message, think about what you want to accomplish in life. REALLY think about it. Combine what you love with what you’re good at. Help others. And have others help you.


Thanks for reading.

If you missed last night’s radio show, you can listen to the recording here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Game-Set-Life/2009/06/11/Sport-is-Life