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MESSAGE #1416 SPECIAL OLYMPICS SUMMER GAMES

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Today was Day 1 of the Special Olympics Summer Games 2011 here in New Jersey. It was a great day full of inspiration. In fact, the Special Olympics motto is “Inspire Greatness” and these special athletes certainly do that. During the tennis matches today, I heard a couple special athletes talking to each other…

“Did you win?” one athlete asked.

“No, but I did my best,” was the optimistic response.

Wow, I think all of us coaches, athletes and parents can learn from these amazing athletes.

Here’s another quote from the Special Olympics…

“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Stay tuned, tonight I will be at Opening Ceremonies for some more inspiration.

MESSAGE #1414 HOCUS-POCUS

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It’s not about hocus-pocus, it’s all about focus-focus.

I may not know you, but I know something about you—you want to be great at something. How do I know this? Because you’re reading this blog. It doesn’t matter what you want to be great at, it could be sports, business, school, a musical instrument, or cooking. The strategy is the same.

Most people think success has to do with magic. They think that “one day” success will come to them. But the truth is, it’s not hocus-pocus, it’s focus-focus.

What are you focusing on?

You might have a great idea, but a great idea is nothing if you don’t take action.

Here’s a secret formula: K – A = 0 (Knowledge minus Action equals Nothing).

You probably know what to do, but you are not doing what you know.

1. Take a piece of paper, an index card, post-it note, anything to write on.

2. Write down one goal you would like to attain today, e.g. practice, workout, make 10 sales calls, send your best client a free gift.

3. Then write down exactly where, when and how you are going to do it.

4. Just do it.

5. Remember, motivation is not a feeling, it’s an action.

Thanks for reading.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1413 A QUOTE FROM “GAME. SET. LIFE”

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Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Work is the most fun of all. —author unknown

MESSAGE #1412 LESSONS FROM AN NCAA CHAMP

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Recently, Lauren Embree clinched the NCAA title for the University of Florida Gators women’s tennis team. She beat Mallory Burdette, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) after losing a 5-1 lead in the first set and overcoming a 0-4 deficit in the final set.

I caught up with Embree after her incredible win.

“I had different thoughts racing through my mind when I was down 4-0 in the third. I kept fighting. I knew I still had a chance no matter what the score was.”

“I just told myself, ‘one point at a time,’ ”

“I kept telling myself positive thoughts.”

Embree’s goal was to fight her way back and instead of focusing on the situation, she focused on the process and just tried to get the ball back deeper.

So what did Embree do?

1. She went all-out.
2. She played in the present moment (not the past or the future).
3. She told herself affirmations to keep her performance, focus and energy levels high.

She could have easily fallen apart after losing the lead in the first set, but she didn’t—she fought back. Even when she was down 0-4 in the final set, she went all-out until the very end.

And we can all do that…it’s a choice.

You may not be an NCAA champion, but you can use Embree’s strategies to succeed in sports, sales or school. And you can begin today.

Thank you Lauren and congrats again.

MESSAGE #1411 ROGER, OVER AND OUT!

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Today, in the French Open Men’s Final, Roger Federer was leading his nemesis, Rafael Nadal 5-2 in the first set and ended up losing the set, 7-5. All he had to do was hold serve once and the set was his. Instead, Nadal won seven games in a row and gained a tremendous amount to momentum, and eventually won, 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1.

This happens all the time in sports.

Recently, I began giving one-on-one mental toughness sessions to a competitive female tennis player. One of her biggest challenges is that she cannot close out a set or match. When she has a lead, she tends to ease up, lose focus, and/or celebrate victory before it actually happens.

What happened to Roger Federer today?

Only Roger knows that.

But, for the most part, there is no excuse when you lose a 5-2 lead.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Most people play better when they are losing, so…pretend that the score is 2-5.
2. Focus on your strategy (placement, effort), not your situation (so close to winning the set).
3. Play one point at a time.
4. If you feel the momentum shifting to your opponent, SLOW the game down; take your time between points to minimize the length of the rally for your opponent.
5. Go all-out and do what got you to 5-2.

Is finishing a set or match simple?

Yes.

Is it easy?

No.

You cannot control results, but you can certainly do things to help put yourself in the best possible position to win. Focus on those things and you should be pleased with the results.

MESSAGE #1410 A MESSAGE FROM A YANKEE

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Recently, I was talking to Dellin Betances, the #3 Yankees prospect (above). He is currently having a great season at Double-A Trenton and I asked him what the secret was to staying focused and consistent. “You just have to keep working on the things you need to work on. Now is the time for me to do it, not when I get called up to the majors.”

It’s true, most people like to work on things they are already good at, which leaves their weaknesses, well…weaknesses. If you don’t work on them in practice, when will you work on them, in competition? Remember the quote from former US Navy SEAL, Stew Smith? “Work on your weaknesses so much that they are as close to a strength as possible.”

If you think it would be difficult to work on your weaknesses, IMAGINE how difficult it would be to compete against someone who IS, when you’re not.

Can you apply this to sales, school or music?

MESSAGE #1409 A MENTAL TOUGHNESS SECRET

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In Steve Siebold’s book, 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, Secret #92 is “The World Class Catapults Their Consciousness By Overcoming Obstacles.” On the page, there is a quote by author, Thomas Carlyle…

The block of granite which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone in the path of the strong.

The action step Siebold recommends is: Make a list of the three biggest obstacles you currently face. Next, determine the worst thing that could possibly happen if you decided to mount an all-out assault to overcome them. If you can live with the worst-case scenario, suspend your fear and attack your obstacles as if it is impossible to fail. If you succeed, your self-confidence will soar. If you fail, you will live to fight another day.

Wow. That’s powerful stuff.

MESSAGE #1403 ED AT TEDx

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Next Wednesday, June 1, 2011, I will be giving “the talk of my life” at the eagerly-awaited TEDxPrincetonLibrary event in Princeton, New Jersey. It will be an honor to be among nine other inspiring speakers for a full day of “spreading ideas” and networking. For the next four days, I will be posting some of my favorite TED talks from my favorite resource on the planet. Here’s Dan Gilbert talking about happiness. Enjoy.

MESSAGE #1401 CHOKE

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Recently, cognitive science and performance expert, Sian Beilock sent me a copy of her new book, “Choke.”

People choke all the time, in sports and life. Below are some anti-choke techniques that Beilock recommends.

1. Distract yourself—Sing a song or even thinking about your pinky toe as Jack Nicklaus was rumored to do can help prevent the prefrontal cortex from regulating too closely movement that should run outside awareness.

2. Don’t slow down—Don’t give yourself too much time to think and to control your highly practiced putt, free throw, or penalty kick. Just do it.

3. Practice under stress—Practicing under the exact conditions you will face in a do-or-die situation is exactly what is needed to perform your best when the stress is on. Get used to the pressure so competition is not something you fear. Also, by understanding when pressure happens, you can create situations that will maximize the stress in your opponents.

4. Don’t dwell—Take that past performance and change how you think about it. See your failures as a chance to learn how to perform better in the future.

5. Focus on the outcome, not the mechanics—Focusing on the goal, where the ball will land in the net, helps cue your practiced motor programs to run flawlessly.

6. Find a key word—A one-word mantra (such as smooth during a golf stroke) can keep you focused on the end result rather than the step-by-step processes of performance.

7. Focus on the positive—Don’t be helpless. If you focus on the negative this can make you feel out of control and increase the likelihood that you will not work as hard to obtain future performance goals.

8. Cure the yips by changing your grip—An alteration in your performance technique reprograms the circuits you need to execute your shot, hopefully clearing your brain and body of the motor hiccup.

Thank you, Sian.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1400 SING A SONG…

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Have you ever heard someone sing a song and that song gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day?

Of course you have.

Top athletes use affirmations, and they work the same way. Instead of replaying a song in your head, replay a powerful statement, like…

“I am a strong, confident person who thrives under pressure.”

“I let the past and the future go, all I am focused on is the present moment.”

“If I give full effort, I am a champion, regardless of the result.”

Create an affirmation that will resonate with you, and get it stuck in your head.

Then you’ll REALLY be singing because you will begin getting winning results.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077