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MESSAGE #688 THE REVEREND JUST MADE ME HAPPIER!

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“The journey is the Thing.”
-HOMER

I wish I could start every day like I did today.

At 7:15AM I pulled into the parking lot of the Nassau Club for a breakfast meeting for the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. Today’s speaker was Reverend Peter Stimpson, director of Trinity Counseling Service, and author of “Map to Happiness.”

I love listening to speakers. And I love learning about happiness. And I love networking. I did it all this morning.

Reverend Stimpson used the quote above by Homer in his talk. He spoke about how it’s not the product (money, status, power) but instead, it’s all about the process (your journey, your attitude and your relationships).

The Reverend said that the key is to learn to love and be loved, in every interaction we have. This is so true in relationships, work, school and sports. He talked about how someone he knew was miserable at the end of his career because he only accumulated five million dollars versus his business partner who made fifty million. Guess what? If you have five million dollars and you’re miserable, you’re just a miserable rich person. It’s about the journey.

Stimpson said not to worry about external opinion, but to focus on internal worth.

The three main points in his talk were:
1. Everyone is insecure – it’s okay to make mistakes
2. We give power to other people – why? Power comes from within
3. Success is who you become not what you attain

Stimpson also talked about depression and how it occurs when there is a big gap between our ego and ego ideal. If we feel we need to or have to or should accomplish this goal or that goal and we don’t achieve it, depression sets in. The cure? Love yourself for who you are, as you are. Separate actions and results from worth.

The Reverend ended by saying “Remember, everyone is insecure. It’s okay if you are too. Just be patient with your growth.”

This applies to all areas of life.


Thanks for reading.

Be sure to checkout my interview on Global Village Tennis News: http://globalvillagetennisnews.com/2009/06/16/seven-questions-with-game-set-life–peak-performance-for-sports-and-life-author-ed-tseng.aspx

MESSAGE #687 USE ADVERSITY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE…

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A special Happy Birthday to one of my good friends and heros, the great Bob Ryland, the first black professional tennis player. 89 years young today!

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.”
-ARTHUR GOLDEN

Kimberly Smith grew up in Brooklyn. I met Kimberly in 2007 during The Book Bank Foundation’s “Shelter From the Streets” campaign, established by celebrity sports agent and philanthropist Glenn Toby. We travelled through all five boroughs of New York City stopping by shelters and even going under bridges and stopping by other homeless locations distributing clothing, books, toys, toiletries and hope to the homeless.

But it wasn’t until recently that I learned Kimberly’s story.

Kimberly has had some adversity in her life, but sports helped her through it.

“Sports have helped me tremendously during the most difficult times in my life. I learned discipline, never to give up, patience, and how to be competitive. This has also helped me in the work force. My brother was killed when I was 16 years but I remained on the basketball, volleyball and softball teams. I became more focused than ever and developed a game plan to achieve all of my goals. Whenever I felt my back was against the wall I never backed down but continue to push to forward with the mindset of succeeding. As a result I graduated in the top 20% of my high school class, earned my B.S. and recently earned my Master’s Degree. Each day I give gratitude for my accomplishments but never lose sight of my goals. With each loss I’ve encountered in life and playing sports, a great lesson was learned.”

So you see, we can either let difficult times beat us down, or we can have them lift us up. It’s a choice. It’s your perception of the situation that ultimately determines whether you succeed or fail.

If you can embrace challenges and difficulties and look at them as learning experiences that help you grow and get stronger, you are on your way to a winning mindset.

The next time adversity is looking you straight in the face, take a step back and ask yourself, “How do I want to perceive this?”


Thanks for reading and thank you to Kimberly Smith for being an inspiration to all of us.

MESSAGE #686 MIND POWER…

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“We are born unarmed. Our mind is our only weapon.”
-AYN RAND

Well, we all had a great weekend at the Special Olympics New Jersey Summer Games at The College of New Jersey.

Some athletes won, some did not, but everyone gave it their all. The weekend culminated with the Awards Ceremony. Everyone either received a ribbon or a medal as we celebrated yet again with each other, then hugged until next year.

These athletes have mental disabilities.

But for many of them, their memory is good.

In fact, the great Alex Armour has an amazing memory. You can tell him your birthday (month, day, year) and within two seconds, he will tell you exactly what day of the week it fell on. Oh, and if you then ask him what day of the week your birthday fell on in 1999 (or any year), he will tell you that too.

He’s never been wrong. I take that back, once Alex told someone they were born on a Saturday and they said that in fact, they were born on a Friday. Later on I found out that the mother went into the hospital on Friday night, but she did not deliver until after midnight. Amazing.

So let me give you a brain twister…

Imagine that you are lost in a forest which is inhabited by Red women and Green women only. The Red women always tell the truth and the Green women always lie. You come to a fork in the road; you have to get to a town called “Umgowa,” but you don’t know whether to take the right or left road. There is a woman standing at the fork, but it is too dark to see if she’s Red or Green. Here’s your challenge: Can you ask just one question of this woman, which calls for a “yes” or “no” answer, and find out which is the correct road to take?

Keep in mind:
You don’t know whether the woman is Red or Green.
Even if you asked two questions, it would be difficult, because if you asked, “Are you a Red woman?” you would get a yes from both (Green is lying).

Nevertheless, there is a way to ask just one question to find out which road to take. Take a piece of paper and try out different scenarios. If you do not write them down, you will forget what you already tried.

Answer:

The question you would ask the Red or Green woman is this: You would point to either road, and say, “If I had asked you before would you have said that this was the correct road to take toward Umgowa?”

If you were pointing to the correct road, both women would have to say “yes” and if you were pointing to the wrong road, both women would have to say “no.”

Let me explain. If you are pointing to the correct road, the Red woman’s answer is an obvious “yes,” but the Green woman would have said “no” the first time, but would have to lie again, which would make her answer a “yes.”

If you were pointing to the wrong road, the Red woman would say “no” and the Green woman would have lied before and said “yes.” But since you are asking her if she would have said “yes” she must say “no.” You would get a “no” from both so you would then take the other road.
Get it?

Have any brain teasers for me? I’d love to hear your comments…

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #685 DAY 3 SPECIAL OLYMPICS SUMMER GAMES…

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“I’m just here to give it my all, make some new friends and have fun. And if I win a medal, that’s great.”
-BRAD ABOUCHEDID, Special Olympics tennis player, Summer Games 2009

MESSAGE #684 INSPIRE GREATNESS…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Gene Swanhart, Director of Training, Special Olympics New Jersey.

Yesterday was a day filled with effort, energy, focus and inspiration. It was filled with laughter, sweat and tears.

It was great to see the many familiar faces of the special athletes, their special family/friends, and the special organizers and volunteers.

I love the smiles of all the athletes.

I love the effort of all of the athletes.

I love the support from the family and friends of all of the athletes.
Everyone was in good spirits and joking around. We laughed.

We saw 8 year old, CJ Inverso, light the torch at his first Opening Ceremonies. He has trouble walking and was assisted up the ladder to the torch by a police officer. We cried.

We saw over 2,500 athletes walk in by county in to Lions Stadium being cheered by a sea of people. We were inspired.

I can’t say enough about the Summer Games. There are so many life lessons during this great weekend.

So come out today to The College of New Jersey and support this great cause. All out effort. Gratitude. Unconditional love. Fun.

I like this world.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #683 IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR…

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“Programmed into our very human nature is the desire to push limits. Here is the proof.”
-Message painted on a Special Olympics van

Today’s message is especially dedicated to all of the inspiring special athletes, organizers and volunteers at this weekend’s Special Olympics Summer Games at The College of New Jersey.

Well, it’s my favorite time of year again – Special Olympics Summer Games.

This amazing annual event gives me a true sense of pure joy and inspiration. I have been a volunteer coach for nearly ten years now and am enjoying every minute of it!

These athletes have mental disabilities.

But I look at it differently…

They are truly special.

Where else can you get an all-out effort and a huge smile and sense of accomplishment with a last-place finish?

All of the athletes, parents, friends, supporters and volunteers experience unconditional love and support during these games.

And everyone is so polite, saying thank you to the ball boys and girls. Cheering each other on, even if they are competing against each other.

Most of these players cannot even keep score, and you think that YOU are not cut out to play sports?

It’s not about winning. It’s about pushing yourself, giving your all, and having fun.

I don’t get paid a dime to work with these special athletes.

I’m lying.

I have gotten unlimited internal riches from my experience. And that will always be with me.

I volunteer because I love it and I feel that it is my way of making a difference.

And the only reason why I tell you about my work with the Special Olympics is that I hope that this may inspire you to do something equally gratifying.

Make a difference however you can.

That’s success. And that’s wealth.

So come out this weekend to support these great athletes. The first person to find me at the tennis courts gets a free copy of my book, “Game. Set. Life.” signed by yours truly and my entire Special Olympics tennis team!


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

MESSAGE #681 BE AN ANIMAL…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Mitch Constantine in New York City.

I want you to be an animal.

But not just any animal. I want you to be a pink polar bear.

I know what you’re thinking…”What’s wrong with you, Ed?!”

Let me explain…

If you do what everyone else is doing, you’re going to get the results that everyone else is getting.

In order to succeed, you need to be different. Pink polar bears are different. Everyone else is a white polar bear.

Train differently.
Eat differently.
Think differently.

In business, you want to differentiate yourself from your competition. In sports, it’s the same way.

Instead of relying on your natural talents, work harder than everyone else.

Do different things, get different results.

Go all out. Don’t try your best – Do Whatever It Takes!

That’s it.


Don’t miss my one-of-a-kind radio show tonight on peak performance for sports and life. I will have some amazing guests on with me, including Bob Ryland (the first black professional tennis player), Carling Bassett-Seguso (former #8 in the world), Denise Capriati (mother of Jennifer Capriati), Linda Courier (mother of Jim Courier), and others. 9pm EST. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Game-Set-Life/2009/06/11/Sport-is-Life

MESSAGE #680 I DID IT!!!

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the great attendees and volunteers yesterday at the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf and Tennis Outing at Greenacres Country Club and last night at The Warren Racquet Club for the USTA Eastern Junior Team Tennis Workshop.

So I did it.

Today was Day 21 of my 21 day workout/meditation/organization program. The experts say that if you do something for 21 straight days, it becomes a habit. I have to admit, I didn’t always feel like doing it, but I did it anyway. And I always felt great afterwards.

You need willpower. And if you don’t have willpower, that’s okay – do it anyway! By doing what I committed to for 21 straight days, I exercised my willpower muscles. Now I can’t picture myself NOT doing it every morning. That’s powerful. And it went by very quickly.

I feel like a new person.

I developed new habits.

Anthony Robbins said, “Our habits form our lives.” It’s true.

You can do it. But you have to start. The best time is today.

Remember the five words that make most people fail…

“I don’t feel like it.”



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #679 HOW TO INCREASE YOUR ENERGY…

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Last night I was a guest on the Essential Tennis Live radio show discussing the French Open Finals with Ian Westermann and Royce Sternquist. Bob Ryland, the first black pro also called in to the show. I had a great time. Listen to the recording here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/EssentialTennis/2009/06/08/Essential-Tennis-LIVE

Yesterday I started teaching at 8am and finished at 7pm. A long day by any standard, but I paced myself, took breaks, drank plenty of water and brought snacks. I had just enough time to go home, eat, shower and prep for the hour-long radio show. And I wasn’t even tired afterwards! I was energized.

I love what I do. I like to think that I’m making a difference. It’s not work to me. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and start writing down ideas. Most people don’t have energy because they are not doing what they love or focus on all the negatives or things that might go wrong.

Should we just look forward to our summer break, or our two weeks of vacation? Should we just “live” for the weekend?

Or should we do what we love and enjoy the rest of the year?

Do what you love and you won’t work a day in your life.

If you don’t want to change careers, try adding several activities during your week, including meditation and yoga to start enjoying every day.

At the beginning of every day, try appreciating everything around you. Be aware of everything you are doing. Be aware of your body. This will help you stay in the present instead of immediately turning the television or radio. We are on information overload nowadays. We are bombarded with information from the television commercials, radio, billboards, the internet and spam. Technology is great, but we need to consciously take time to get back to our true nature.

Take a deep breath right now…then begin.


Thanks for reading.