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MESSAGE #592 BE ROUGH…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Rachel McHugh.

The owner of a greenhouse had a gardener who was careful, methodical, and a hard worker. In spite of this the plants did not prosper under his care.

The owner hired a more experienced gardener. Immediately the plants began to thrive.

The first gardener explained what happened: “When I transplanted flowers, I removed them carefully from their pots. I disturbed them as little as possible. This new man didn’t treat them that way. He was rough with them. He didn’t care how much he disturbed their roots. I thought he would ruin the lot, he was so careless in his handling of them.” He was silent a moment, then said: “But they are growing.”

The roots of the plants in the pots were packed tight. The experienced gardener, by his apparent roughness, loosened the soil and gave the roots a chance to breathe and stretch. He made growing easier for them by handling them roughly at the start.

People handled too gently often fail to prosper. Praise is effective. Gentleness is effective. But there are times when a little shaking up will jar people out of their complacency, will challenge them to make the most of themselves.

(Bits & Pieces May, 1988)

MESSAGE #591 WHO DO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH?

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Happy Birthday to Gina Sapnar Caldwell at the Jersey Shore and Tocoloshi Zim on the other side of the pond, in the UK.

There are two types of people in the world.

The Pits and the Cherries.

The Pits are people who are negative and bad influences on you, people who break you down.

Spit them out quickly.

The Cherries are people who are positive and good influences on you, people who build you up.

Spend time with them.

You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Choose wisely.



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #590 A GREAT GOLF QUOTE…

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“Instead of putting pressure on myself and thinking, ‘I’ve got to make this shot,’ I just thought, ‘Go ahead and make it.’ It’s a subtle difference but a big one.”
-COREY PAVIN, after sinking a 141-yard 9-iron shot at a critical point in the 1993 Ryder Cup

MESSAGE #589 ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING…

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“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.”

For those of you trying out for your school teams this week, you will be sure to encounter some difficult situations. You may be playing in tough weather conditions. It may be a different surface that you will be playing on. Your coaches will be watching. You will feel pressure. You will be nervous.

None of these things will affect your performance, unless you let them. You cannot control external situations. You can only control your internal situation. Focus on your attitude and your effort. Winners and losers feel the same feelings, but they take different action.

You may be playing in extreme wind. But can you control that? No. Look at it as good practice. Most people will look at that situation negatively, so if you can accept it in a positive way, you will be better than everyone else.

The next time you are in a tough situation, ask yourself…

Am I looking at the donut…or the hole?



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #588 THE POWER OF FOCUS…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the student-athletes trying out for high school spring sports this week.

One of my favorite things to do is study extremely successful performers – elite athletes, CEOs, musicians, presidents, doctors, and students. I have found that one thing they have in common is this…

FOCUS

Last night I was on a tele-seminar on focus with Dr. Rob Gilbert and Mike Schwartz. Physical skills take a while to develop, on the field, in the classroom and at the office, but you can instantly become better by changing your focus.

What are you focusing on?

Basketball players, while taking a foul shot, should focus on a specific part of the rim. However, the ones that miss are focusing on something else, like the crowd or that they may miss the shot.

Many people tend to focus too little and think too much. This is called paralysis by analysis.

We need to focus, but we need to focus on the right things, such as the process versus the product. The process is your effort, strategy and attitude. The product is winning.

When you focus less on winning, you actually win more.

When practicing, studying or reading, do it for 15 minutes, then take a break. Repeat. We can only focus for a certain period of time and by taking regular breaks, we can stay focused for longer periods of time.

Multi-tasking was also a topic of discussion. We can do between five to eight things at one time, but we can only do ONE thing well.

Focus on one thing. The right thing. And go all out.

So good luck to all of you trying out this week and remember what FOCUS stands for…

Follow One Course Until Successful



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #587 DON’T LET LIFE RUN YOU…

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Most people do not run their lives, they let their lives run them.

They don’t feel that they can control their destiny.

Don’t get me wrong, you can’t control everything that happens to you, however, there are certain things you can do to help yourself out. One of them is to boost your own self-esteem.

Here’s what I want you to do:

Take an index card and write at the top, “Achievements.” After that, write down 5-10 accomplishments that you have had, big or small, in the past. It could be graduating high school, getting an award, losing 10 pounds, etc.

Then, whenever you are about to do something difficult, like tryout for a team, take a test, give a presentation or give a performance, read this card.

It will boost your confidence.

And you will go out and kick some butt.

“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, either way you’re right.”
-HENRY FORD



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #586

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“I have not ceased being fearful,
but I have ceased
to let fear control me.”
-ERICA JONG

MESSAGE #585 HOW TO BECOME WEALTHY…

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Do you want to be rich?

Do you want to be wealthy?

There is a difference.

If you’re rich, you have a lot of money, but if you’re wealthy, you have internal and external riches. And guess what, you’re already wealthy.

You have your health.

You have your family.

You have your house.

You have your friends.

The more money you have, the more you seem to want.

“Money cannot buy security, because security is a psychological state. To some, it means having enough food to eat, clothing on your back, a shelter over your head, or someone who loves you. To others, security requires millions of dollars in tax-free accounts around the world.

Money can’t buy happiness, either. In one telephone survey, 275 people in the San Francisco Bay area were asked if they believed that they would be significantly happier if they had a million dollars. Seventy-six percent of the respondents replied, ‘Yes. Absolutely.’ Then the research company contacted ten millionaires and asked then, ‘Did making your first million dollars make you a happier person?’ The response was unanimous: ‘No.’

The best things in life – the sun in the morning and the moon at night – are free. And money doesn’t guarantee happiness.”

(From “Everyday Enlightenment” by Dan Millman)

Stop searching for money and start searching for meaning.

Be grateful, appreciate all the beauty around you, help others, and live for today.

That’s wealth.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #584

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DO YOU WANT TO BE COOL

OR

DO YOU WANT TO BE GREAT?!

Every decision you make and every action you take should go towards your ultimate purpose – going all out every day and becoming the best you that you can be.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #583 FEEL THE FEAR…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Tyler Chromey.

Someone once compared life to war. There are two types of soldiers…those who feel the fear and move forward and those who feel the fear and run away.

In sports and life, the winners and losers feel the same feelings. We all feel fear. The difference is that the winners feel the fear and do it anyway. The losers avoid the situation. In gymnastics, you may feel fearful of going on the balance beam, but it is your choice whether you do it anyway or give up. The more you face your fears, the less intimidating they will become. And pretty soon you will be comfortable being uncomfortable.


Thanks for reading.