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MESSAGE #567 MAKE TODAY ON PURPOSE…

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed at work, at home or at school? Do you sometimes feel distracted and pulled in many different directions? There will always be distractions, but there’s something you can do to limit the number of them.

Have a purpose. Create the life you want. Make the actions you take today help create your future. The future that you want. Many people wake up in the morning and say, “Let’s see what today brings.” This mindset relies on a lot of luck and these people are just spinning their wheels. Instead, say, “What do I want to accomplish today that will help me get closer to my goals?” If you have a true purpose in life, everything you do should go towards that purpose. If you have options or decisions to make, think about if taking on those tasks are in line with your goals. You may have many external distractions, like what people are saying, what people are asking of you, the economy or society.

A good friend once told me that you should be like a hurricane…there can be all these distractions going on around you, but on the inside you need to be like the “eye” of the hurricane-calm and focused.

Figure out your purpose.
Keep your actions in line with your purpose.
Create the life that you want.
Help others.
Leave a legacy.

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose-a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.”
-MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLY


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #566 A MENTAL WORKOUT…

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Drew Lessa at Temple University.

I know you try to take care of yourself. You go to the gym. You watch what you eat. Sure, you might want to take a few pounds off, but physically you are doing all right. But when was the last time you broke a mental sweat? You need to work on your mental game, especially if you are an athlete. Here are some brain teasers to try…

1. A boy and a girl born on the same day of the same year with the same parents are not twins. How is this possible?

2. A dog had three puppies, named Mopsy, Topsy and Spot. What was the mother’s name.

3. How many apples would you have if you took two apples from three apples?

4. Which number follows ten thousand ninety-five?
Ten thousand ninety-seven?
Ten thousand ninety-nine?

ANSWERS:

1. Two out of a set of triplets
2. What
3. Two
4. 10,096; 10,098; 10,100


How did you do? Have any others? Leave a comment.



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #565 HOW TO GET ANYONE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU…

There once was a woman, she was the envy of all her friends-she had two boyfriends, Bob and Tom. Bob and Tom both knew about each other. This went on for a couple of years.

Well, one Friday evening, Bob picked her up as he normally did on Friday evenings. But Bob who is normally late, was right on time. And Bob who was normally dressed casually, wore a suit. And Bob who normally was pretty mellow, was a bit excited. So they went to dinner but instead of going to their normal restaurant/bar to eat, they went to a fancy restaurant. They had a wonderful meal and right before dessert, Bob takes out a jewelry box from his jacket pocket and proposes marriage. And the woman says the worst possible thing, aside from a flat-out no. She said, “I have to think about it.” So the Bob was upset and took the woman home.

The woman was sad…until the next night, when Tom picked her up.

So Tom who is normally right on time, was early. And Tom who is normally in a suit, wore a tuxedo. And Tom who normally was energetic, was extremely high energy. They went to dinner but instead of going to their normal fancy restaurant, this night was the country club. They had a wonderful meal and right before dessert, Tom takes out a jewelry box from his jacket pocket and proposes marriage. And the woman says the worst possible thing, aside from a flat-out no. She said, “I have to think about it.” Tom was upset and took the woman home.

The woman sat lying in bed feeling miserable, going from two boyfriends to no boyfriends. But fortunately, the only woman who could help her showed up-her fairy godmother. “You don’t look like your normal self, what’s wrong?” the fairy godmother asked.

“Bob took me out Friday night and we had a nice time, but then he proposed to me and I said I have to think about it. Then Tom took me out Saturday night and we had a great time, but then he proposed to me and I said I have to think about it. I don’t know who to choose!”

“That’s easy. All you have to do is take two pieces of paper and on the top of one write Bob and on the top of the other, write Tom. Take as long as you need and write down the one thing you love most about each of them and then your answer will instantly come to you.”

So the woman took the piece of paper with Bob on it and thought and thought and thought and three hours later she figured out what she loved most about Bob. Then, she took the sheet with Tom on it and it took her another three hours, but she figured out what she loved most about Tom…and her answer instantly came to her.

A little while later, her fairy godmother showed up and looked at her. “Oh, you look like your normal self. Have you come to a decision?”

“Oh yes, I choose Bob!” exclaimed the woman.

“Great, but just out of curiosity, what did you write on Tom’s piece of paper?”

“Well, when I’m with Tom, I feel that he’s the most wonderful person in the whole world!”

“Really?” said the fairy godmother, puzzled. “Then why did you choose Bob?!”

“Because when I’m with Bob, I feel that I’M the most wonderful person in the whole world.”



So that’s how you get anyone to fall in love with you. It’s about others. Most people focus on themselves, but when you focus on others, you are on a whole new level. Remember the “Validation” video a few messages ago? That’s what I’m talking about. And it’s not just about romantic relationships.

It’s about athletic teams.
It’s about work teams.
It’s about family teams.
It’s about everyone you come in contact with.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #564 LEARN FROM THE YANKEE CAPTAIN…

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Dan Moster, President of the USPTA Midwest Division.

I know something about you. You’re on a team.

It may be a sports team, an orchestra team, a family team, a business team, or a relationship team.

If you’ve read my book or have been following my blog, you know what TEAM stands for…

Together Everyone Achieves More…as long as there’s a Total Effort from All Members.

The focus should be on the team, not the individual. Instead of “me” it should be “we.”

I am a die-hard Yankees fan and regardless of whether you like them or not, you cannot deny that between 1996 and 2000 they had a dynasty. But they didn’t have any superstars. They played as a team. And now they have Alex Rodriguez and haven’t won a world series in eight years!

In Joe Torre’s new book, “The Yankee Years” with Tom Verducci, Derek Jeter talks about those winning years…

“I think everyone had the right mentality,” Jeter said. “The right frame of mind. Yeah, you have to be talented in order to win, but you have to have the right mindset. And that mindset is, do whatever it takes to win a game. It sounds simple, but we really didn’t have anyone that cared more about putting up statistics, you know what I mean? I mean, if somebody had to hit a groundball to second base, they hit a groundball to second base. You don’t get a stat for that. You actually get a negative stat for that. But that’s how you win games.”

Jeter said the key…”do whatever it takes.”

Don’t try your best because you can always do better than your best. Do whatever it takes to help your team win.

Be a leader and leave a legacy.

There are no menial jobs, only menial people.



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #562 DO YOU HAVE PRIDE?

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Jeff Garinger.

You can’t control the economy.

You can’t control the weather.

You can’t control your opponents.

You can’t control the referees.

You can’t control what people say to you.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THESE UNCONTROLLABLES.

Focus on your attitude.

Focus on your effort.

Focus on your game plan.

Focus on the quality of your work.

Remember to have pride…and remember what pride stands for…

PRIDE – Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #561 HOW TO BE TOUGH…

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Michael Miletic, M.D., sports psychologist and sports psychiatrist in Birmingham, Michigan.

In sports and life you need to be tough. I know what you’re thinking, how can I BE tough? That’s easy.

Think Tough and Act Tough.

Anyone can perform well when things are going well, but it’s what you do and what you think when things go wrong that set you apart from the crowd.

TOUGH THINKING

When you lose a few games in a row, say…

“This opponent is tough…but I’m tougher.”

Or when it’s a critical point, say…

“I love it! This is what it’s all about-bring it on!”

If you wake up in the morning and just don’t feel “into it,” say…

“Today is going to be a great challenge for me. I need to be extremely tough. I’m going to hang in there and do whatever it takes!”

TOUGH ACTING

If you feel low energy, do this…

Bounce around like a boxer.

If you make a mistake or feel negativity coming on, do this…

Say, “Stop!” to yourself and focus on something positive, then move on.”

And the next time you are nervous, do this…

Remember that everyone gets nervous and then ACT like the most confident person in the world.

THINK TOUGH
ACT TOUGH
BE TOUGH



Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #560 HERE’S THE SECRET…

Photos: Ed on Comcast SportsNet’s Sports Nite, USPTA Midwest Convention (Todd Martin, Ed with Derek Ameel and Collin Cadwell from Ferris State University’s Professional Tennis Management Program)
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Erin Fouty in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
After you read this blog message, you can tell everyone you learned the secret.
I was nervous this past weekend.
Very nervous.
I was one of the speakers at the USPTA Midwest Convention in Troy, Michigan. Todd Martin and Wayne Bryan were also presenting.
I get nervous before every talk I give, but I was especially nervous this weekend because I was going to speak in front of my peers, industry leaders, former classmates and tennis experts.
But I gave my talk, felt great about it, received positive feedback, and sold many books.
So what happened?
Well, whenever I get nervous, I know I am about to do something important. I would rather be nervous than not care. I also think about Tiger Woods.
Tiger Woods gets nervous before every shot…but he doesn’t act or look nervous.
If you are nervous and want to feel confident, all you have to do is act confident.
Winners and losers feel the same feelings, they just take different action.
That’s the secret.
Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #559

“We are always getting ready to live, but never living.”
-RALPH WALDO EMERSON

MESSAGE #558

I hope you watched the video on yesterday’s blog message. I finished watching it and then watched it again. It’s powerful, and it’s in your hands. Focus on others and your world will change…

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
-MARK TWAIN

MESSAGE #556 TIPS FOR TOUGH TIMES…

The Rick Hvizdak Story

Watch a man with scrutiny when his will is crossed, and his desire disappointed. The quality of spirit he reveals at that time will determine the character of that man.
-RICHARD T. WILLIAMS

It’s one thing to be fired from your job. It’s another to be fired by your own brother. It was the kind of rejection that made Rick Hvizdak take stock of himself, and from the outside looking in he seemed a failure in comparison to his rich and successful sibling. That, however, was not the way that Hvizdak saw himself. Instead of feeling victimized or otherwise vulnerable, Hvizdak recognized the freedom that failure bestowed on him. Liberated from a job he never really loved, Hvizdak was finally all systems go to chase his rightful dream.

He might have never devised the plan that made him rich had he not spent months among the ranks of the unemployed. He might have never summoned the courage to go out on a limb had he not experienced the hardship of poverty. Hvizdak’s response to adversity was a textbook example of grace under pressure. Rather than scratch and claw to get back to where he was, he used the opportunity to truly shoot for the stars.

1. Failure Gives You Carte Blanche to Reinvent Yourself – Losing your job, and all your money, can easily lead to panic. In fact, such a situation calls for extreme calm. Hvizdak never despaired of escaping the mess he had created, even when he was down to his last dime. He rightly recognized that failure clears the decks, that losing your shirt means that all bets are off. Given the chance to redefine exactly who he was, Hvizdak aimed as high as he could-and wound up even higher! Some people see failure as a reason to feel small, when in fact it is an invitation to think big.
2. Come Up with a Good Plan, Then Give It Everything You’ve Got– Hvizdak could have taken a salaried job to make ends meet; instead, he holed up in his house, devising a master plan to succeed. He very meticulously examined his strengths and weaknesses, and just as thoroughly looked at the industry he planned to infiltrate. Finally, after long weeks of strategizing, he came up with a solid plan-and executed that plan with uncanny confidence. He bucked the odds by being fully committed to his approach. Use the downtime failure brings to carefully plot your comeback, and then give 110 percent to making it work.
3. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare– Hvizdak made sure he was ready when opportunity knocked. Not long after he was fired, he started going to the gym and got himself in fighting shape. He kicked a couple of bad habits, and dedicated himself to achieving his goals. He also read dozens of self-help books, honing a positive attitude. Physically and mentally, Hvizdak was ready to be a winner. Look at failure like a kick in the pants, and do whatever you have to do to make yourself stronger and better.

From “When Life Gives You Lemons” by Alex Tresniowski