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MESSAGE #544 A MOVIE STAR?!#

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to Amy Morse.

Do you know what mental cross-training is?

Yesterday I had an audition for the new Pixar movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender. My friend and agent, Eileen DeNoble signed me up for the part. My schedule allowed it, and I thought it might be interesting to pursue, so off I went to Philadelphia.

As I was sitting there among all the professional actors and actresses, many of whom knew each other, I felt in another world. What was I doing here? How does this all work? I didn’t have my headshot and resume in hand. And even though it is an animated film, I was still nervous. Very nervous.

I went in, read my two lines and I was done. The casting director said, “Good.” What exactly does that mean? I guess we will see.

Whether I get the part or not does not matter. At the very least, it was mental cross-training. Many athletes play different sports or workout at the gym as cross-training because it helps hone their skills in their sport and forces them to use different muscles.

You have never heard of mental cross-training? That’s because most people don’t do it. If you tend to be nervous before a tennis match, go give a talk in front of your class or co-workers. If you can overcome nervousness in one situation, you can overcome nervousness in the other. That’s mental cross-training. It may not be comfortable, but do you want to be comfortable, or do you want to be great?

To improve physically, you have to stretch your muscles and put them under stress.

To improve mentally, you have to stretch your mental muscles and put them under stress.


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MESSAGE #543 ARTHUR ASHE’S HERO AT ARTHUR ASHE’S PLACE…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the student-athletes, coaches, staff and parents at Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education in Philadelphia.

So yesterday I gave a talk with the great Bob Ryland at Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education. We started at the nearby NBC studios with a live segment on the 4pm news. From there, we drove back to AAYTE for interviews with Brad Nau of Comcast SportsNet and then, Johannah Bennett brought some kids over for a meet and greet session and another interview. KYW radio also stopped Bob on the way up to our talk for some brief words.

Bob began talking about his life and the lessons he has learned. We have all read about blacks and segregation and tennis in the history books, but last night, about 80 people in Philadelphia heard it live from someone who lived through it. I have heard his story many times and it never fails to amaze me.

There were three television stations there, some newspapers and photographers, as well. Bob and I talked about the mental side of tennis and life. I asked him if he was nervous, and he replied, “I’m nervous all the time.” So if a living legend can be nervous, it’s okay for you to be nervous, just don’t show it.

Character was one of the topics we talked about, being a good person. Working hard. Listening. Mr. Ryland went through hell, but he still has character. A lot of character. It’s a major commitment for an 88 year old man to drive from New York City to Philadelphia, but he did it to talk to the kids. To make a difference. He’s leaving a legacy. Mr. Ryland was handed an honorarium check from Eric Dolaway, program director, for his time and travel. Guess what?

He handed it back and said, “Use if for the kids and your program.”

That’s character.
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MESSAGE #542 PHILADELPHIA HERE I COME…

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Today I will be giving a talk at Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education with Bob Ryland, the first black professional tennis player. It comes at a good time, just after the inauguration of our first black president and just before Black History Month.

We will be interviewed live on NBC Philadelphia at their studios and then by Comcast Sportsnet. There will also be several local newspapers reporting the event. Our talk begins at 7pm.

Now I know what you’re thinking…what does a Chinese-American tennis pro have to do with this?

I’ll tell you what. It’s not about the color of your skin. It’s about people helping people. It’s about giving people hope.

If I can fail out of college twice and become Pro of the Year and Mr. Ryland can overcome segregation and other challenges, imagine what YOU can do…

The message today will be…

YOU CAN DO IT!

Check back tomorrow for a full report.


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MESSAGE #541

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Some of the greatest leaders in history have spoken great words. President Obama joined that list yesterday in Washington, DC. Below are words from another great in history…

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
-THEODORE ROOSEVELT


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MESSAGE #540 PREPARATION…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to President Barack Obama.

I believe in preventive medicine. What exactly is preventive medicine?

Eating healthy before you become ill.
Exercising before you become overweight.
Preparing your taxes before April 13th.
Practicing playing in the cold before your school tryouts.

Don’t wait until something goes wrong before you take action.

Noah didn’t start building the ark when it started raining…
You don’t learn CPR when someone starts choking…

You should prepare for situations so that if they do happen, you are ready.


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MESSAGE #539 AT YOUR SERVICE…

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Every time our nation faces crisis, our national experience has shown Americans rise to the challenge. While government has an important role to play in helping rekindle our economy and addressing the problems of a distressed nation, President-elect Obama believes each of us, as Americans, have a responsibility to do what we can for our communities and fellow citizens. We are one nation.

The United States is once again at a crossroads and that is why the President-elect hopes to use the occasion of his Inauguration to rally our nation to commit to service in our communities. We are asking for your participation in meeting this challenge. In 1994, Congress transformed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday into a national day of community service to further commemorate a man who lived his life in service to others. As a tribute to that legacy and the very real needs of our nation, the President-elect and Vice President-elect have launched a national organizing effort on the eve of their Inauguration to engage Americans in service. This national day of service will fall on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 19, 2009 and, unlike past calls to service, President-elect Obama is calling on all Americans to do more than just offer a single day of service to their cities, towns and neighborhoods. He is asking all of us to make an ongoing commitment to our communities. Never has it been more important to come together in shared purpose to tackle the common challenges we face.

This website (http://www.usaservice.org) is designed to help promote these events and for Americans to make their commitments, build communities, find opportunities to serve and share their results. These can be events that engage people in direct service, or bring people together to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and how they can commit to becoming more engaged citizens. Please create an event or sign up to volunteer today.

(From USAservice.org)

MESSAGE #538 DO THIS, WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT…

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I’ve worked with athletes of all levels and from all different sports. I’ve worked with students, business professionals, stay-at-home parents and musicians. One of the secrets is that you can act differently than how you feel. If you act how you want to feel, pretty soon you will feel how you act. Let me explain in a quote…

“No matter how much madder it may make you, get out of bed forcing a smile. You may not smile because you are cheerful; but if you will force yourself to smile, you’ll end up laughing. You will be cheerful because you smile. Repeated experiments prove that when man assumes the facial expression of a given mental mood-any given mood-then that mental mood itself will follow.”
-KENNETH GOODE



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MESSAGE #537 THERE IS NO “I” IN TEAM…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Coach Mitch Kajzer and all his tennis players at Memorial High School in Elkhart, Indiana.

When I coached the Robbinsville High School girls tennis team, their record increased from one win all season to seven wins. I was nominated for Coach of the Year and everyone asked me how I managed to accomplish this. It was really quite easy. You see, as a high school tennis coach, you only have about two weeks to conduct tryouts and prepare for your season, so it is difficult to physically make a difference in players’ games…I worked on the mental side. We focused on the process instead of the product.

Listed below are some of the team rules we had…

1. No homework during matches-on most of the teams that I have seen, the players that were awaiting their turn to play were either doing homework, listening to music, or eating. My rule was for my players to pick a teammate to cheer for and sometimes even chart errors and winners. When you are at a practice or match, you are not a brother, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc, for those couple hours, you are a teammate and you will energize those players that you are supporting. Focus on the task at hand, stay in the present.

2. Focus on your attitude and effort, not your strokes-A match is not the time to practice your form. Instead, you should focus giving all out effort and your strategy. If your strategy isn’t working, try another one. I always say, winning or losing, you should always strive for the highest energy level possible.

3. Thank the other team’s coaches and players after every match-It’s surprising to me how many teams don’t thank their opponents. Character is a big part of success…and it goes a long way, so make sure you show it.

Now I know that not all of you are high school tennis players, but I do know that you are part of a team. A work team, a family team, a relationship team, an orchestra team…these rules apply there too.

The best players help others to be best players.

Thank you to all that came out to the Independent Author event yesterday at the Princeton Public Library and…Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #536 FAITH…

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FAITH- Finding Answers In The Hard




Stop by the Princeton Public Library today between 12pm and 4pm for an Independent Author Event. 20 local authors will be present. Ed Tseng will be signing copies of his book, “Game. Set. Life.” and speaking at 3:20PM.

MESSAGE #535 HEALTH AND FITNESS TIPS…

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I asked personal trainer, Rick Stype what he felt the three keys to becoming healthier and happier in the New Year were. Here’s his response…

1) The first part of the equation is attitude and commitment. People need to stop using words and phrases such as, “I can’t”. They need to take responsibility for their actions and be accountable and committed to the cause. Further elucidation can be found here: http://elitefitnesswellness.blogspot.com/2008/12/take-your-fitness-personally.html
2) The next area that I see as one of the biggest mistakes people constantly make has to do with focus. When people focus on the wrong things, such as weight (the biggest mistake), body fat %, dress or pant size, waist measurement, etc. People that focus on these things are doomed to failure. As an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, I see it all the time – dozens of times per week. The primary focus should be on Fitness First!!! When people focus on their fitness, and commit to working out 5-6 day per week (6 preferred), everything else will fall into place. Simply working out is not enough though. The workout needs to be intense! I prefer short, maximum intensity workouts to all other types. Bear in mind that intensity is relative – what I consider intense, may be a walk in the park to you, and could be too intense for someone else. The key point is that they have to go all out every time!
3) #1 and 2 above are fantastic, but if your diet is not supporting the cause, then results will not be as expected. Demanding workouts require more fuel, but at the same time, you don’t want to overeat. The key is making sure that you eat clean and eat smaller meals and snack more often (every 2-3 hours), while making sure that you are getting adequate macronutrients at the right times I cover all of these topics and more in greater detail on my blog: http://elitefitnesswellness.blogspot.com/ The specific categories are listed on the right side.

Rick Stype received his training certification from WITS, and also holds various certifications in Advanced Physiology and Advanced Exercise Design. Rick has experience in Functional Training, High Intensity Interval Training, Core Strength, and tailoring routines to meet the specific needs of his clients. Rick specializes in Pain Free Training: Corrective Exercise specifically designed to restore the body’s structural integrity and muscular/skeletal alignment, thereby correcting dysfunction and reducing or eliminating pain. Personal Physical Accomplishments: Lost 85 pounds over 3 years, then added 50 pounds of muscle over 2 years.

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