I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field.
-WALTER PAYTON, football player
Can you have the same attitude as Walter Payton in what you do?
Sports, sales or school?
Of course you can.
But the real question is, WILL YOU?
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.
-WILLIAM JAMES
The pain of pushing through goes away.
The pride of going all-out stays forever.
“Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else.”
– VINCE LOMBARDI
I really like this quote from the great Vince Lombardi.
And does it really stop at sports?
Of course not.
If you have a job (or even a job interview), the best thing you can do is go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.
Do you have to be gifted to do this?
Of course not.
I’m a big Michael Jordan fan.
Everyone knows that MJ got cut from his high school basketball team.
But here’s something that nobody knows…
Michael was cut from his varsity team but was allowed to play on junior varsity.
Well, on the last day of the season, MJ asked the varsity coach if he could just ride on the bus with the varsity squad.
The coach said yes, as long as he carried the varsity players’ uniforms.
He agreed.
So not only did Michael Jordan get cut from his high school basketball team, Michael Jordan carried the varsity team’s uniforms.
Then, the next school year, he worked harder than anyone else and eventually became the Michael Jordan that we all know.
Be like Mike.
Someone once said, (and that someone may have been me), that good teachers borrow and GREAT teachers steal.
Well, today’s message was stolen.
My good friend and mentor, the great Rob Gilbert, Ph.D, one of the top sports psychologists in the world shared something with me recently.
He said that Lou Holtz, the former head coach of the Notre Dame football team once said that there are four types of people in the world…
The cop-outs.
The hold-outs.
The drop-outs.
And the all-outs.
The cop-outs make excuses.
The hold-outs hold back.
The drop-outs give up.
And the all-outs go all-out all the time.
Which category do you fall into?
“The softest pillow is a clear conscience.”
-JOHN WOODEN
I want to give you a test. It’s called the pillow test.
Tonight, when you put your head on the pillow, see which of the following you say to yourself…
“I’m glad I did.”
OR
“I wish I had.”
See, one of the mental toughness secrets of the greatest athletes in history is this…
THEY GO ALL OUT.
Or, as I always say, “It’s better to go all-out and lose than it is to hold back and win. Because when you hold back, you are training yourself to hold back.”
As you go through your day, you will have many decisions to make, and the only thing you should consider is this…
“Am I going to go all-out or am I going to hold back?”
Let me know how you do on the test.
Leave your comments below and thanks for reading.
Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the great coaches that attended the MSC Coaches Clinic featuring basketball coaches from Rutgers, Villanova, St. Joe’s, Robert Morris and Temple.
Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.
-GEORGE HALAS
Have you ever heard anyone say…
“I wish I would have partied more.”
“I wish I would have held back.”
“I wish I would have slacked off more.”
Of course not. You see, in sports and life, it is better to go all out than it is to hold back.
So the next time you don’t “feel like” doing what you need to do, whether it’s practicing, studying or cleaning the house, just do it anyway. And do it well. If you do, you’re better than most everyone else.
And guess what type of results you will get?
The other day I was getting ready to teach a young boy. Before we went on the court, I said, “This just might be the best lesson you’ve ever had.”
“I thought EVERY LESSON is the best I’ve ever had?” he responded.
I liked his answer.
So we went on the court and his energy level was exceptionally high, even in the warmup. We started hitting and he was totally focused and high-energy.
It truly was one of the best lessons he ever had.
And he created it in his mind first.
The problem with many people is that either they act how they feel or they think negatively.
And that’s what they get. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Does your day determine your attitude, or does your attitude determine your day?
Supposedly, Mickey Mantle once hit a weak ground ball to second base and, as usual, took off out of the batter’s box. But his spikes got stuck and he fell on to all fours and couldn’t get up. Instead of giving up and heading to the dugout, he furiously doggy-paddled to first base.
That’s giving your all, no matter what.
The way to run faster is with four-fifths effort. Just take it nice and easy.
-BUD WINTERS
If I had a dollar for every time I saw an athlete try to perform by tightening every muscle in their body, I could retire. Most people think that they need to be tight to succeed. This is false.
It is a bad sign when I see the veins in athletes’ arms, or their faces turning red.
People perform at their best when they are loose and “just doing it.”
When you constrict your muscles, you cannot swing freely.
Instead, use only the muscles you need and trust your swing/stroke/shot. This will help you throw faster, hit farther, run faster and get the results you are looking for.
Everyone says, “Less is more.”
Why?
Because it’s true.