MESSAGE #1248 GO ALL-OUT!
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.
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MESSAGE #1247 MENTAL TOUGHNESS IN SOCCER
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great basketball coach, Matt Bloom. In this video blog, Ed talks mental toughness with soccer coach, Toby Stupples.
MESSAGE #1245
“The first and best victory is to conquer self.”
-PLATO
Recently, I worked with a young girl and she hated serving. She avoided it. Every time she practiced her serve, she would inevitably expect the worst.
I told her I was optimistic about her serve and that she should be as well. “You get what you focus on,” I told her.
Instead of focusing on how much she hated serving, I just told her to think about her technique and adjustments.
She stuck with it and started getting her serves in. And guess what?
She started smiling.
Had she given up or avoided serving, her serves would still be the same.
She conquered herself and began getting the results she wanted.
My student came up to me after class and said, “Thank you, coach. Today I learned a very important lesson.”
Conquer yourself and the sky is the limit.
MESSAGE #1242 FOCUS
We choose what we focus on.
Suppose you are winning a tennis match by a score of 5-0, and your opponent then wins the next three games. You start to think that the momentum has switched and that the person on the other side of the net has a chance to win.
STOP!
This type of thinking is normal, however, many people end up losing that set by focusing on the possible loss instead of focusing on HOW they can close it out.
The key is acknowledging that negative little voice inside your head and then moving on. Focusing on the next point. Your strategy. Your footwork.
Is this easier said than done?
Yes and no. Simple…yes. Easy…no. Mental training is just like physical training. You have to work at it.
Here’s an example of how you can shift your focus at any time.
Look around you and find three things that are blue.
Now quickly close your eyes and find something green.
Isn’t it hard to do?
Why?
Because it’s hard to focus on two things at the same time.
You can’t get green when focusing on blue.
You can’t get a win from focusing on a loss.
MESSAGE #1240 WINNING MINDSET
Practice like you are the worst player.
Compete like you are the best player.
Work hard in practice.
Stay loose in competition.
MESSAGE #1239 MENTAL TOUGHNESS FROM A MONK
Here is a great short story by an unknown monk from 11 A.D. entitled “I Wanted To Change The World”
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”
Many athletes worry about things that they cannot control, for instance, winning and losing, the weather, their opponents, the umpires, etc.
If you can’t control it, don’t worry about it.
Control the only thing you can…
Yourself.
Your actions.
Your reactions.
MESSAGE #1236 I REALLY LIKE THIS QUOTE…
“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.
MESSAGE #1235 JOE MCCARTHY’S TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR SUCCESS IN BASEBALL
Ten Commandments for Success in Baseball
by Joe McCarthy (1949)
1. Nobody ever became a ballplayer by walking after a ball.
2. You will never become a .300 hitter unless you take the bat off your shoulder.
3. An outfielder who throws in back of a runner is locking the barn after the horse is stolen.
4. Keep your head up and you may not have to keep it down.
5. When you start to slide, slide. He who changes his mind may have to change a good leg for a bad one.
6. Do not alibi on bad hops. Anybody can field the good ones.
7. Always run them out. You never can tell.
8. Do not quit.
9. Do not fight too much with the umpires. You cannot expect them to be as perfect as you are.
10. A pitcher who hasn’t control hasn’t anything.
MESSAGE #1232 MY SHE-RO
I just got off the phone with one of my she-ros, Rayna DuBose.
Rayna was a top basketball recruit and received a full scholarship to Virginia Tech. After her first season, she contracted a type of meningitis and within 24 hours, she had all four limbs amputated. Now she is a motivational speaker.
She said that was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Why?
Because now she is helping other people.
A pretty bold statement from someone who, wakes up and first thing in the morning, puts on her arms and legs (prosthetics).
We cannot control our situations but we can control our attitudes towards them.
Be like Rayna.
MESSAGE #1231 THIS COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING…
We, as humans, tend to focus more on the things we DON’T have, versus the things we DO have.
Common statements are:
“I don’t have a backhand.”
“I don’t have enough money to pay the bills.”
“I don’t have the iPhone 4.”
One of the best things you can do to become happier and more successful is cultivate gratitude.
Focus on the things you DO have.
Here’s what you do:
1. Make a list. At the top, write, “I am grateful for…”
2. Create three columns.
3. Name the columns, “Things,” “People,” and “Other”
4. In the column of “Things,” write down any material possessions you are thankful for; in the column of “People,” write the names of people you are thankful for; and in the column of “Other,” write down anything that doesn’t fall into the other two categories (i.e., health, job, education).
5. Read your list 4 times a day (after lunch, after dinner, before bed, first thing in the morning).
6. Do this for a week and see if you feel any different.
Let me know your reactions.
What else would you write in the “Other” category?