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MESSAGE #1170 SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

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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?

MESSAGE #1168 WHEN TO GET SERIOUS

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Dr. Alan Goldberg is one of the top sports psychologists in the world. Goldberg says you have to know when to be serious in sports.

“The time to try hard and get serious should ONLY be WHEN YOU PRACTICE and NEVER, EVER WHEN YOU STEP INTO THE COMPETITIVE ARENA,” says Goldberg.

“When you get ‘serious’ about the outcome of any game, match or race you inadvertently set yourself up for frustration and failure.”

Think about a time when you performed “in the zone” or “in flow.”

Didn’t you “just” do it? Weren’t you focused but relaxed?

That’s peak performance.

How do you do it?

Focus on your strategy, effort and attitude, instead of the outcome.

MESSAGE #1167 TEAMWORK AND INTELLIGENCE

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“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
-MICHAEL JORDAN

 

MESSAGE #1161 MENTAL WEAKNESS

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Recently, I was teaching a high-level high school player and we were playing a groundstroke game to 11 points.

I was up 7-1 and he said to me, “Can we play another one after this one?”

In his mind, he had already lost.

And then he really did lose.

When you think about the future, you can’t perform well in the present.

Remember what the great philosopher, Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over til it’s over.”

MESSAGE #1160 NERVES

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I have a feeling someone reading this has been nervous before a competition, test, lecture or asking someone out on a date.

Most people feel that being nervous is bad.

Being nervous is good. It means you are about to do something important.

Winners and losers feel the same feelings.

The greatest athletes in the world get nervous, so it’s okay if you do.

The difference is, you don’t have to ACT nervous.

I have spent time with many professional athletes and I always ask them if they get nervous.

They all say yes.

So what do they do?

They take a deep breath, tell themselves that they’ve been in this situation before and then go and kick butt.

I work one-on-one with athletes, musicians, business professionals and students and I have them do the same thing.

Why?

Because it works.

MESSAGE #1159 MO

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This is the last year of Mariano Rivera’s contract with the Yankees. Asked if he was worried about what would happen after this year and Rivera said, “Why should I worry about something that I can’t control?”

Many times we worry about winning and losing, the economy, the weather, our opponents, but we can’t control those things. So why worry about them? That’s wasted energy.

Be like Mariano and focus on the things you can control like your effort, attitude, energy and reactions.

You might not be the best closer in major league history, but you can have the same attitude and mindset as him.

MESSAGE #1158 BE LIKE RAUL IBANEZ

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I’m not a Phillies phanatic, but I like the recent quote in the Trenton Times by the Fightin’ Phils’ Raul Ibanez.

He said, “You have to keep battling. No one’s gonna feel sorry for you. You have to go out there and you gotta believe, affirming to yourself.”

Push yourself.

Coach yourself.

Believe in yourself.

Thank you Raul and thank you to the Kolbs for bringing the article to my attention.

MESSAGE #1157 YOU CAN DO IT

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Jim Abbott threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on September 4, 1993, and he won the game 4-0.

AND Jim Abbott was born without a right hand.

Imagine what YOU can do…

Your only disability is in your mind.

MESSAGE #1156 VISUALIZE LIKE THE BULLS

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“I believe that if I can take twenty or thirty minutes before each game and visualize what’s going to happen, I’ll be able to react to it without thinking, because I’ll already have seen it in my mind. When I’m lying down before the game, I can see myself making a shot or boxing out or getting a loose ball. And then when I see that come up during the game, I don’t think about it, I do it. There are no second thoughts, no hesitation. Sometimes, after the game, I’ll go, ‘Wow! I saw that! I anticipated it before it happened.”
-B.J. ARMSTRONG, Chicago Bulls

MESSAGE #1153 WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT ON YOUR GAME

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Cory Arbiso, New York Yankees

Once in a while I hear a great quote.

Last week I was sitting in the hallway next to the Trenton Thunder clubhouse, as I did many times this season, talking to one of the players. This time it was pitcher, Cory Arbiso.

He said a great quote that stuck with me…

“Some days you will only have 80% of your ‘stuff.’ But if you use 100% of that ‘stuff,’ you can still win.”

I really like that.

Thanks, Cory.