MESSAGE #1041 A QUOTE FROM JEFFERSON
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
-THOMAS JEFFERSON
Posts
MESSAGE #1035 REPORTING FROM BARNES & NOBLE
Today’s message is especially dedicated to my niece, the great Lauren Perrine. In this video blog, I report from Barnes & Noble in Hamilton, NJ.
MESSAGE #1032 ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
I recently started working with a high school tennis player who had low self-esteem and negativity issues.
His father called me to ask if I could work with his son to overcome his challenges.
Well, I did one long session with him and then gave him some homework.
I saw him a week later and I immediately noticed that his body language and attitude was completely different.
I said, “How’s it going?”
He replied, “Great! I am not negative anymore.”
I was skeptical.
I found out that he lost a couple matches during the week, but was extremely happy with his attitude. He was a new person, and he had a winning mindset. He wasn’t perfect, but this was a great start, nonetheless.
I was extremely proud of him.
What did I give him?
HOPE.
Hold On Possibilities Exist.
What’s the point?
Mental skills are just like physical skills – they are trainable.
This young man is striving to become a little bit better every day, and I am confident that as our coaching sessions continue, he will eventually become the player, and person he wants to be.
Afterall, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
“The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.”
MESSAGE #1031 FOUR WORDS…
DON’T QUIT, CAN’T FAIL
MESSAGE #1029 ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES…
“When you’re tired and frustrated is where it begins. Because that’s when others quit.” -ROB GILBERT, Ph.D., noted Sports Psychologist and founder of Success Hotline (973 743 4690)
MESSAGE #1028 TALKING WITH A LIFE COACH
I recently spent some time with life coach, Dolores DeGiacomo.
I asked Dolores what some common challenges were for her clients. She said that many times people have unrealistic expectations for themselves and others. They focus on external things that are out of their control and then get upset or angry.
When we focus our energy on things we cannot control, we are wasting energy. It’s a losing battle.
Instead, DeGiacomo says, “We should focus on things we can control, like our perspective on situations and people, being kind to ourselves and never give up.”
“How can we do it differently next time?” is better than “What’s wrong with me/them?” DeGiacomo added.
One of her clients was complaining that her mother-in-law was not treating her the way she wanted to be treated.
DeGiacomo asked, “Does she know how you would like to be treated?”
“No,” here client responded.
That’s like if I’m a tennis coach and I expect my students to practice between lessons, work on their fitness, have proper nutrition and work on their mental toughness…but I don’t tell them to, and then get angry at them when they don’t. That’s just silly.
Dolores also recommends that we stay in “learning mode.” When we strive for constant improvement instead of results, we actually start getting better results, as a by-product.
I like that.
For a free 10-minute consultation with Coach Dolores DeGiacomo, email:
MESSAGE #1025 BE A BLACK SWAN
A BLACK SWAN is “the existence and occurrence of high-impact, hard-to-predict, and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal expectations.” (Wikipedia)
Roger Banister breaking the four-minute mile was a BLACK SWAN event.
David beating Goliath was a BLACK SWAN event.
Ed Tseng failing out of Rider College twice and then going back to speak (twice) at their Leadership Day was a BLACK SWAN event.
BLACK SWAN events happen all the time in sports and life. The fastest horse doesn’t always win the race. The students with the best grades don’t always become successful.
So why then, do so many people count themselves out before the competition begins?
Why do people think that success is only for the lucky few?
What you believe, you achieve.
Be a BLACK SWAN.
*CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GREAT JOEY CLAWSON, SPECIAL OLYMPICS GOLD MEDALIST, WHO GRADUATES FROM THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY TODAY. WAY TO GO, JOE!*
MESSAGE #1024 HOW TO WIN MORE PART II
Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great tennis coach, Javier Perez Cigoj in Argentina.
So yesterday I talked about negative reactions on the court and why they can hurt your performance and results.
Soon after, I received a message from Javier, a tennis coach in Argentina and he said, “Great message, but how should you act instead?”
Well, Javier, the key is to let the point go – you can think about how to make an adjustment, but then, keep it in the past.
1. Take a couple deep breaths (to stay in the present and to lower your heart rate).
2. Project a confident image.
3. Think about where you want to hit your next shot.
4. Focus on the things you can control (your energy, attitude, strategy and effort).
5. Cultivate the feeling of winning the next point (even before the point begins).
The best way to increase your chances of winning is to not focus on winning.
Focus on the process instead of the product and as a by-product you will win more.
MESSAGE #1023 HOW TO WIN MORE
IMAGINE THIS…
You are playing a match. The score is 30-30, 5-5 in the final set. Your return is nice and deep which forces your opponent to hit a weak shot. You hit a nice deep approach shot, follow it to net and get a high floating ball to your forehand side. You hit it, it hits the top of the net and you lose the point.
How do you react?
Most players would react negatively with their body language, self-talk or hit their racquet on the ground.
This works to your opponent’s advantage because…
1. You will boost their confidence.
2. By reacting negatively, you actually produce different hormones in your body and create muscle tension (which makes you play poorly).
3. You will decrease your chances of winning the match.
I have worked with some high level players and most of them play unbelievable when they are “on” but when they start losing, their games and body language deteriorate.
This is fairly normal.
Do you want to be normal or do you want to be great?
Act as if it were impossible to fail. -DOROTHEA BRANDE
MESSAGE #1022 INTERVIEW WITH NEHA UBEROI
In this video blog, Ed Tseng interviews former professional tennis player, Neha Uberoi, as they talk about her toughest opponent, mental toughness and Princeton University.