Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.
-The Buddha
Learn to let go. That is the key to success.
Thinking too much—Bad.
Putting too much pressure on results—Bad.
Letting go and trusting your game—Good.
You can think during practice, but during competition, just trust your hard work and have fun.
Take a moment and think about a past peak performance you had. Didn’t you play loose? Weren’t you just playing?
The more you can let go, the better your results.
Willie Stargell was a left fielder and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1962-1982. He is also in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Somebody once asked Stargell what the secret of his success was. Stargell said that all he did was follow the umpire’s advice after the National Anthem.
After the National Anthem, the umpire yells, “Play ball!”
Stargell said, “I don’t work ball. I play ball. I never go to the ball park to work; I always go to play.”
Now don’t get me wrong, you have to work hard, and you have to take it seriously, but you can’t be all work and no play. And you can’t be all play and no work.
When you have fun, you loosen up and play your best.
When you put too much pressure on yourself, you set yourself up for failure.
Do people sing to get to the end of the song? Of course not, they sing because they enjoy singing.
Don’t play the game to get to the end of the game. Enjoy the process.
Cory Arbiso, New York Yankees, Spring Training 2011, Tampa, Florida
Are you just going through the motions in your sport and life?
Do you mindlessly go through practice and wonder why you are not improving?
Do you mindlessly drive your car and find yourself ending up someplace else?
Do you mindlessly speak with people and forget what they say?
This happens all the time.
Recently, I was in Tampa, Florida for Spring Training for the Yankees. I spent some time with pitcher, Cory Arbiso. Cory and I talked about how he mentally prepares for competition.
During pitching drills, instead of just going through the motions, Arbiso uses visualization. Most pitchers just rush through the drills, but Arbiso takes his time and makes the session as realistic as possible. He varies the timing on his delivery and even checks imaginary runners. In his mind, Arbiso imagines the type of pitch he is going to throw and the location, even if there is no ball in his hand.
The more realistic and mindfully you practice, the more you will be able to deliver in competition.
At the professional level, everyone is an elite athlete, but the ones that make it are the ones who slow the game down and master the game between the ears.
I love traveling, but there’s one place I will never visit…
Someday Isle.
Ever gone there?
Someday I’ll eat healthier.
Someday I’ll quit smoking.
Someday I’ll work harder.
Many people have paid this place a visit, but if you want to reach your full potential, book another trip.
What game are you playing?
Are you trying to beat your opponent? Do you have anger towards the other team? Do you want to crush the competition at work?
If so, stop it.
When you start with a negative intention, you are limiting yourself. Negative intentions create negative results. You may get some positive results with negative thoughts, but they are not lasting.
Instead, begin with positive intentions. Love—love the game, love the learning and constant improvement. Love everything about the game.
You see, it’s not about beating your opponent, it’s all about mastering yourself. Mastering the game.
This is a game that very few people are playing.
The ones that are playing this game, say things like, “I’d like to thank everyone for their support; I couldn’t have become world champion by myself.”
The ones that are not playing the self-mastery game say things like, “Would you like fries with that?”
Golfer, Jack Nicklaus (above) once said…
When fear starts to hit me, my best chance of overcoming it lies in facing it squarely and examining it rationally. Here’s what I tell myself. ‘OK, what are you frightened of? You’ve obviously played well or you wouldn’t be here…Well, go ahead and enjoy yourself. Play each shot one at a time and meet the challenge.’
Pressure is created in your mind. It is your choice whether you look at a situation as pressure or as a challenge. Who doesn’t love a challenge?
The next time you are in a “pressure” situation, coach yourself like Jack Nicklaus and react rationally. If your thoughts are irrational, accept them, let them go and then go out and kick some butt.
In the image above, Derek Jeter is keeping his eye on the ball.
In your life, whether in sports, sales or school, you need to keep your eye on the ball. Stay focused on what you are doing, and do one thing at a time. When you are eating…eat. When you are practicing…practice. When you are studying…study.
Let me tell you a story…
A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial arts master.
“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.
“I wish to be your student and become the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied.
“How long must I study?”
“Ten years at least,” the master answered.
“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy.
“What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”
“Twenty years,” replied the master.
“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?”
“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.
“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.
“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”
Manny Banuelos is the talk of Yankee Spring Training. Many are calling him the best Yankee pitching prospect ever. And he doesn’t even turn 20 years old until Sunday.
Banuelos has no fear. Why?
Because he doesn’t like there’s pressure. He has the confidence that his skills are as good as anyone else’s, and instead of trying to be perfect, Banuelos is aggressive and goes all-out.
It’s better to go all-out and lose than it is to hold back and win. When you hold back and win, you are training yourself to hold back.
No successful athlete ever said, I made it to the Hall of Fame by holding back.
Go all-out today!
Today didn’t go as planned—it was BETTER.
I woke up here in Tampa to heavy rain. It threw my schedule off. I had meetings planned and wanted to go checkout the Yankees game at the Phillies’ stadium in Clearwater. Due to the weather, I needed to rearrange and cancel some meetings. Then, the weather broke and it looked like the game would be played after all. So again I had to change some plans. But I stayed flexible and figured out the best strategy, and the day went extremely well.
What does this have to do with you, and mental toughness?
In sports and life, we need to be flexible. If you go into a game thinking there is only one way to win, you may be greatly disappointed. Instead, there are many options. Obstacles will always pop up, that’s not the problem. The problem is how we react.
I always tell the following to the athletes I work with: “Every strategy works for someone—NO strategy works for everyone.”
