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MESSAGE #991 A PEAK PERFORMANCE PRINCIPLE: HOW TO CREATE GREATNESS

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to Manon Bollegraf in the Netherlands, Ash Kulkarni in New York City, Candice Carlin in Philadelphia and Kimberly Slater in Cherry Hill, NJ. Happy Birthday to you all!

 

Before you set foot onto the tennis court next time, ask yourself this question…

Am I going to let how I play determine my attitude, or am I going to let my attitude determine how I play?

Think about it – most people react to how they play, but the great ones CREATE how they want to play; it’s a choice.

Act as if it were impossible to fail.

 

For those of you going to the Caesars Tennis Classic in Atlantic City today, look for me in the press box. I will be taking photographs and shooting videos. Find me and you win a prize.

MESSAGE #988 A PEAK PERFORMANCE POEM

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There are two types of teammates in the world: builder-uppers and breaker-downers.

The builder-uppers are the Derek Jeters who make the rest of their team better. Michael Jordan was the same way.

The breaker-downers focus on themselves and may even put their teammates down to make themselves look better. One bad apple ruins the bunch.

This applies to sports, work, school and relationships.

Here is my favorite poem to bring the point home…

One day as I was walking around my home town,
I saw a group of men tearing a building down.

With a heave and a ho and a mighty yell,
they swung a huge steel ball and a tall building fell.

Impressed, I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled?
Should I hire them if I ever want to build?”

“Oh no,” he laughed. “Oh no, indeed!
They’re unskilled laborers–that’s all I need.”

“These men can easily wreck in a day or two,
what it takes skilled builders many years to do.”

So I asked myself as I walked away,
which one of these roles do I want to play?

Do I want to be known as one who constantly tears down?
De-energizing others as I spread negativity around?

Or do I want to be known as one who skillfully builds up with care,
enthusiastically encouraging everyone whenever I’m there?

Which type of person will you be today?

MESSAGE #981 ACCOUNTABILITY

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great, Eileen Sinett.

Goal setting is one of the keys to peak performance. But goal setting is not enough. You need to have an accountability partner to keep you on track.

Recently, I had a meeting with speech coach, Eileen Sinett. Eileen is writing a book, but has put it off lately. Well, I’m helping her reach her goal. Sinett wants to finish the first draft of her book by July 31, 2010. To ensure that she makes that happen, we made a not-so-friendly wager.

If Eileen does not reach her goal, she must take me and my girlfriend, Sarah to dinner anyplace we want…on the planet.

I told her I always wanted to go to Paris.

Do you think she won’t get it done?

Time will tell, but I have faith in her. So set your goals and get an accountability partner.

And Eileen, get writing…

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #978 WIN

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great D.A. Abrams, Executive Director and COO of the USTA Eastern Section.

 

I may not know you, but I know this about you…

You want to win more…in sports, sales, school, relationships, music, etc.

Here’s how you do it: Don’t focus on winning!

Focus on the things that will help you win more.

1. Write down exactly what you want to accomplish

2. Write down three things you can do each day to get closer to that goal.

3. Do those three things!

4. Repeat.

And if you really want to ensure that you will reach your goals, find an accountability partner, who you will talk to at least once a week to make sure you are on track. (If you know you are going to talk to that person, you will be more likely to get the important things done.)

Remember what WIN stands for…

What’s Important Now

MESSAGE #977

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“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.” -OPRAH WINFREY

 

MESSAGE #974 SEE IF YOU CAN SEE THIS…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Roger Ta in Orange County, California.

Count how many times the letter “F” appears in the following:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.

How many “F”s did you find?

Most people find between two and five. The answer is six! Go ahead, count again.

We have something called a scotoma (blind spot) and we miss the “F”s in “OF” because it sounds like “OV.”

What does this have to do with you?

You may not see your potential. Well, I’m here to tell you that you have unlimited potential. ANYTHING is possible. Do what Muhammad Ali did…

ACT like a champion before you ARE a champion.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #972 INTERVIEW WITH A RISING STAR…

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In this video blog, Ed interviews rising baseball star, Mike DeJesus of the New Jersey Jackals.

MESSAGE #963 THE WAY OF LIFE

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A man is born gentle and weak.
At his death he is hard and stiff.
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.
Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.
Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A tree that is unbending is easily broken.
The hard and the strong will fall.
The soft and the weak will overcome.
-LAO TZU