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MESSAGE #1094 I WAS THINKING…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Justin Shackil.

I thought of this blog entry while I was out running this morning. My ideal start to the day is a visualization/gratitude/meditation run, then some weights and ending with yoga.

As I was doing my interval running (walk/jog/sprint), I found myself wanting to stop when I couldn’t go any further. And in the first round, I did stop. But then I thought, I am going to just go a little longer next time. I did. It wasn’t so bad. Then I did it again. I pushed myself.

The problem with stopping when you “feel like” stopping is that you are training yourself to ease up.

The key is to do a little bit more. Whenever I’m training someone in the gym, I say, do as many repetitions as you can, then do two more.

When you push yourself through the initial uncomfortable state, you end up in a whole new world.

And you get whole new results.

Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish that your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round — remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.
-JAMES CORBETT, heavyweight boxing champion

MESSAGE #1088 TRAINING

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How you do anything is how you do everything.

I have seen many athletes (and non-athletes) focus on speed.

They think everything is a race. When they are warming up for a practice, they want to come in first. When they are writing a paper, they want to compete it first. When they are working on a project…well, you get the idea.

Here’s the problem…

When you rush, you are training yourself to be sloppy. You are focusing on quantity, not quality.

When you train yourself in the wrong way, you have to go back and do it over again (re-training your body, re-writing that paper or re-doing that project).

The great Dan Millman once told me, the key is to focus on excellence in the moment. Be mindful. Be great.

Try it, just for today.

MESSAGE #550 THE UNCONTROLLABLES…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Alex Gonzalez in Ohio.

“By anticipating the impact of the uncontrollables on your competition, you can use them as a confidence booster.”
-DR. ALAN GOLDBERG, noted sports psychologist

Let me explain…

There are some things you can control in sports and there are some things you cannot control. Focus on the things you can control, but be prepared for the things you cannot.

You cannot control the weather.
You cannot control what your opponent does.
You cannot control the umpires.

Many of you will have high school and middle school sports tryouts in early March. And many of you are currently training indoors in preparation. But guess what? Your tryouts are going to be OUTDOORS. Here’s how you can use it to your advantage…

Before tryouts, start training and practicing outdoors. When you do this, it will be more familiar and comfortable when you do go outdoors. Most people will be complaining about the weather and performing poorly. You will feel right at home and perform at a high level.

It’s good to train hard. It’s better to train smart.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #459 The SCARRRY Truth…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Stephanie Sheldon.

I think that what you do when you can’t do any more reps is who you are. It’s what you’re made of. What you do at the end of the work day when you’re tired is who you are. What you do at the end of the school day when you can’t take it any longer is who you are.

When you push yourself, you’re actually pushing yourself through to another level. That’s progress – that’s success in my book. We only have one shot on this Earth at this thing called life…

Do you want to be average, or do you want to be great?

Do you want to stay comfortable, or do you want to leave a legacy?

If you shoot for mediocrity, the highest you can get is…

Mediocrity.

What are you shooting for?


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #408 US OPEN WINNERS

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Congratulations to Serena Williams and Roger Federer for winning this year’s US Open tennis championship.

I have to admit, I’m quite impressed with both Serena and Roger. There is no doubt that they are elite athletes, but I know their secret.

Two words…

HARD WORK

Everyone sees their results on TV, but nobody sees how hard they work. Serena even talked about how hard she has been working in her interview after the match. Roger Federer trains in extreme conditions so that everything else will be easy. When you look at Serena, do you think, “Wow, she was blessed with a great body,” or do you think, “She must work out.” Of course she works out.

Nothing beats hard work.

“Diligence beats intelligence.”


Thanks for reading.