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Wanna know how you can become HAPPIER instantly?

Today’s message is especially dedicated to Deisy in Los Angeles.

As part of my “power walks” in the morning, I focus on gratitude. Gratitude is one of the most important aspects of life, but unfortunately, one of the least practiced. I usually start by appreciating the trees, then I focus on my family and friends. After that, I focus on my students and all the people that I come in contact with. I also am grateful for my car, my job, the ability to do what I love and make a difference. By the time I’m done with my 10 minutes of gratitude, I feel so euphoric that I almost feel like crying. It doesn’t get much better than that.

I know how appreciating things in my life make me feel and how it has helped me achieve peak performance…that is what I am trying to do for people all over the world. Our lives are so fast-paced that we don’t stop and smell the roses. Don’t just be a sheep and follow the flock. Live life at YOUR speed and enjoy EVERY moment of it. In your sport, APPRECIATE the fact that you have the ability to play. The ability to compete. Be grateful for your opponents, for, if you didn’t have any, you wouldn’t be able to test yourself and see your progress. In school, be grateful for being able to learn life skills. At work, be grateful that you even have a job and are making money. There are many unemployed people out there. If you’re unemployed, be grateful for other areas of your life, like your family and friends, your health, etc. Say Thank You to everyone. Hold doors open for people. And for those people that you STRONGLY dislike…be especially nice to them for sometimes they teach you the best lessons. The best way to INSTANTLY become happier is to have gratitude for everything in your life.

Thank you for reading.

Homework: Watch the Kyle Maynard video on September 25th…you’ll never complain again!

Do you have the word should in your vocabulary?

Today’s message is dedicated to the great Sarah Allen.

Many of us are guilty of using the word should constantly in everyday life. There is no “should”…in my opinion, if something is a should, make it a “must.” To everyone’s defense, people are busy and don’t have time for everything. But first of all, if you’re too busy…YOU’RE TOO BUSY.

People say the SHOULD go exercise or SHOULD quit smoking, but then you see them a few months later and ask them about it and guess what? They totally forgot about it! Don’t assume that just because you say should, you will do it. If you make it a “must” it sounds like it’s more paramount and you will get it done. Remember, don’t “try your best”…do “whatever it takes.”

Assume a dog’s tail is a leg…How many legs does a dog have?

Most people say 5. The correct answer is 4. Just because you ASSUME a dog’s tail is a leg, doesn’t mean it IS a leg. Don’t assume you’re going to do something just because you said you SHOULD.

Homework: Try to go all day without saying the word “should.” Heck, make it fun and count how many times OTHER people say the word “should.”

The only way to find true happiness is to help others.

Today’s post is especially dedicated to my team captains, Jen Aquaro and Renee Francisco.

We live in a society that is looking for true happiness, but many of us are focused on the wrong things. We are so busy that we are looking for a quick fix, instead of looking for LASTING happiness. If your serve is terrible, but you only like practicing your forehand, guess what, your serve isn’t getting any better. Money, status, winning, materialistic things, a cute tennis outfit and popularity will not bring you true happiness. That is only temporary happiness. Look at all the miserable successful businessmen/women. Look at all the pressure on students. Look at the divorse rate. How about the addictions…drug/alcohol/smoking problems? Everyone is trying to have pleasure and avoid pain, but not too many trying to make a difference or do something lasting. This is the hedonistic approach. Are you in life, or are you INTO life? The thing that will help us attain true happiness, in my opinion, is helping others. We need to find someone that is worse off than us, help them and we will reap the benefits. The reason why this works is because we are making a difference; because when we help someone else, something magical happens, OUR troubles go away and as a result, WE become HAPPY. If you appreciate all that you have, and you help others, no one can take that away. Research has shown that when teenagers volunteer, they reap the health benefits (happiness) for as long as 50-60 years. The list below are some of my favorite ways to make a difference…

Open a door for someone.
Be nice to everyone, even if they’re not so nice to you.
Before you go into a store, ask a homeless person if they want anything.
Read to the blind.
Let someone cut in front of you during rush hour traffic.
Give a tip to or encourage the least skilled player on your team.
Call your parents.
Be nice to the freshmen in your school.
Visit a retirement center.
Leave a “thank you” note for the cleaning staff at work.
Recommend a good book to someone.
Dance with someone who hasn’t been asked.
Figure out someone’s half-birthday by adding 182 days and surprise them with a cake.
Ask someone about their children.
Join Tuesday’s Children and mentor a child that lost a parent in 9/11…tell them Ed Tseng sent you.
Brush the snow off of the car next to yours.
Tell someone which quality you like most about them.
Pay for a stranger’s cup of coffee without them knowing it.
Ask to see a store’s manager and comment on the great service.
Wave to a child in the car next to you.
Let someone else have the last slice of pizza or bite of dessert.
Catch someone doing something good, and compliment them.
Encourage someone’s dream, no matter how big or small.
Personally invite someone new at work or school to have lunch with you.
Tell someone you believe in them.
Leave a waiter or waitress a big tip.
Ask an elderly person to tell you about the “good ole days.”
Give up your seat on the rush hour train.
Be a mentor or coach to someone.
Leave a joke on someone’s voicemail.
Give blood.
Wave to someone looking for a parking place when you’re about to leave a shopping center.
Compliment a coworker on their role in a successful project.
Tell a child you’re proud of them.
E-mail a friend some information about a topic they are especially interested in.
Drop off some cookies for your local fire or police department.
Stop and buy a drink from a child’s lemonade stand.

“If you think you’re too small to make an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” – Anita Roddick

Homework: Print out the list above and add your own favorite ways to help people. Do at least 3 a day and watch your life change…you will achieve true happiness.

This post is especially dedicated to my father, the great Vincent Tseng.

What do great painters, athletes, students, businessmen/women, sculptors, chefs, writers, actors have in common? Perseverance.

“Like a postage stamp, stick to one thing until you get there.”

I recently went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It had been a while since I was last there and honestly, I was like a kid in a candy store. I’m a sucker for history and art and mastery. I saw ancient Egyptian art and ruins, tombs, photographs from the 1800s, priceless paintings, Buddhas from ancient China, a guardian lion statue from the 6th century. As I was walking amongst all of this history and brilliance, I couldn’t help but think, “These people were all masters.”

But guess what? These were all ordinary people, but the difference between those masters and you, is that THEY were persistent and consistent. And they knew the correct strategy. You think Rembrandt had different resources than you do today? Nope, I’m pretty sure he didn’t have “magic” paint. Does Steven King use a different dictionary than you? Of course not. So the tools are the same, but you need to know the strategy and then do whatever it takes. You can try your best, OR you can do whatever it takes. Which would you choose?

As I was walking around the museum, I thought, “Wow, everywhere I look, I see masters.” And you know what? I felt that even the people VISITING the museum were masters or potential masters. So the great athlete is inside you, the great painter is inside you, the great student is inside you and the great worker is inside you…you just need to know the strategy and then persist until you get the result you want.

This message is especially dedicated to the great Rida Alvi.

“Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”

The only thing holding you back from what you want in life is the story that you are telling yourself. But here’s the rub…because up to 80% of what we do in life is habitual, many times you don’t even know the things going on in your head. Remember, if you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. So try to really LISTEN to what you are telling yourself. Every day, much of what I hear from people is negative. Negative comments, sounds, and body language.

Here’s the law of attraction at work…just seconds ago, someone showed me a flowchart for completing a project. Now, the steps themselves were helpful and if completed, you go down to the next step. However, if the steps were not taken, to the right of the box there is a big “NO.” There are 7 “NO’s” on the page. Looking at the page, you just see a bunch of no’s. And guess what? This flowchart if for a psychology program!!! Don’t these people know that your subconscious mind will register all those no’s as negatives and can result in discouragement and even despair? There is not ONE yes on the page. So I say, either put some yes’s, or don’t put no at all.

The point is, not only do YOU tell yourself negative things, OTHER people do as well. People tell you, “You CAN’T do this.” or “You CAN’T do that.” And then you watch the evening news and all they’re showing is terrorism and shootings. The good news is that this is all EXTERNAL stuff. Nothing external has any influence over you. It’s not what’s happening to you, it’s not what’s happening around you, it’s what’s happening INSIDE you.

Homework: Focus on the positives in life and you will get more of that.