MESSAGE #715 TRY THIS AT HOME...OR WORK

"If your teeth are clenched and your fists are clenched, your lifespan is probably clenched."
-ADABELLA RADICI

Stress and pressure are killers, in sports and life.

When we are stressed, we increase chances of poor health and decrease chances of peak performance.

Do this simple exercise to let yourself relax, instead of making yourself relax.

Look for an object nearby, a coffee cup for example. I want you to reach for that coffee cup, but reach slowly, tightening every muscle in your arm and body. Clench your teeth, your neck muscles, your arm muscles, even your leg muscles. Slowly bring that object to your chest.

Now, put that object down and reach for it again, but this time, stay loose and smoothly reach for it and bring it to your chest.

Did you have a different experience?

Was it easier? Did it feel effortless?

I challenge you to do this exercise five times today. I think you will find that it will help you stay in the moment, play better and have less stress.

Leave your comments.


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #714 PEOPLE DON'T SING TO GET TO THE END OF THE SONG...

People don't sing to get to the end of the song. They sing because they enjoy the process of singing. Sports, work and school are the same way. Focus on the process, not the product.

Enjoy this precious video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfCqpzQSyuQ

MESSAGE #713 YOU ALREADY HAVE ALL THE TOOLS...

"All of the ability is already inside you."
-ROB GILBERT, PhD, Professor of Sports Psychology, Montclair State University

Does Roger Federer use a special racquet?

Does Steven King use a special dictionary?

Does Emeril Lagasse use special ingredients?

The answer to all of the above is...

No.

You have access to all of the tools you need to become successful. You just have to learn the strategies. Learn from the already successful people in your sport or line of work. Read books on the subject. If someone has done what you want to do, you can do it too.

The right ingredients will make a bad meal with the wrong recipe.

The right racquet will do nothing for you, without good strokes.

1. Figure out what your goals are.
2. Figure out how to get there.
3. Take action.

Now go out there and become the architect of your future...


Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #712 CHANGE...

"If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change."
-MICHAEL JACKSON

“Be the change you want to see in the world."
-MAHATMA GANDHI

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."
-author unknown

"There is nothing wrong with change, as long as it is in the right direction."
-WINSTON CHURCHILL

"We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."
-CHARLES SWINDOLL

MESSAGE #711 A NINE YEAR-OLD WAS MY TEACHER YESTERDAY...

Jim Abbott pitched a no-hitter on Sept 4, 1993.
He was born without a right hand.

"Everyone is your student and everyone is your teacher."

I learned a great lesson yesterday.

I have learned many lessons, and have been inspired by many different people, like Jim Abbott (above), one of my heroes. But yesterday was a bit different.

There was a nine year-old boy in my tennis camp. It was his first time playing tennis. I take that back, his father had tried to teach him, but he had no formal training.

Everyone was having a good time and working hard.

At the end of the morning session, we finished with a game. After the game, I looked at this boy who I'll call "Hank" and he looked so upset. I asked what was wrong and he said, "I lost the game."

"Hank," I said to him, "I don't care if you win or lose. I only care if you give your best effort. I only care if you have fun." Hank responded, "Okay," not really convinced. Earlier in the day, I had told the campers to remember their ABCs...Always Behave Confidently.

Well Hank was with me for the afternoon session too and I tried to catch him doing good things and complimenting him.

At one point, I was playing against him in a game called, "drop ball." The score was tied, and we were both up at the net and I said, "I'm nervous!"

Unexpectedly, Hank, gave me a big smile and said...

"Don't be nervous - be confident!"



Thanks for reading...and thanks to my nine year-old teacher.

MESSAGE #710 WHAT ADVERSITY?

"Obstacles can't stop you. Problems can't stop you. And most of all, people can't stop you. Only you can stop you."

-JEFFREY GITOMER

I had a powerful night last night.

My radio show on Overcoming Adversity (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Game-Set-Life/2009/07/06/Overcoming-Adversity) featured the great Bob Ryland, the first black professional tennis player, Jennie Murphy, a legally blind student-athlete and Rayna DuBose, a Division I full-scholarship basketball phenom, turned amputee, turned motivational speaker.

If you think life is difficult for you, think again. It's all perspective.

Bob Ryland lived through segregation and had to sit at the back of the bus and use separate public drinking fountains and restrooms.

Jennie Murphy is legally blind and wears hearing aids. She plays four sports and is quarterback when she plays football. Her receivers clap loudly to tell her where to throw the ball.

Rayna DuBose was a superstar high school basketball player and got a full-ride to Virginia Tech. After her freshman year, she contracted a form of meningitis and within 24 hours, lost everything. She had her four limbs amputated. A year later, she went back to Virginia Tech, finished up her degree and was assistant coach for the basketball team. Now she is a motivational speaker.

If you look at these stories, life seems difficult.

But these are three of the most optimistic people I know.

They don't believe they have disabilities or went through hell. They feel it is what it is and your attitude determines how high you go.

Will you have pressure?

Of course, but it's what you do under that pressure that counts.

What gives you pressure? How will you handle it?

No pressure, no diamond.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #709

Hope you enjoy this video as much as I enjoyed making it.

A special Happy Birthday to my grandmother, Fung Shee Pan - 104 years young!

MESSAGE #708 DON'T DO IT!!!

Well, it's the 4th of July here in the grand old US of A. What does that mean? Barbecues, the beach, parades, concerts and fireworks. The Declaration of Independence for the United States.

Most people are going to have hot dogs, hamburgers, beer, and soda.

These things are not the healthiest for you, are they?

Do we even know what is in hot dogs?

I think they're made of pork.

Contrary to popular belief, hot dogs are not made from pig snouts and leftover meat. But they can't be good for you.

This is from an AP article...


ST. LOUIS (AP) — A new billboard debuting in St. Louis asks for "dietary disaster" warning labels to be put on hot dogs served at Busch Stadium and other Major League Baseball stadiums.A nonprofit advocacy group called The Cancer Project is sponsoring the billboard that debuts Wednesday off Interstate 70 in St. Louis County, just in time for this month's All-Star Game. The billboard features an image of hot dogs jammed into a cigarette pack labeled "Unlucky Strikes."The billboard and a letter from a Cancer Project dietitian to Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig claim a link between processed meats and the risk of colorectal cancer.The National Pork Board on Wednesday refuted the claim, calling it an attempt to scare consumers when it says the fundamental causes of many cancers are alcohol, smoking, obesity and lack of physical activity.


I'm not saying I never eat hot dogs. It's obviously your choice.

What I am saying is that you should think before you do things.

Everything is a choice. Don't just do things because everybody else does.

You get out what you put in to your body. The fastest car goes nowhere without fuel.

And nothing tastes as good as fit feels.


Thanks for reading and have a happy and healthy 4th.

MESSAGE #707

"Practice as if you are the worst, perform as if you are the best."

Go all out when training.

Be confident when competing.

That's it.

MESSAGE #706 ARE YOU A NEGATIVE NANCY OR A POSITIVE PATTY?

"It is better to light the candle than to curse the darkness."
-ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

In my article, "Top 5 Mental Mistakes Tennis Players Make," the number one mistake was "They Are Negative."

Most people would rather curse the darkness than light the candle.

"What's wrong with you?!" or "I'm playing terrible today!" are common thoughts.

What kind of results do these players usually get?

Unfavorable ones.

Now say the following to yourself...

"Okay, the ball went into the net - I'll just aim higher. I've still got this."

"I am playing the number one player in the state! What a great experience!"

You can take any situation and turn it into a positive. It is not the situation you are handed, but your attitude towards it that matters.

If you were to count how many negative comments, sounds and gestures you made in a single day, you would be amazed. The next time you feel the urge to complain or be annoyed, ask yourself, "How can I turn this into a positive?" instead.

When you decide to light the candle instead of cursing the darkness, your world changes.

Thanks for reading.