MESSAGE #1516 DAVID GOGGINS PART II

David Goggins is a Navy SEAL.

David Goggins is an ultramarathon runner.

David Goggins ran the Badwater 135 miler through Death Valley.

David Goggins is considered the toughest athlete on the planet.

This is where the story gets good…

“Here’s the thing. I don’t like doing this. I don’t like to run, but it’s one of the ways I can find out who I am in life. I can’t find out who David Goggins is by watching Sunday Night Football. I need to set the bar high and then try to meet it. The only way I can do that is to do ridiculous things at the most ridiculous times. When I’m really tired and want to sleep, that’s when I go out there and do it.”
-David Goggins

Wow.

MESSAGE #1507 BE LIKE TED PART II

Recently, I was talking with my good friend, Ted. Ted and I are former baseball teammates and current tennis hitting partners. Ted is also a writer.

Earlier this week, Ted attended a writing workshop in New York City. A key point that he learned was about writer’s block.

His instructor said that when you have writer’s block, find an accountability partner and just write for three minutes. It doesn’t matter what you write, as long as you write…even if it’s the same word over and over.

I know what you are thinking, “How does this relate to me?”

If you don’t feel like writing, just write.

If you don’t feel like working out, just workout.

If you don’t feel like making sales calls, just make the calls.

It’s the start that stops most people.

I know many marathon runners and I often ask them what the most challenging aspect of running is. Their answer is…putting on my shoes.

I don’t care about your feelings, I care about your actions.

MESSAGE #1503 THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Fred Weiland in Westchester, New York.

If you are like many of my blog readers, you are searching for the road to success. Here it is…

Take a look at the figure above. Imagine driving up the road to success and coming to a fork. It is your decision whether you take the road to Nowhere or you take the road to Success. Forget your GPS and choose to bear right and take the road to Success.

How do you do it?

When you don’t feel like practicing…do it anyway.

When you don’t feel like studying…do it anyway.

When you don’t feel like eating a healthy meal…do it anyway.

Winners do what losers don’t feel like doing.

The power is in your hands.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1501 HOW TO BE A CHAMPION

Muhammad Ali once said, “To be a great champion, you have to believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.”

Most people wait until they “feel” something to act that way.

The most successful people in the world know that it actually works in the opposite way.

If you want to be confident, PRETEND that you are confident.

If you want to be energetic, PRETEND that you are energetic.

If you want to be motivated, PRETEND that you are motivated.

Not convinced? Then just remember these eight words…

ACT AS IF IT WERE IMPOSSIBLE TO FAIL.

Thanks for reading.

Here is my recent interview with award-winning tennis writer, Ann LoPrinzi: http://www.nj.com/times-sports/index.ssf/2011/09/post_66.html

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1496 HUNGRY?

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Jay Colella in Kensington, Maryland.

The purpose of this blog is not to give you something to eat.

The purpose of this blog is to make you hungry.

Hungry to get to the next level.

Hungry to go all-out.

Hungry to do your best when it means the most.

Recently, I received a nice message from Jay Colella in Kensington, Maryland, wanting to purchase my book. I could tell that he was hungry for knowledge. Even though we didn’t speak in person, I could feel his enthusiasm through his words. Having that desire is such a big part of success…in sports and life.

To reach peak performance, you need to be hungry to be the best you can be. And if you think that is difficult, imagine how difficult it would be to compete against someone who is hungry and you are not.

When I was speaking to some top college and NBA coaches at the University of Florida recently, I told them that I did not want them to be well-rounded, I wanted them to be sharp-edged, i.e., be really, really good at one thing versus average at many things.

So how hungry are you to get to the next level? And what steps are you taking to make sure that happens? Only you can answer those questions. And only you can take the action necessary to create the person you want to be.

Leave your comments below.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1489 W.I.N.

Today, I spoke to some of my fellow coaches at Princeton Day School to get ready for the Fall season. One thing I talked about was how to win more. I said that the best way to win more is to not worry about winning. Instead, focus on what W.I.N. stands for: What’s Important Now.

The results are not important…now.

The fact that you lost your last three games is not important…now.

What’s important now is what you’re doing…now. Serving, shooting, running, throwing the ball, shooting the puck, etc.

Want more? Checkout the peak performance products above.

Thanks for reading.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1488 LEARN FROM MUHAMMAD ALI

As coaches, athletes, students and professionals, one of our greatest challenges is staying in the present moment. For many athletes, the season is a long one. So what do you do to help ensure that you focus on quality, not quantity? That’s easy, remember this quote from Muhammad Ali:

Don’t count the days, make the days count.

Do what you’re doing while you’re doing it.

Thanks for reading.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1487 HANG ON ‘TIL YOU CATCH ON

Everyone knows Tony Robbins, the self-help guru who built a peak performance empire.

Did you know when Tony Robbins was younger, he washed his dishes in his bathtub because he didn’t have a working kitchen sink?

See, you don’t need to be great at the start, but you need to start to be great. You may not be washing dishes in your bathtub, but if you’re reading this, I know you want to get better. In sports, we often have a little negative voice inside our heads: “I can’t do this” or “I can’t do that.” When we hear this little negative voice, we should accept it, let it go and continue on our path of hard work and constant improvement.

I don’t care where you are…I care where you want to be.

MESSAGE #1486 CONTROLLABLES

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Oliver Winterbone, video coordinator for the University of Florida Gators Men’s Basketball team.

Right about now, high school and college coaches are gearing up for their fall season. Tomorrow, at Princeton Day School, we have a coaches cookout and the Athletic Director asked me to say a few words to all the coaches. Below is an exercise I will recommend they use with their team.

1. With your team, make a list of things you cannot control in sports (referees, opponents, court/field conditions, weather, etc).

2. Then make a list of things you can control (your effort, your focus, your attitude, your reactions, your strategy, your adjustments, etc).

3. Throw out the list of uncontrollables and focus on the controllables.

Not a coach? You can still use this exercise in sales, school and relationships.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1463 PHIL HUGHES GETS NEGATIVE?

Phil Hughes is an All-Star and World Series Champion with the New York Yankees. I spoke with Phil on Tuesday at South Street Seaport in New York City for Day 2 of the Yankees’ HOPE Week.

I asked Hughes what he does when he has a bad day.

“I call my dad,” Hughes responded with a laugh.

I followed up with, “Do you ever have a negative voice inside your head?”

“Oh yeah, I do,” said Hughes.

“We ALL do,” chimed in pitcher, Steve Garrison.

“You have to have a short-term memory,” Hughes added.

What does this mean for you?

If an All-Star and World Champion gets negative, it’s okay if YOU get negative.

The key is to be like Phil and let it go and move on. You can certainly LEARN from the past, but you shouldn’t LIVE in the past.

Be like Phil Hughes today!

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077