MESSAGE #1026 YESTERDAY I MET MY CHILDHOOD HERO

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Today is Message #1026 (my birthday: October 26) and my lucky number. In fact, if you have spent some time with me, you know that I even have a #26 necklace that I always wear (it was my baseball number too), and all around my house I have different items with 26 on it from a street sign to old license plates to mahjong tiles.

Why the number twenty-six, you ask?

When I was younger, my hero was pitcher, Dwight Gooden (Dr. K) of the New York Mets. He was #16 and I had all of his baseball cards, doubles, and in some instances, triples of each. One day I flipped one of his cards over and noticed that his birthday was November 16 and instantly saw why his jersey number was the same. Well, from then on, my number was 26.

In addition to all of his baseball cards, I had Dwight Gooden posters, photos and magazine cutouts. I even tried to duplicate his pitching motion.

Well last night, I spent some time with Dwight Gooden at Yankee Stadium.

Wow.

It was unbelievable. He even signed a ball to me.

I asked Doc, “What was the secret to your success?”

Without hesitation, my childhood hero replied, “Hard work.”

He didn’t say, “Talent” or “Natural Ability.”

There is a phenomenon called the “Iceberg Effect.” When we see a Dwight Gooden, we only see his out-of-this-world skills (tip of the iceberg). What we don’t see is the hard work and 10,000 hours he put in to getting to that point.

Everyone wants to be an overnight success, but do you know how long it takes to become an overnight success?

Ten years.

Thank you, Mr. Gooden for continuing to be an inspiration to me and a special Happy Birthday to Coach Anthony Carter and high school tennis player, Kevin Roveda.

MESSAGE #1025 BE A BLACK SWAN

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A BLACK SWAN is “the existence and occurrence of high-impact, hard-to-predict, and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal expectations.” (Wikipedia)

Roger Banister breaking the four-minute mile was a BLACK SWAN event.

David beating Goliath was a BLACK SWAN event.

Ed Tseng failing out of Rider College twice and then going back to speak (twice) at their Leadership Day was a BLACK SWAN event.

BLACK SWAN events happen all the time in sports and life. The fastest horse doesn’t always win the race. The students with the best grades don’t always become successful.

So why then, do so many people count themselves out before the competition begins?

Why do people think that success is only for the lucky few?

What you believe, you achieve.

Be a BLACK SWAN.

*CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GREAT JOEY CLAWSON, SPECIAL OLYMPICS GOLD MEDALIST, WHO GRADUATES FROM THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY TODAY. WAY TO GO, JOE!*

MESSAGE #1024 HOW TO WIN MORE PART II

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great tennis coach, Javier Perez Cigoj in Argentina.

So yesterday I talked about negative reactions on the court and why they can hurt your performance and results.

Soon after, I received a message from Javier, a tennis coach in Argentina and he said, “Great message, but how should you act instead?”

Well, Javier, the key is to let the point go – you can think about how to make an adjustment, but then, keep it in the past.

1. Take a couple deep breaths (to stay in the present and to lower your heart rate).
2. Project a confident image.
3. Think about where you want to hit your next shot.
4. Focus on the things you can control (your energy, attitude, strategy and effort).
5. Cultivate the feeling of winning the next point (even before the point begins).

The best way to increase your chances of winning is to not focus on winning.

Focus on the process instead of the product and as a by-product you will win more.

MESSAGE #1023 HOW TO WIN MORE

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IMAGINE THIS…

You are playing a match. The score is 30-30, 5-5 in the final set. Your return is nice and deep which forces your opponent to hit a weak shot. You hit a nice deep approach shot, follow it to net and get a high floating ball to your forehand side. You hit it, it hits the top of the net and you lose the point.

How do you react?

Most players would react negatively with their body language, self-talk or hit their racquet on the ground.

This works to your opponent’s advantage because…

1. You will boost their confidence.
2. By reacting negatively, you actually produce different hormones in your body and create muscle tension (which makes you play poorly).
3. You will decrease your chances of winning the match.

I have worked with some high level players and most of them play unbelievable when they are “on” but when they start losing, their games and body language deteriorate.

This is fairly normal.

Do you want to be normal or do you want to be great?

Act as if it were impossible to fail. -DOROTHEA BRANDE

MESSAGE #1022 INTERVIEW WITH NEHA UBEROI

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In this video blog, Ed Tseng interviews former professional tennis player, Neha Uberoi, as they talk about her toughest opponent, mental toughness and Princeton University.

MESSAGE #1021 WHAT CHAMPIONS DO IN PRACTICE…

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Didi Fisher Weinreb.

What determines if a player becomes a champion?

Part of it is practice.

A lot of practice. 10,000 hours in fact, according to most performance experts.

But practice does not make perfect.

Perfect practice makes perfect. Some call it “deliberate practice” or “purposeful practice.”

Either way, the road to becoming a champion needs the following ingredients:

1. A lot of practice (20 hours per week for 10 years = 10,000 hours).

2. Practice sessions must focus on progress (instead of results).

3. Practice sessions must be focused on improving your weaknesses (AND improving your strengths).

“When most people practice, they focus on the things they can do effortlessly. Expert practice is different. It entails considerable, specific ,and sustained efforts to do something you can’t do well – or even at all. Research across domains shows that it is only by working at what you can’t do that you turn into the expert you want to become,” said psychologist, S.W. Tyler.

Matthew Syed says that “…the practice sessions of aspiring champions have a specific and never-changing purpose: progress. Every second of every minute of every hour, the goal is to extend one’s mind and body, to push oneself beyond the outer limits of one’s capacities, to engage so deeply in the task that one leaves the training session, literally a changed person.”

How will YOU practice today?

MESSAGE #1020 A MOTHER’S DAY STORY

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A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away.

As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.

But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars.”

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a rose.”

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home.

She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.”

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.

 

Enjoy Mom today…HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.

MESSAGE #1019 TEDx NJ LIBRARIES VLOG

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In this video blog, Ed Tseng reports from the TEDx NJ Libraries Conference in Princeton, New Jersey.

MESSAGE #1018 TEDx

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This message is especially dedicated to the great Janie Hermann.

Today is the day I’ve been waiting for…the TEDx Conference in Princeton, NJ.

If you don’t know about my favorite resource check it out here.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. Every year the TED conference in California has a line-up of some of the most amazing speakers and thought-leaders in the world and the videos are on the TED website.

Now, all over the world, there are TEDx (Independently run) events and I was thrilled to hear one was coming to Princeton. I could not pass up this opportunity, especially since it increases my chances of speaking at a future TEDx event.

Culture and Community is the theme for this year’s event and there will be a great lineup of speakers and attendees.

This topic is an important one for me because I have been in this tennis community for nearly my whole life and have experienced people from all different cultures. But to me, it’s not about tennis. It’s not about creating great players. It’s about creating great people who can perform under pressure, set goals, have confidence, enjoy the process and overcome adversity.

There will be some great leaders at the event today but they won’t be there to attract new followers, they will be there to attract new leaders.

MESSAGE #1017 EAT THIS!

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Today’s message is especially dedicated to the coolest yoga instructor on the planet, Tara Stiles. Happy Birthday!

As promised, here are the Top 10 Flat Belly Foods to get you ready for beach weather…

1. Guacamole! Try this recipe: mash one ripe avocado and add diced red onion, cilantro, loads of lime juice, a little salt and fresh pepper and a squeeze of a Thai chili sauce called China Blue (you can get it at many big chain grocery stores). A chip is really just a vehicle for guac anyway, so use raw veggies instead to save calories (Try fennel and crisp romaine boats).

2. Salad with real vinaigrette Try experimenting with different vinegars and add a tablespoon of a healthy oil like olive, walnut or canola. Season with salt, pepper, mustard and a minced garlic clove.

3. Lean chicken breast with a “crust” Most crusty coatings have a lot of butter, white flour and breadcrumbs. Try egg whites and crushed almonds.

4. PB & J Just apply the cardinal rule of healthy eating: whole grain bread and natural (read: less sugar) peanut butter and fruit spread rather than jam (make sure it’s free of high-fructose corn syrup). For a healthy Elvis-y twist, spritz with a little non-fat cooking spray and grill.

5. Mixed Olives Nicoise, Picholine, even the kind with pimento inside.

6. Vietnamese Beef Salad Great takeout; better homemade

7. Light and hearty pasta Capellini, pine nuts, sun-dried tomato, plus chicken and basil make a meal somehow both summery and satisfying.

8. Macadamia nuts These are high in fat and calories so use sparingly, but crushing a few and sprinkling on fat-free yogurt or fruit tastes really decadent.

9. Pesto, Pesto, Pesto Try roasting sweet grape tomatoes and mix in a teaspoon of basil pesto – a little goes a long way, and roasting transforms tomatoes from a garnish to meal (or at least a very tasty side dish).

10. Chocolate pudding with bananas and graham crackers. ‘Nuff said.

Thanks to Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief, PREVENTION magazine!