MESSAGE #1229 MARIANO RIVERA
Today I had the fortunate opportunity to meet one of the most mentally tough athletes in history, Mariano Rivera, closer, New York Yankees.
Teammates have said that Mariano is very humble and is the same person that he was when he played in the minor leagues. I could believe that. He was such a pleasure to speak to and had such a great positive energy about him.
Rivera once said:
“When you start thinking, a lot of things will happen. Emotions take place, and you have to know how to control your emotions. If you don’t control your emotions, your emotions will control your acts, and that’s not good.”
Rivera told me today that during pressure situations, you need to keep your composure.
How does Rivera do it? He focuses on the catcher’s mitt. He acknowledges the pressure, then gets to work.
You may not have Mariano Rivera’s cut fastball, but you can have the same mindset and focus as him.
Starting NOW.
MESSAGE #1228 WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Are you looking for a certain level of success in sports, sales or school?
Is there somewhere you want to get to?
Let me tell you a secret.
It’s not out there.
Success is already inside you.
If you have the right mindset (all-out effort/constant improvement) and have passion for what you do, you are successful.
Set goals, but enjoy the process.
Success is a journey, not a destination.
Success is a marathon, not a sprint.
I recently spoke to a minor league baseball player and asked how his off-season was going, how his workouts were going. He said they were going fine. There wasn’t excitement in his voice. It didn’t sound like he was pushing himself to get to the next level. It almost sounded like he was giving up or that the major leagues was a near impossibility.
All of the successful people in the world have one thing in common–They act successful BEFORE they become successful. That comes from inside. And this is trainable.
There are no limits, you can always improve. Don’t be content. Create your vision. Start taking action.
With this mindset, ANYTHING is possible.
MESSAGE #1226 LEARN FROM GEORGE FOREMAN
Someone once asked George Foreman, former world heavyweight boxing champion of the world, how he withstood the pain from being a boxer.
Foreman replied:
“If I see what I want real good in my mind, I don’t notice any pain in getting it.”
How does this relate to you?
1. Visualize the athlete, student, or salesperson you want to be.
2. Do whatever it takes to get there. No exceptions.
3. Begin today.
MESSAGE #1224 BRUCE LEE 3
“Defeat is a state of mind.
no one is ever defeated
until defeat has been accepted
as a reality.
To me, defeat in anything
is merely temporary,
and its punishment is but an urge
for me to exert greater effort
to achieve my goal.
Defeat simply tells me
that something is wrong in my doing;
it is a path leading to
success and truth.”
-BRUCE LEE
MESSAGE #1221 KEEP GOING
With Billie Jean King at my US Open book signing
Champions keep playing until they get it right.
-BILLIE JEAN KING
I once had a student who began playing tournaments. In her first tournament, she lost first round. In the next tournament, she had the same result. And the next, and the next. For practically the first year, she didn’t get past the first round.
I told her, “This is a great way to improve, learn and develop as a player.”
She agreed with me, although she wanted better results. Well, she stuck with it and then started getting results.
She started winning some matches. She got to the 2nd round, then the 3rd and now it is rare if she doesn’t make it to at least the semifinals. She is also on her high school varsity team.
Most people give up too soon. They want immediate results. The great ones persist.
You need to hang on until you catch on.
Winning may feel good temporarily, but you learn more from losses.
The two most important questions you can ask yourself after a game/match/practice session are:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how did I play?
2. What can I do differently next time to get to a 10?
Focus on constant improvement and as a by-product, you will win more.
MESSAGE #1216 ACTION
Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the great basketball/tennis players, coaches and parents that attended my “Mental Edge” seminar.
In my seminar today, in conjunction with the great Micah Lancaster’s basketball session, I talked about how to get the mental edge in sports and life. I shared some of the mental secrets of the world’s greatest athletes.
One of the keys I stressed was that knowing the mental secrets was not good enough–you need to APPLY them.
Information is nothing without implementation.
Everyone knows what they need to do, but most people don’t do it.
And here’s the secret…
A real champion does what they need to do, when they need to do it, whether they feel like it or not.
You don’t have to feel like a champion to act like a champion. It’s a choice, and it can begin right now.
A special thanks to Brian Klatsky for making “The Mental Edge” possible today.
MESSAGE #1206 WORRY
Many times I work with an athlete on strategy. For example, I will tell a tennis player to come to net so he/she can finish off the point.
As a response, they often say, “But they might lob over my head!”
I tell them not to worry about it until it happens.
I know many business owners that don’t take risks because of the dreaded, “What if?”
Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t prepare for these situations. You should.
The bottom line is that you need to get out of your comfort zone.
You need to take risks.
You need to what you’ve never done so you can get the results that you’ve never gotten.
Preparation…YES.
Worry…NO.