MESSAGE #938 LISTEN TO THE RADIO

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Eugene Harper in Hong Kong.

Whether you’re in sports, sales or school, you have to know what radio station your clients, teammates and classmates are listening to.

I’ll save you some time. I know what station they’re listening to…

MMFG AM Radio

Make Me Feel Good About Myself Radio

1. Catch people doing something right.

2. Compliment them.

3. Have a genuine interest in them.

4. Repeat.

Most people focus on themselves.

The great ones focus on others.

Be a great one.

MESSAGE #937 PEAK PERFORMANCE IN REAL ESTATE

Today’s message is especially dedicated to all the great Weichert Realtors in Manalapan, NJ.

I’m giving a talk to one of the top performing Weichert Realtors offices in New Jersey today.

What do I know about selling real estate? A lot.

See, it’s not about real estate, it’s about resiliency. Bounce back ability.

Real estate is challenging these days, so you need to be able to bounce back. It’s a numbers game.

In sports, you don’t win all the time, but if you can bounce back from losses, you will eventually win. Selling real estate is the same way.

Remember Message #918 SW9?

You don’t drown by falling in water.

You drown by staying there.

 

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #936 VISION

The best way to predict the future is to create it.
-ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Vicky Lelgant in Los Angeles. Happy Birthday to an amazing artist.

What’s your vision?

I had a vision of an artist turning me into an anime character, for my website and promotional items, as well as for a comic book I am writing.

Enter Vicky Lelgant, a former tennis student of mine, who graduated from SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) and currently living in Los Angeles. I asked Vicky if she could take on this task. She said yes.

The finished product is seen above in my blog’s welcome message. I am more than pleased with it.

Some people dream and others stay awake and make things happen.

What is your vision? What do you want to accomplish? Who do you want to become? What steps are you taking to get you there?

Remember, the best way to predict the future…is to create it.

 

Thanks for reading.

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MESSAGE #935 A POEM

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling

(Thanks to the great Jake Putnam in Boise, Idaho for sharing)

MESSAGE #934 MY FAVORITE VALENTINE’S DAY STORY

There once was a woman, she was the envy of all her friends-she had two boyfriends, Bob and Tom. Bob and Tom both knew about each other. This went on for a couple of years.

Well, one Friday evening, Bob picked her up as he normally did on Friday evenings. But Bob who is normally late, was right on time. And Bob who was normally dressed casually, wore a suit. And Bob who normally was pretty mellow, was a bit excited. So they went to dinner but instead of going to their normal restaurant/bar to eat, they went to a fancy restaurant. They had a wonderful meal and right before dessert, Bob takes out a jewelry box from his jacket pocket and proposes marriage. And the woman says the worst possible thing, aside from a flat-out no. She said, “I have to think about it.” So the Bob was upset and took the woman home.

The woman was sad…until the next night, when Tom picked her up.

So Tom who is normally right on time, was early. And Tom who is normally in a suit, wore a tuxedo. And Tom who normally was energetic, was extremely high energy. They went to dinner but instead of going to their normal fancy restaurant, this night was the country club. They had a wonderful meal and right before dessert, Tom takes out a jewelry box from his jacket pocket and proposes marriage. And the woman says the worst possible thing, aside from a flat-out no. She said, “I have to think about it.” Tom was upset and took the woman home.

The woman sat lying in bed feeling miserable, going from two boyfriends to no boyfriends. But fortunately, the only woman who could help her showed up-her fairy godmother. “You don’t look like your normal self, what’s wrong?” the fairy godmother asked.

“Bob took me out Friday night and we had a nice time, but then he proposed to me and I said I have to think about it. Then Tom took me out Saturday night and we had a great time, but then he proposed to me and I said I have to think about it. I don’t know who to choose!”

“That’s easy. All you have to do is take two pieces of paper and on the top of one write Bob and on the top of the other, write Tom. Take as long as you need and write down the one thing you love most about each of them and then your answer will instantly come to you.”

So the woman took the piece of paper with Bob on it and thought and thought and thought and three hours later she figured out what she loved most about Bob. Then, she took the sheet with Tom on it and it took her another three hours, but she figured out what she loved most about Tom…and her answer instantly came to her.

A little while later, her fairy godmother showed up and looked at her. “Oh, you look like your normal self. Have you come to a decision?”

“Oh yes, I choose Bob!” exclaimed the woman.

“Great, but just out of curiosity, what did you write on Tom’s piece of paper?”

“Well, when I’m with Tom, I feel that he’s the most wonderful person in the whole world!”

“Really?” said the fairy godmother, puzzled. “Then why did you choose Bob?!”

“Because when I’m with Bob, I feel that I’M the most wonderful person in the whole world.”

 

So that’s the whole thing – it’s about others.

The best partners make the relationship better.

The best athletes make the team better.

The best business owners make the employees better.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY…and Happy Birthday to the great Kory Kahler and my friend, Valentine Barnaby, former Rutgers, NFL and Arena football player.

MESSAGE #932 WE’RE TALKIN’ BASEBALL…

Mike Sheppard, Jr talks about pressure at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center

Today I was invited to attended a workshop for baseball coaches at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center entitled, “How Top Baseball Coaches Build Successful Programs.

Why would I go listen to people talk about baseball? Because coaching is coaching. And the great coaches know that it’s not about sports, it’s about life.

The panelists were Fred Hill, Sr (Rutgers University), Mike Sheppard, Jr (Seton Hall Prep), and Ted Jarmusz (Monmouth Regional HS). The moderator was award-winning coach, John McCarthy, co-founder of the Yogi Berra Museum’s Coaching Institute.

Motivating and conditioning your athletes, Focusing on the big picture, Getting the most out of practice sessions, and Mentoring assistants were some of the topics. It’s amazing to me how all three legendary coaches talked very little about winning. They talked about effort and attitude. “You’re not going to succeed if you don’t put the time in,” said Coach Hill.

“Work ethic is the key…and passion,” added Sheppard, Jr.

Coach Jarmusz said, “Our philosophy is Pride and Hustle…that’s it. You don’t have to be a great athlete or talented to do those things.”

Hill believes that there should not be very many rules.

“My only rules are: 1) Be on time 2) Give 100% every day”

It’s amazing how I could be so motivated and learn so much from baseball coaches. The thing that I like most about myself is that I love learning; I love seeing how everything relates to everything else…sports, school, business, art.

We should play sports because we love to play.

We should coach because we love to coach. It’s not about the results, the trophy or the money.

Arthur Ashe said, “Success is a journey.”

Give it your all, enjoy the process and make a difference.

Moderator, John McCarthy put it best, with a quote by the great Lou Holtz…

“Do you want to be successful or do you want to be significant?”

MESSAGE #931 TED

The TED Conference is going on right now in California.

One of my favorite resources is TED.com. If you haven’t gone to it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. Videos from some of the top minds in the world are on this great site.

I just finished watching a talk by magician, David Blaine on how he held his breath for 17 minutes to break the world record.

It was a great presentation, but all you needed to hear were the last ten seconds…

“Magic is pretty simple, it’s practice, it’s training, and experimenting, while pushing through the pain to be the best I can be.”

–DAVID BLAINE

MESSAGE #930 Cheaters Never Prosper…

Former baseball superstar, Mark Grace once said, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”

Really, Mark?

Character goes a long way in my book. I just lost all respect for Grace. Well, not all, there’s always the chance that he was misquoted.

But here’s the point – I would rather my players give it their all without cheating and lose, than cheat and win. If they make it, they make it. If not, they will go on to be successful in business, art, music or cooking.

Cheaters cheat because they want to win more than anything else.

What are you playing for, the trophy?

Here, I’ll give you one. Will you be happy? I doubt it.

Winners never cheat and cheaters never win.

Somewhere along the line, as a society, we started focusing on the result; focusing on ourselves.

Well, we headed down the wrong path.

The key is staying in the present moment – enjoying the process. Focusing on helping others and making a difference.

People say nice guys finish last, but I disagree.

Nice guys are winners before the competition begins.

MESSAGE #923 DO LESS, ACCOMPLISH MORE…

I have a new favorite author, Leo Babauta. I am currently reading his amazing book, The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential, in Business and in Life.”

Here are his thoughts on how to slow life down, from his website, ZenHabits.

  1. Do less. Cut back on your projects, on your task list, on how much you try to do each day. Focus not on quantity but quality. Pick 2-3 important things — or even just one important thing — and work on those first. Save smaller, routine tasks for later in the day, but give yourself time to focus.
  2. Have fewer meetings. Meetings are usually a big waste of time. And they eat into your day, forcing you to squeeze the things you really need to do into small windows, and making you rush. Try to have blocks of time with no interruptions, so you don’t have to rush from one meeting to another.
  3. Practice disconnecting. Have times when you turn off your devices and your email notifications and whatnot. Time with no phone calls, when you’re just creating, or when you’re just spending time with someone, or just reading a book, or just taking a walk, or just eating mindfully. You can even disconnect for (gasp!) an entire day, and you won’t be hurt. I promise.
  4. Give yourself time to get ready and get there. If you’re constantly rushing to appointments or other places you have to be, it’s because you don’t allot enough time in your schedule for preparing and for traveling. Pad your schedule to allow time for this stuff. If you think it only takes you 10 minutes to get ready for work or a date, perhaps give yourself 30-45 minutes so you don’t have to shave in a rush or put on makeup in the car. If you think you can get there in 10 minutes, perhaps give yourself 2-3 times that amount so you can go at a leisurely pace and maybe even get there early.
  5. Practice being comfortable with sitting, doing nothing. One thing I’ve noticed is that when people have to wait, they become impatient or uncomfortable. They want their mobile device or at least a magazine, because standing and waiting is either a waste of time or something they’re not used to doing without feeling self-conscious. Instead, try just sitting there, looking around, soaking in your surroundings. Try standing in line and just watching and listening to people around you. It takes practice, but after awhile, you’ll do it with a smile.
  6. Realize that if it doesn’t get done, that’s OK. There’s always tomorrow. And yes, I know that’s a frustrating attitude for some of you who don’t like laziness or procrastination or living without firm deadlines, but it’s also reality. The world likely won’t end if you don’t get that task done today. Your boss might get mad, but the company won’t collapse and the life will inevitably go on. And the things that need to get done will.
  7. Start to eliminate the unnecessary. When you do the important things with focus, without rush, there will be things that get pushed back, that don’t get done. And you need to ask yourself: how necessary are these things? What would happen if I stopped doing them? How can I eliminate them, delegate them, automate them?
  8. Practice mindfulness. Simply learn to live in the present, rather than thinking so much about the future or the past. When you eat, fully appreciate your food. When you’re with someone, be with them fully. When you’re walking, appreciate your surroundings, no matter where you are.
  9. Slowly eliminate commitments. We’re overcommitted, which is why we’re rushing around so much. I don’t just mean with work — projects and meetings and the like. Parents have tons of things to do with and for their kids, and we overcommit our kids as well. Many of us have busy social lives, or civic commitments, or are coaching or playing on sports teams. We have classes and groups and hobbies. But in trying to cram so much into our lives, we’re actually deteriorating the quality of those lives. Slowly eliminate commitments — pick 4-5 essential ones, and realize that the rest, while nice or important, just don’t fit right now. Politely inform people, over time, that you don’t have time to stick to those commitments.

We control our destiny (for the most part), so be sure to make good decisions today. And do less.

Thanks for reading.