MESSAGE #1637 MY NEWEST FACEBOOK FRIEND

One of the traits successful people share is their desire for constant learning. When you have a growth mindset like that, the sky is the limit and anything is possible.

Well, my newest Facebook friend is almost in the sky, she’s 6 foot 11.5 inches tall. Her name is Marvadene “Bubbles” Anderson. I first met Bubbles after her first high school basketball game back in 2009 when she was ONLY 6 foot 10.5 inches tall. A wonderful young lady who has a growth mindset. Enjoy the video of us below and take notice how her goals were to learn as much as she could.

MESSAGE #1553 WANNA BE IN THE HALL OF FAME?

I recently attended the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Auction at the Seaview Hotel and Resort. The inductees were: Louise Gengler Thomas, William Stoner, Jeff Holman, and Dave Haggerty. It was a great event and I enjoyed seeing so many wonderful people in the industry, including my fellow USTA NJ board members.

As I sat during the induction ceremony I couldn’t help but think about all the great things Louise, Bill, Jeff and Dave have done for the game of tennis. But if you asked them if they were TRYING to get into the USTA Hall of Fame, they would say no. They made a difference in the industry because they WANTED TO. They wanted to add value and focused on the process instead of the results.

Another way to say it is, if you want to get in the Hall of Fame in tennis, or life, the best way is to stop trying to get into the Hall of Fame. Strive for excellence every day and as a by-product, you just might like where you end up.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1546 WHO’S IN CONTROL, YOU OR YOUR DAY?

The other day, I overheard someone saying, “I wish I had more time in my day.”

Well, today, I’m going to show you how to do just that. It’s called time management, or being efficient. Instead of “seeing what today brings,” after today, you will be able to CREATE your day and get more done in the process. Not only will being efficient buy you more time in your day, you will be better at your job, your school work, your sport…everything. Ready? Here we go…

Ed’s Efficiency Exercise

1. Create a to-do list: Write down three to five things you want to accomplish today.

2. Prioritize your list: Rank your tasks in order of importance (A = most important, B = very important, C = Not very important).

3. Just do it: Begin with your most important task. Focus all your energy on it, and do it until completion, or until you choose to stop.

4. Repeat: Continue doing “A” tasks, then move to “B” and finally to “C.”

5. Break it up: Don’t forget to take breaks throughout your day so the quality of your work/practice/study time is not compromised.

6. Make it a game: At the end of the day, see how many tasks you checked off. Your goal should be to have all of them checked off. This is also a great way to build confidence. Don’t be afraid to reward yourself.

7. Remember: Spend more time on your important tasks and less time on unimportant ones. In other words…Make the important thing the important thing…that’s the important thing.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1541 NEVER GIVE UP

At a certain point, if he’s going to get to the top of the boxing profession, a fighter has to learn the difference between the truth and a lie. The lie is thinking that submission is an acceptable option. The truth is that if you give up, afterward you’ll realize that any of those punches that you thought you couldn’t deal with, or those rough moments you didn’t think you could make it through, were just moments. Enduring them is not nearly as tough but having to deal with the next day and the next month and the next year, knowing that you quit, that you failed, that you submitted. It’s a trainer’s job to make a fighter understand about difference, that the parts of a fight that are urgent last only seconds; seconds during which you have to stave off the convenient excuse- “I’m too tired” or “I hurt too much” or “I can’t do this” or even simply “I’m not going to deal with this.” Sometimes it just comes down to not floating- just being there and understanding that if you give in, you’ll hurt more tomorrow. Maybe there is no more important lesson to learn from boxing than that.

From: Atlas: From the streets to the ring: A son’s Struggle to become a man.

MESSAGE #1536 AROUND ME

I love what I do.

As I look around my office, I see books like these…

Body Mind Mastery
Sports Slump Busting
Heads-Up Baseball
The Golfer’s Mind
The Fighter’s Mind
Mind Gym
Mindset
Secrets of Mind Power
Clutch
Awakening the Giant Within
Hypnotism
The Inner Game of Tennis
Success
The Tao of Bruce Lee

This is just a small sampling of my library.

Why did I share this with you? Because I wanted to show you that I’m totally INTO peak performance and the mental game. I can’t get enough of it.

How INTO it are you with your sport, job, academics or relationships?

Many people say that you should be well-rounded.

I feel differently.

I say that you should be sharp-edged.

Be REALLY, REALLY good at one thing.

MESSAGE #1529 HOW TO BEAT STRESS

We encounter stress every day in sports, in school, in our jobs and in our relationships. One of the three main areas of peak performance is relaxation. Everyone tells us we need to relax, but nobody teaches us HOW to relax. You will learn how in today’s blog message.

I am currently reading a great book entitled, “Just One Thing: Developing A Buddha Brain One Simple Practice At A Time” by Rick Hanson. Below are some of my favorite de-stressing techniques he shares in his book.

1. Do a few things more slowly than usual. Leisurely lift the cup to your lips, don’t rush through a meal, let others finish talking before jumping in, or stroll to a meeting instead of racing. Finish one task before moving on to another. A few times a day, take a long slow breath.

2. Take lots of microbreaks (hey, I did this yesterday!). Many times a day, step out of the stream of doingness for at least a few seconds: close your eyes for a moment; take a couple of deep breaths; shift your visual focus to the farthest point you can see; repeat a saying or prayer; stand up and move about.

3. Make your body happy. Wash your face; eat a cookie; smell something good; stretch; lie down; rub your eyes or ears.

4. Go on a mental holiday. Remember or imagine a setting (mountain lake? tropical beach? grandma’s kitchen?) that makes you feel relaxed and happy. When you can, go there and enjoy yourself. As I’ve told myself in certain situations, “They may have my body, but they don’t get my mind.”

5. Before beginning a routine activity, take a moment to become fully present. (My favorite). Try this with meals, starting your car, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or answering the phone.

The time is NOW.

Do you have any favorite ways to beat stress? Leave your comments below.

MESSAGE #1527 THE MENTAL GAME VIDEO

I’m a Yankee fan, but I have to respect this guy:

E:60 Evan Longoria from E60 on Vimeo.

MESSAGE #1526 BE LIKE PAULO COELHO

Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, is one of the greatest writers in history. His book has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide.

Recently, I was listening to an interview he did with the great Brendon Burchard and Coelho said something amazing.

Often, he does not feel like writing, but at 10pm, Coelho makes an agreement with himself to write for half an hour.

Guess what?

He then proceeds to write until 3 in the morning!

Most writers wait until they FEEL like writing, but the great ones just start writing.

It’s the start that stops most people.

When you start writing, you begin to get into it and then you gain momentum.

Working out is the same way. So is practicing the piano, cleaning the house and studying.

The next time you need to do something but don’t feel like it, just do it for half an hour. Or be like me and do it for fifteen minutes and you can stop.

But you won’t.

MESSAGE #1525 ARE YOU A PEAK PERFORMER?

Yesterday, at 4pm, I told my PDS girls tennis team something very important just before their match. And then at 10:30 last night, I told the Lawrence Township Police Department the same thing just before their shift. And now I’m going to tell you.

The biggest decision you have to make is are you going to go all-out, or are you going to hold back?

As a peak performance coach, I don’t care about results. Okay, I’m lying. I DO care about results, but they are not the most important thing.

The most important thing is our effort.

Are you going to go all-out or are you going to hold back…in sports, in school, in your job, in your relationships?

At the end of the day, only YOU will know if you gave your full effort.

When you put your head on the pillow tonight, you are going to say one of two things to yourself about your day…

1. I’m glad I went all-out.

2. I wish I had.

Which one can you live with?

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077