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MESSAGE #1532 THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN IDOL

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Back in 1948, Ted Mack started the original American Idol on radio and television with his “Original Amateur Hour” to find up-and-coming artists.

Frank Sinatra was one of the contestants.

But in 1953, in Tupelo, Mississippi, a young man failed to make the cut. His name?

Elvis Presley.

Did Elvis give up? Of course not.

In fact, after The King made it, he wrote a letter every year to Ted Mack, saying, “Thank you.”

Don’t quit, can’t fail.

Be like Elvis today.

MESSAGE #1529 HOW TO BEAT STRESS

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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

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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

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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?

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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

MESSAGE #1523 PRE-COMPETITION

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What do you think about before you compete?

Do you think about how good your opponent is?

Do you think about the fact that you NEED to win this game?

Do you think about who will be there watching?

If you answered yes to any of the above three questions, you will not be in your performance zone.

Before you compete, you should be thinking about your game plan and HOW you want to compete. Think about WHAT will put you in the best position to win. Think about giving a full effort, and think about what a great opportunity it is to compete.

Then, just do it.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1522 WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSING ON?

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Focus is not enough.

You have to focus on the right things.

The #1 singles player on my PDS Girls Tennis Team, Samantha Asch recently won the Mercer County Tournament in straight sets.

In fact, she dropped only two games in the entire tournament.

Her opponents were focusing on the wrong thing.

They weren’t focused on beating her, they were focused on not embarassing themselves.

The players that are lucky enough to get a game against her are happy just doing that.

When you are able to get your opponents to focus on the wrong thing, the match is yours.

MESSAGE #1521 HUNGRY?

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I have a feeling that there is a reader out there who knows exactly what they need to do to succeed.

In fact, MOST of you know exactly what you need to do to succeed.

Practice more.

Study more.

Make sales calls more.

So what is the difference between most people and the peak performers?

ACTION.

If you know what to do, but you don’t do what you know, it’s like going to a restaurant, reading the menu and leaving.

Think about that.

MESSAGE #1520 THIS IS WHO WINS

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Going into the Mercer County Tournament, my Princeton Day School girls tennis team was not the favorite. We weren’t even the second or third favorite. But we were still optimistic.

So how did we win the championship?

1. We went all-out.
2. We focused on the process, not the outcome.
3. We supported each other.
4. We never gave up.
5. We stayed positive.

We were tied with Princeton High School going into the final day and this is what I told my team:

“Day 1 was great, but it’s now in the past. Somebody’s gotta win this, why not us? It’s not the best team that wins, it’s the team that plays best. Play to win, not to ‘not lose.’ ”

And we are now the 2011 Mercer County Champions.