MindStrong

“Just because you deserve it doesn’t mean that you’re going to get it. Sometimes you’ve got to take what’s yours.”

I find this to be an alarming trend in South Africa today. People seem to think they deserve things just because of who they are (or think they are) or because of what they’ve done. Not to mention the legacy of Apartheid.

“True greatness is often revealed through absolute simplicity.”

Try this training technique. But let me warn, you it’s revolutionary! Are you ready for it? Here it is…

"The first requisite of success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem without growing weary." Thomas Edison

Throughout their careers, sportsmen and women will take part in thousands of races.  Business people will make thousands of presentations - most of which will fall on (kinda) deaf ears. Unless they fall in the rare 0,5% who chose their parents correctly, like Steve Jobs, Bruce Fordyce, Mark Allen and Lance Armstrong, they will achieve winning or exceptional results in only a hand-full of the events they start.  Mentally speaking, the biggest challenge in every event is to replicate your best performance time and time again.  Champions become what they are through consistent performance. 

 True fulfillment comes not from attaining your own goals.  They are merely the catalyst.  True happiness and fulfillment comes from sharing your knowledge, experience and wisdom with others. Research in Sport Psychology also shows that you perform better when you are able to transcend yourself - when you do something because you get fulfilment from the activity and not from the result.

 “Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality.”  Ralph Marston
The reason I believe so many adults fail to convert the majority of their goals into reality is that they succumb to their doubts.  Our kids set goals.  You did when you were a kid – and you realized a high percentage of them.  Much higher than you do now.

 “You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.”  Dale Earnhardt

When things go well, who gets the credit?  When things go badly, who gets the blame?  If you’re like most people, everyone gets the blame for the latter.  Everyone from competitors, coaches, event organizers, equipment – even the weather! 

“Discipline and concentration are a matter of being interested.”  Tom Kite

Have you ever sat through a boring movie?  (When it’s your better half’s birthday and they chose the movie it doesn’t count.)  When you are not “into” something, when it doesn’t hold you in awe, it’s difficult to concentrate on it.

 “People rarely succeed, unless they have fun in what they are doing.”  Dale Carnegie

Haven’t we all dreamt of doing something we really enjoy?  We’ve been on long training rides dreaming that we could this everyday.  We watch Ernie Els, thinking that he has a dream job.

 “The shortest way to do many things is to do only one at a time.”  Richard Cech

Since school days our teachers, coaches and parent have told us to focus.  But what is focus really?