EVERYONE
HAS A CHOICE: TO WIN OR LOSE
Positive
self-expectations
The
body expresses what the mind is concerned about. You get what you expect.
Expect the best and you will do your best.
Are
you optimistic?
Do
you expect the best for yourself?
How
do you respond following a mistake?
Do
you feel self-pity or do you look at a problem with the confidence that you can
correct it and do better next time?
Do
you accept praise and criticism?
Learn
to use positive self-talk, such as, “I was good today and I can be even better
tomorrow” or “Next time I’ll get it – I
can do it!”
Try
to review problems as opportunities. Be
intense but not tense.
Motivation
is an inside job. Try to be motivated
with desires. Say to yourself, “I want
to do it and I can do it!”
Are
you motivated by the fear of failure or by the desire to attain your vision?
Write
down your visions as a player: (Add
your most important personal desires)
Write
down the benefits of achieving your visions:
Look
for role models – people who have achieved what you want or are currently doing
what you hope to do. Pick some of their
best qualities and incorporate them into your behavior. Become obsessed with learning and learn from
the best.
Visualize
yourself beating a player or making a save.
Now replay it in slow motion.
Feel the vision as realistically as possible.
Set
aside 15 minutes each day to relax, meditate and imagine yourself achieving
your goals.
Where
do you want to be in three years? One
year? What’s your most important
priority this month? Create a calendar
and a journal that enables you to plot out what you accomplish. This gives you a timetable to see what you
are learning and how you are growing as a person along the way.
You
must accept full responsibility for yourself.
You have the power to control your life; now assume the responsibility
for it.
Understand
that setbacks, when they occur, are not fun or wished for, but they can provide
direction and motivation.
No
successful person has ever gone through life without some setbacks or failures.
Take
credit for your successes but also accept the blame when it is appropriate.
List
the habits you want to change and list what you want to exchange them for.
Now,
look in the mirror. What do you
see? What you see is really your
choice, just as is your choice to win or lose.
TEN STEPS TO A
WINNING EDGE
1.
Are
you coachable? Can you take criticism
without looking for an alibi? Are you a
know-it-all? Do you always to try to
improve?
2.
Are
you a positive team member? Do you
contribute to team morale, or do you bellyache and complain? Are you up when things go your way, down
when they don’t? Do you support your
teammates and coaches, or do you knock them?
3.
Are
you possessed with the spirit of competition which fires an intense desire to
be successful? Do you never take “no”
for an answer when there’s a job to be done?
Does it bother you to give less than 100%?
4.
Are
you mentally tough? When the going get
tough, do you get tougher? Do you make
excuses or do you suck it up and get the job done?
5.
How
are you under pressure? Can you
concentrate on what must be done? Can
you shut out of your mind a previous failure, foul or personal insult in order
to give special attention to the play that is happening here and now?
6.
Do
you have an inherent desire to improve?
Are you eager to work diligently on your skills, especially those you
are weak in?
7.
Are
you willing to practice? Do you just
put in your time or do you practice with the same intensity you bring to a
match?
8.
Are
you willing to make sacrifices?
9.
Are
you willing to be impersonal toward your opponent? Do you shut out such feelings as fear and anger, except to play
as hard as possible within the rules?
10.
Are
you willing to fulfill your responsibility as an athlete? Do you recognize that your attitude and
actions on and off the field must be those of a class person representing a
class program?