Expectations

My mind is my biggest asset. I expect to win every tournament I play. - Tiger Woods

That is a pretty powerful and (maybe bold) statement, don't you think?

During my college and pro tennis career I really believed that no matter how good my opponent was, there were two things that he was NOT going to do.

First, he was not going to "out-fit" me on the court. I was pretty fit and really enjoyed the challenge of getting one more ball over the net than my opponent. I used to frustrate the heck out of opponents - I didn't care if I dove and bled, I was going to get a racket onto the ball. Second, my opponent was never going to out think me on the court.

Now there was no doubt that I got beat a few times.... I got it handed to me at times... but I made my opponent work to beat me. When I lost, I either got outplayed by a superior player and he hit more out right winners, or I beat myself - I let down mentally.

In college we had the good fortune of playing some pretty tough teams. But even if the player across the net was ranked higher than I or had more "big" wins than I - I never went into a match expecting to lose.

That may have been cocky of me...since several of the players I ended up playing made it to the pro circuit. But that was how I felt. I had confidence in my training and knew if I hung in there good things were going to happen. They usually did!

Expecting to win is not the same as wanting to win. When you expect to win you have amplified your imagination and abilities. Through expectation you've pushed your level of desire up a notch.

The key thing to remember is that you have no right to expect success if you do nothing to bring it about. You can imagine or wish what you want, you might even see yourself excited about achieving what you want - but if you don't do WHATEVER it takes to make it happen. It won't happen. The saying " the road to hell is paved with good intentions", applies here.

This is true in sports, in fitness, in business - and in everything else.

You don't make excuses. You make progress instead.

You set your mind on a target - you get a mental picture of it - then you MOVE.

Whenever you see someone who has goals but is not succeeding, look at whether the person is willing to do whatever it takes. I'm betting he's not. He'll do a little bit and if results don't come immediately, he'll get frustrated.

Wrong move.

Frustration is NOT part of the success process. Learn from the champions, when success eludes them, they focus MORE - not less. They recommit. They "get tough."

We need to baby our way to the top! What do I mean?

Observe a baby learning to walk. I bet he falls down 1,000 times, and then he gets up 1,000. Eventually learns to walk. But not by a parent who says, "Oh Johnny, you've fallen so many times. You've worked so hard. I think you should try something else."

The same applies to any endeavor. The more you fail, the more you fall down, the closer you are to success.

Til next time....