1% Understand This ...

It's This Simple ...

In a world of complicated and confusing ... let's keep this simple: Achieving your goals is never about whether you can or can't. It's always about whether you will or won't!

Having desire and creating a plan is important, but mean nothing if you don't make a committed decision that it WILL manifest, no matter the obstacles.

Will you or won't you?

What Is Perfect

I strive for perfection every day, knowing I may never attain it! Fear of failure isn't part of my vocabulary...

Who Do You Believe?

Becoming the 1% isn't a technique. It isn't a magic pill. It isn't about taking a weekend motivational seminar. The 1% is a way of being; a mindset that believes possibility is everywhere ... no matter what anyone says or tries to prove.

One of the most difficult parts of this journey is the naysayers' opinions of "why you can't, why you won't, and why you shouldn't even try." As humans, we naturally want to be liked and want others to agree with what we believe, but this instinct must be extinguished in order to separate from the pack.

As you move closer and closer to your goals, you'll notice how many people think it's o.k. to share their negative opinions about your personal expectations. Today, I had to remind a student to focus on the reasons behind his naysayers' opinions. The harder he works, the more pronounced their weaknesses become, as if he's holding a mirror to their faces. His passion and discipline reminds them of their lack of self belief and willingness to step out of their comfort zone. Their lack of strength is magnified by the intensity of his daily action and risk-taking. Instead of taking these insults personally, take them as compliments - their attacks mean you're doing something right.

Every time someone tells me I can't or won't, I smile, knowing I'm getting close. We all have the choice to feel sorry for ourselves, take the insults personally, or instead, flip the meaning 180 degrees. When 99 people tell you it'll never happen, do you believe them ... or do you go inside, trusting the 1 and only person that matters?!

There's No Other Choice

Explaining why he's working so hard to reach a new level, a student said to me, "There's no other choice... period!" 


This player isn't focused on what-if he doesn't make it. He's absolutely convinced there's no other option. He doesn't have a backup plan, "just in case..." He has 100% belief that success will be a real part of his future. In his mind, his goals have already been reached. All that's left is to see how they're going to unfold.

The details of his work ethic scream at him every morning when his alarm sounds before 6:00. There's no other choice! He must wake up that early and get his workout in, because he can't afford to allow his opponents to jump out of bed earlier. The other day, he was practicing at 6:30 am with only one other player in the entire practice facility. This "other player" just happened to be a Top 10 player in the world in that specific sport. I'd say he gets it. To be the best, he knows he must do what the rest aren't.

He completely changed his diet, as he attempts to reshape his body from the inside-out. There's no other choice! We communicate every day, focusing on his mental improvements and the soon-to-be improvements. He doesn't stop asking questions about how to reach the 1%. He won't quit stepping towards that next level. He has no other choice! To be the best, he knows he must risk what no one else is willing to risk. He understands his comfort zones need to be destroyed.

This student sends me a text each morning at 6, reminding me that he's working ... challenging me to get my butt out of bed. "Rise and shine, Bigg Dogg" is his good morning to me. As I'm wiping the sleep out of my eyes, he's already been up for an hour ... there's no other choice, period!

Separation From The Pack

It starts with hundreds. Ends with just a few racing towards the finishing line. In the beginning, it was physical. At the end, it was all mental. How, after hours of pain and exhaustion, can they find the strength to sprint as if it was the beginning?! 

Become the 1%...

Instant Perspective

Check out this video. The next time you feel as if life's unfair ... watch it again!

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6340181

Never Can't, Daddy... Only Can

Worry, fear, doubt, and what-ifs are normal defensive thoughts ... trying to protect us from "failure." The ability to hear those scared thoughts but not listen to them takes a ton of passion, faith, and a willingness to believe in the unbelievable.

It's difficult to do this because everyone tells us to be "realistic," and not risk. We've heard it from our parents and family since birth. "Be careful, sweetheart. Don't jump off the couch... you may hurt yourself." And as we leave the house, "Be safe today."

Sure, it's instinct for parents to want to protect their babies (and believe me, being a new daddy, I understand this instinct), but what if we programmed our kids to risk failure every day?! I'm not talking about running in the middle of the street into traffic. I mean programming those little minds to look at failure as a key to success. Help them when they fall, but rarely tell them NOT to fall. Will accidents happen? Yep! Will they become fearless at a very early age? Yep!

Fearlessness has a negative tone when we're young. It's only after we become adults are we expected not to be afraid of failure. How is this possible after years and years of fearful linking?

Instead of waiting until adulthood to create new habits, let's create an environment for our youngsters where habitual, scared thinking can't even begin. It IS possible ... but we must begin teaching this from day one. In our house, my 3 year old daughter already repeats daily, "Never can't, daddy ... only CAN!"

Three Words...

Why? When? How?

Three powerful questions which allow you to create a path for yourself you never knew existed. Write your short and long term goals down, with "Why? When? How?" next to each ... watch what happens to your focus towards those goals!

You'll immediately go from wanting to needing to achieve them. There's huge difference between desire and absolute knowing it WILL happen.

Dare to see possibility where, in the past, impossibility was your reality!

He Has Separated...

Feel his emotion when he talks about making a choice ... deciding!

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.

You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.

Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so

but, sadly it's true

that Bang-ups

and Hang-ups

can happen to you.

You can get all hung up

in a prickle-ly perch.

And your gang will fly on.

You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch

with an unpleasant bump.

And the chances are, then,

that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,

you're not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.

Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.

A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!

Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?

How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...

or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?

Or go around back and sneak in from behind?

Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused

and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,

headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

... for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string or pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

NO!

That's not for you!

-Dr. Seuss

                                 

Impossible?

What did you say was impossible?

If Not Now ... When?

When will it be your time?

Imaginary Fog

You're at the free throw line with :05 left on the clock, down 1. You have a 7' par putt to win your first tournament at the next level. It's match point on the tennis court and you're serving.

Are these Pressure moments or Defining moments? You choose. Is there fog clouding your decision making process, with your heart rate pumping out of control, or do you feel acceptance and peace for all possible outcomes?

These moments are why I played and why I hope you compete and continue to work on improvement. When you read the above scenarios, doesn't each one pump you up, making you think about your own specific challenges? Do they make you feel empowered, as you attempt to answer fog vs. clarity? If so, why then, do so many still continue to view these opportunities as moments to fail, rather than a time to create greatness and separation from the pack?

This "fog" can only be lifted when you realize it's YOU who have the power, not an external force, such as a coach, book, or device. Someone may be needed to help guide you to this realization, but greatness already lives inside. This power will be unveiled when you make a committed decision to allow it to overtake you as a person and athlete.

It's on you. Last second shot, one putt left, or a second serve that will determine your next moment ... what's it doing to be? 

1% Do More...

Are you SURE you're working hard enough?

Mental Toughness

Mental toughness isn't something we do ... it's what we think, how we live, and choose to never settle for less. It's not something we do on the playing field, it's the committed decisions we make outside the athletic arena.

If we commit to the awareness of our self-talk, fear levels, and thinking every minute of the day, we'll automatically bring this mindset to our sport. Mental toughness isn't about being "tough" during competition, as most believe. It's about knowing you WILL succeed, no matter the situation or statistic that explains how difficult it is. If you know there's nothing that can stop you, you'll forever be present and excited during those defining moments.

Mental toughness is about uncovering and realizing. You're already good enough, mentally ... you may just need help clearing the fog that isn't allowing you to see that truth. Instead of becoming mentally tough, focus on living it!

Do Or Don't ... Your Choice

There's nothing better for me than talking with someone who's totally committed and passionate about his future. The only thing that can top that is when the same player tells me that no one thinks he can do it, and it only motivates him more.

THIS is the 1% Mindset!

Today, I was fortunate enough to meet another one of those players. I can't tell you how lucky and blessed I am to be able to learn from all of my students. Each one brings a unique quality and sense of himself / herself to the table. Being a coach means some teaching ... but also means a ton of learning and looking for ways to push each other past our comfort zones.

After talking today with a player who's struggled in the past with confidence and coaches telling him he'd never amount to anything, I hung up the phone knowing he was going to make it! Instead of quitting, as 99% of players would have, he chose to use his naysayers' criticism as fuel. He made a committed decision to seek out a top swing coach, accumulate the correct information, and figure out how to be the best.

He repeated more than once that he wanted me to push him past his comfort zone -- he enjoyed feeling uncomfortable. This fact, alone, is enough reason to believe in is future. Anyone who is comfortable with being uncomfortable will succeed at the elite level. All we have along the way are moments of uncomfortable, sprinkled with comfort here and there.

Will you wake up earlier than your opposition, knowing that while they only dream of success, you're out there sweating for it? Will you push muscles and belief systems past the point of exhaustion, knowing that fatigue is an illusion, created by the 99%?

Look at yourself and ask the tough questions ... what are your answers?

Make It A Habit

1% is all about creating habits! Day after day, repeat over and over. "Want" isn't enough. Desire, alone, won't get you there. Massive action, day after tiring day. Make it a habit!