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Pregame Speech (March 2004)Thoughts, stories, examples and ideas on challenging your team to perform at their highest level possible. KEEP
YOUR GOALS IN SIGHT When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on - hour after hour - while millions watched on national television. Alongside
Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement.
They told her it wasn't much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged
her not to quit. She never had . . . until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out. Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it." It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal. Two months
later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her
faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere
behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the
first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing the men's record by two hours!
GROW GREAT BY DREAMS by : Unknown The question was once asked of a highly successful businessman: "How have you done so much in your lifetime?" He replied, "I have dreamed. I have turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I have gone to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night I dreamt about my dreams. And when I awoke in the morning, I saw the way to make my dreams real. While other people were saying, 'You can't do that, it isn't possible,' I was well on my way to achieving what I wanted." As Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the U.S., said: "We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers." They see things in the soft haze of a spring day, or in the red fire on a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true." So please, don't let anyone steal your dreams, or try to tell you they are too impossible. "Sing your song, dream your dreams, hope your hope and pray your prayer."
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH 7 Lessons For Your Life and Business From Wimbledon by Wendy Hearn There are immense similarities between peak performance in sport, and what it takes to perform well in your life and business. The sports arena offers great opportunities to learn more about playing successfully in life and business. As I watched the recent tennis at Wimbledon it struck me that there were strengths and characteristics in the players that are necessary for us all in order to perform at our absolute best. If you want the best performance, either in your personal life, your career or your business, here are the 7 key things you need and which I observed in the tennis players. 1.
Focus. Tennis players focus intensely and specifically on what they're doing at the moment. Their mind isn't drifting off to other things. They know that being focused is essential to success and you can't take your eye off the ball. Although their focus is more intense than you usually need in an average day, when you take your eye off the ball too often, you could easily find yourself slipping behind and not staying ahead of the game. 2. They respond fully rather than react. Responding means that you're ready, you're prepared and not likely to be caught out unexpectedly. Responding comes from being grounded and allows you to choose what to do next, whereas reacting is a knee jerk response. Reacting means you fight fires, you're constantly running behind and battling with the unexpected, rather than making choices that fully contribute to what you truly want. 3. They know what they're aiming for; where they're heading. You
need to be clear about your aims or you could end up all over the 4. They see the connection between the bigger picture and the next step. You need to know what the bigger picture is like for you and at the same time be willing to focus on the moment and take the next step forward. Tennis players know that every shot and every point counts, even if it's early on in the game. You need to make every action you take count and continue to build on it. 5. They're mentally and emotionally strong. They don't allow doubt, lack of self-belief, frustration, upsets or negative self-talk to get in their way. They're willing to do what it takes to be strong mentally and emotionally. When you allow your emotions and mental chit-chat to affect you, you're not so likely to perform at your best. As human beings, emotions play a big part in our lives. I'm not suggesting you deny or suppress your emotions, but just discover for yourself what it takes for you to handle your emotions and stay balanced. 6. Flexibility. Tennis players need to be flexible in their approach to each game. Each opponent is different, has different strengths and weaknesses, so they need to be flexible to change. If they lacked flexibility they wouldn't be able to adapt to different situations and come out winning. When you're flexible, you're willing to consider the best approach for each particular situation. 7. Clarity. They are clear about all the components that go together to make their game successful. Lack of clarity holds you back, keeps you in fear and doubt and can result in you taking lots of actions but which are all over the place. Life is a game and your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to play fully. "There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time." "Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." "For now you know one of the greatest principles of success; if you persist long enough you will win." "Cultivate the habit of laughter." "I need not wait for I have the power to choose my own destiny." "Do not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious." "The only people who never fail are those who never try." "Never
again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that
you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies
to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You
are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to
accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work.
No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!"
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