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I told myself not to hang a curve ball. Sure enough, I did. Now I focus on ‘Do this.’ It’s a significant difference.”
The key question is who is in control—you or your emotions?
The absolute worst thing a receiver can do is worry about not catching the ball or about getting hit. —JERRY RICE
Stop worrying about making a mistake.
“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Pressure is created by anxieties about the future and remembered failures from the past.
worrying about a mistake will usually get you another one just like it.
mental locker. When a player arrived at the clubhouse at Wrigley Field, or the visiting ballpark, he opened his mental locker. With each article of clothing he removed—his jacket, his shirt, his belt, one sock, then the other—he let go of a problem or a personal concern. By the time he had changed from civilian clothes into his uniform he had shed all his distractions and personal concerns and was focusing on the present. He was in the right time zone and the ideal state of mind to experience success on the field.
“The First Rule of Holes” and it read, “When you find yourself in a hole, the first rule is to stop digging.”
Interestingly, one way to relax tense muscles is first to tighten them more. If your shoulders feel like coiled springs, draw them up and squeeze those muscles. Hold the pose for five to ten seconds. Feel the stress and study the sensation. Then release and relax the muscles completely.
Focus on the process and let go of the outcome.
Confidence is the emotional knowing that you are prepared, mind, body, and spirit, for anything.
The great athletes visualize not only best-case scenarios but also worst-case scenarios. They don’t imagine failing, but they do mentally plan how they will respond in unpleasant and difficult situations.
When you’re relaxed, you’re in a more receptive state for positive affirmations and visualizations.
it is better to throw a poor pitch wholeheartedly than to throw the so-called right pitch with a feeling of doubt.
you must mentally treat your practice sessions as matches, concentrating on every ball you hit.”
Oftentimes over-muscling is self-defeating. Remember the golfer’s prayer: “God, grant me the strength to swing easier.”
Over-control gets you out of control.
Fear of failure makes failure more likely.
Playing it safe can be dangerous.
The probability of getting the outcome you want increases when you let go of the need to get it.
“You do. You can’t let on that you’re not throwing well. There’s a body language. I really believe it. You’ve still got to act like you’re the man. You can’t fake a good fastball. I’m not saying that. But you have to give the impression that your stuff is on time.”
“is to stay serene inside even when things are going badly outside.”
“Sometimes you have to say to yourself that you’re going to have fun and feel good before you go out there,”
‘Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.’”
no matter how difficult things become, you are responsible and accountable for your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
An MVP looks at obstacles as opportunities and views setbacks as springboards for comebacks.
Working on the inside shows on the outside.
“It didn’t matter if I won,” the septuagenarian said, showing off his silver medal. “Thing is, I tried it.”
winning isn’t everything but making the effort to win is.
All that matters is if you can look in the mirror and honestly tell the person you see there that you’ve done your best.”
Don’t let competition kill your sense of fun. Part of the music of sports is laughter.
Life is too important to take too seriously. If you learn to laugh at yourself you will enjoy a lifetime of entertainment.
we don’t know what the future holds for any of us. So why not act as if you’re going to have a great future? Set your goals. Do the work.
While positive thinking doesn’t always work, negative thinking, unfortunately, almost always does.
Don’t let your fears get in the way of your dreams. Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.
The greatest victory is the victory over ourselves. Remember, it’s always too soon to quit.
