READ!!! Dr. G's Blog Post

HEARTACHE, DISAPPOINTMENT & SUFFERING ARE ALL PART OF THE JOURNEY

Submitted by Dr. G on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 15:21.

QUESTION: "So, if I do mental toughness training, and Ireally, really work at it, will I be able to consistently perform at my very best?"   

ANSWER: Well, if you truly commit yourself to working on the mental side of your game, then you will certainly have more success than you currently do. Furthermore, you'll even become a smarter, mentally tougher performer in the process. However, no amount of mental and/or physical training will ever get you to the point where you consistently play at your very best!!!! Why? Because that's not how life and/or sports really work!! No one canalways be at their very best and very few athletes can say that they consistently play at their potential. Life and sports are just way too complicated to be simplified in that kind of a way!

Now hang on before you start freaking out and saying,  "Dr. G is a "Negative Nancy!"

I'm not trying to be negative here. I'm just trying to be REALISTIC. The one thing that you can always count on in sports and life is that things always change. Sometimes they change for the better and you go through a period where you're developing strength, endurance and adding to your skill set. You're getting faster, stronger and more talented! These are wonderfully inspiring times and leave us flushed with feelings of motivation and self-confidence. We're on a winning streak, life is just grand and we think, "Finally, things are going exactly the way that they are supposed to go!"  

At other times, things change for the worse. We get injured, again and again, lose our stroke or that all-important feel and then everything starts to go down the proverbial tubes! We go on a losing streak, get mired in a slump or blocked by fears, we're outplayed by weaker opponents or just can't seem to get over that performance hump. Our self-confidence takes a major hit, our motivation sputters and then we begin to question whether we even have what it takes to make it! When the clouds of disappointment and bad luck roll in and darken our skies we think, "Why does all of this crap always seem to happen to me?!!! How come nobody else has to deal with this garbage? This is NOT how things are supposed to be for me!" 

What we all tend to forget is that these ups and downs, heartbreaks and triumphs, setbacks and advances are all anormal and integral part of life. There are good times and bad ones, times when we're moving full speed ahead and just cruisin' and other times when we've completely hit a wall and we're brusin.' You may not like it very much when things go south on you, but don't be surprised by it. Don't waste your too valuable time and energy cursing the Gods of Sport for the fate that they've dumped down upon you.Don't hold a pity party and wish it was otherwise. What we all need to learn to do in life is to deal with the hand that was dealt us, with what IS. You don't necessarily have to like what IS very much. But ultimately you have to learn to master it.   

It's the process of going through these setbacks, injuries and disappointments that shapes our character and ultimately determines our strength and success in the world. The life lesson here is to learn to accept whatever may come your way, both good and bad, and then to do all that is in your humanly power to make the very best out of it. This is far from an easy task. In fact, mastering this might take an entire lifetime. Nevertheless, that is the only thing that we can do when life and/or our sport throws us a nasty screwball! 

Dr. G on Success (Hard Work) READ!!!!!!!!!

THE NOT SO "BLIND SIDE" - THE REALLY OBVIOUS SECRET TO SUCCESS

Submitted by Dr. G on Fri, 11/27/2009 - 16:59.

The feel-good hit movie, THE BLIND SIDE, has just made its' debut in movie theaters to rave reviews. Based upon the the 2006 best selling book of the same name, it charts the improbable success of Baltimore Raven's rookie tackle, Michael Oher from homelessness and poverty on the mean streets of Memphis to starting in the NFL.

While the movie features the kindness and generosity of an Ole Miss booster who got Oher off the streets and helped him tap into his tremendous potential, the most important part of this story resides within this 23 year old himself and is not really highlighted on the big screen. The main reason that Oher has made it as far as he has against overwhelming odds is because of his willingness to "pay his physical dues." Simply put, the kid's work ethic is prodigious and admirable.

While it's an obvious cliche' that the real secret to success is consistent and persistent HARD WORK, for some reason this simple and basic concept seems to escape so many of us.Perhaps it's because of what hard work actually entails. It's, well...HARD! It doesn't come easy and it frequently hurts. It's uncomfortable, boring and very often not much FUN! It takes a lot of time and requires that one endures a tremendous amount of physical and emotional discomfort. It requires courage and sacrifice!

Gack!!!! Who on earth wants to consistently have to go through all of that????!!!

Exactly!!!! So while everyone may entertain dreams about making it big, only a select few are actually willing to do what is really necessary to turn those success fantasies into a reality. Oher is nonplussed about his seemingly improbable celebrity and would much prefer if no-one knew his story. What he does want people to know about him is that there is nothing improbable about working your butt off. This is what he attributes to his current success and what will most likely result, barring any unforeseen injuries, in a very long and successful NFL career.

Got a dream? Want to turn into a reality? GREAT!!!! Then, roll up your sleeves, shut your mouth and get to work!!!! Meaningful success on and off the field can only be yours if you are willing to tenaciously work for it! You've got to pay your physical dues in order to make it happen and when you're done paying, then you need to pay some more!!!!

Incidentally, go see the movie! In my humble opinion, it's well worth it!!!!!

Being a Champion

WANT TO GO AS FAR AS POSSIBLE AS AN ATHLETE? THEN SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LIKE-MINDED, GO-FOR-IT PEOPLE

Submitted by Dr. G on Mon, 10/19/2009 - 12:38.

Do you really want to become a champion? Do you reallywant to take your athletic talents as far as humanly possible? If so, then you want to systematically surround yourself with highly motivated, high achieving, supportive individuals. You want coaches around you who believe in you and your dreams. You want practice partners who are like-minded and high achieving, and who are willing to push themselves and you to get as good as possible.

You do NOT want people on "your team" who are negative, have a poor work ethic and are directly threatened by your success. These people, be they coaches or other athletes are "dream stealers." Because of their own insecurities, negativity and immaturity, they will go out of their way to sabotage your quest. Pursuing excellence and becoming a champion is hard enough as it is without having to deal with these energy drains.

It's like running a race with a team. Do you want your teammates physically hanging onto your back and legs, weighing you down and tugging you backwards? Would you like them filling your head full of "you can't,""you'll never," "This is just too hard" and "why bother?" Or do you want your practice partners and teammates physically pushing you forward from behind while they inspire and motivate you, "Come on! You CAN do this! You're a winner!!!! "Keep going!" "I know you CAN!"? The answer is obvious!A winning team is made up of like-minded individuals who are committed to the pursuit of excellence and who understand that getting as good as possible and going all the way is far easier when everyone works together and has similar goals. Real champions understand that their opponent's success and improvement is a really good, rather than very bad thing for them! They understand that the competition's improvement will challenge and push them to get better. Champions understand that being around more talented, better skilled individuals will illuminate the path towards their dreams, helping them clearly see the direction that they must go in and what is actually possible at the end of that path.

So go out and try to find friends who are actually friends in that they support your dreams and believe in your ability to get there. Find training partners who truly challenge you and are invested in pushing you and them as much as possible so that you might both improve. Find coaches who are inspirational, demanding and positive, who also believe in you and all that you can become. IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A CHAMPION, THEN YOU MUST SURROUND YOURSELF WITH CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

READ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUCCESS IS JUST BEYOND THE SPLATT!!!!

Submitted by Dr. G on Mon, 10/19/2009 - 19:58.

A young student meets a bearded Guru on the road one day and he stops him and asks, " Kind scholar.....can you please tell me, which is the way to success? The old sage says nothing and instead simply points off in a south-west direction.

The young man, thanks the Guru profusely and, with thoughts of accomplishment and riches in his head, he quickly and excitedly heads off in the pointed direction. Five minutes pass and suddenly there is a loud SPLATT!!!! Another several minutes go by and the young man finally staggers back. His clothes are disheveled, his hair is a mess and he looks shell shocked. Once more he addresses the old man, "Wise man, can you PLEASE tell me, which way to success?

Again the Guru says nothing but simply points off in that very same southwesterly direction. And again the young man heads off, if not a bit more cautiously this time, to find his fame and riches.

10 minutes pass and there is a ground-shaking and deafeningSPLATT!!!!!!! Smoke rises up in the distance, roosting birds wildly scatter. Many minutes pass before a solitary figure can be seen crawling back along the road towards the Guru. As he gets closer, the Sage recognizes that it's the young man. However, the poor student is badly bruised and bloodied. His clothes are tattered and torn and he looks like he's been through a fierce battle but gotten the worst of it.

Now, however, the young man's nerves and temper are completely frayed. He screams at the wise man, "Old man. I politely asked you which way to success and both times you spoke not at all but simply pointed. Both times I followed your silly directions and both times all I got was SPLATTED! Enough with the silent finger pointing! Tell me in words sir! Which way to success?"

The Guru patiently looks at the beaten up student, smiles and then quietly says as he points in that same southwesterly direction. "SUCCESS IS THAT WAY YOUNG MAN, JUST BEYOND THE SPLATTS!"

Moral of the story: Want success? Just keep following the SPLATTS! No one accomplishes anything of value and meaning without experiencing many powerful SPLATTS!