“Practice being excited.” — Bill Foster Today we’re privileged to interview Heather O’Reilly, a U.S. soccer Olympian. Heather is renowned for the quality of her practice; she treats every contact like it’s her first and her last. Though she is speaking of soccer, her comments can apply to anyone who is trying to become great. […]
“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass… it’s about learning how to dance in the rain!” — quoted by Ed Smith Renowned sports psychologist Dr. Rob Gilbert hosted a remarkable speaker in his class yesterday at Montclair State University in northern New Jersey. Paul Reddick told the story of his rise from […]
“Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.” — George Santayana Of the 365 days in the year, which is the one when you least would want to arrive in an emergency room? Believe it or not, there is such a date. At least some people think so. The date is […]
Today, as always, the subject is great performance. Let me describe what qualities go into this particular performance, then I’ll ask you exactly what type of performers we’re talking about. The qualities are: Hours of rigorous practice. Focus. Attention to fundamentals. Commitment. Game-like practices. Teamwork. With these qualities, we could be talking about anything from […]
“I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.” –– Roy Croft Happy Valentine’s Day! What is love? Poets and philosophers have tried to answer the question for decades, and so I can’t hope to do it here. But here is a thought: Love […]
Today we have a guest blogger discussing the subject of motivation. Anthony Hanson is the former director of the English professional soccer club Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ Youth Centre of Excellence. He moved to New Jersey, USA, in 2005, then became head coach of the Montclair Thunderbolts. Being Coach Hollywood By Anthony Hanson I have had the […]
“How bad do you want to be good?” — quoted by Patty Sullivan Let’s start with a trick question today, the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Lincoln. Why do we celebrate Lincoln’s birthday? You’re tempted to say we do it because Lincoln was a great president, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation and saw […]
“Coaches are often frustrated and puzzled. They look back over their careers and realize that some of their most talented athletes—athletes who seemed to have everything– never achieved success. Why? The answer is that these athletes didn’t have everything. They didn’t have the right mindset.” So begins an article by Stanford University psychologist Carol […]
“Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.” — Adam Hochschild Breakfast with Peter never fails to produce at least one insight. Peter is a corporate communications specialist now writing a book on the subject. We meet for coffee now and then just to chat, and yesterday he left me with something to think about every […]
You’ve heard that today is the most important day of your life. Not only is today the only time when you can take action, it’s the best predictor of what you will be doing tomorrow. Is that good news or bad news for you? How many people light up a cigarette while saying, “I’ll quit […]