Herb Brooks used it create the Miracle on Ice.

Sandy Koufax used it to become a baseball Hall of Famer.

You can use it to reach a level you can’t even imagine right now.

What is it?

Feedback.

“Feedback is information from the past that you can use in the present to create a better future,” says Dr. Rob Gilbert, who with me is presenting a 17-day seminar on “How to Do the Impossible.” Dr. Gilbert discusses the topic on his daily Success Hotline at (973) 743-4690. I’m blogging it here at TotalGamePlan.

Today on Day 8 comes an article on the pain and value of feedback. Author Beth Comstock tells of overhearing two colleagues gossiping about her. “My immediate reaction to being called out – even if it was something I accidentally overheard – was denial and frustration.”

After calming down and processing the feedback, Comstock used it to make adjustments. “I’ve had to work hard since then to open myself to different ways of doing things and alternate interpretations, especially in new settings.”

No one likes negative feedback, whether it’s criticism, a bad golf shot, or poor earnings. Though painful, they all can give you clues for moving forward.

Brooks, coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, learned things from a 10-3 loss to the Soviet Union just a week before the Olympics. He used the feedback to beat the Soviets 4-3 en route to a gold medal.

Koufax was a pitching prospect but little more until teammate Norm Sherry advised him to ease up on his fastball and to concentrate on controlling the ball. The advice worked wonders.

“Champions know that success is inevitable; that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback,” said Michael J. Gelb, author, speaker and expert on innovation.

It takes toughness and courage to step back from negative feedback and examine it to move forward. If you can do it, what now seems impossible draws within reach. In other words, if you can accept and use feedback, you can do anything.

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Thank you for visiting Total Game Plan. While you’re here, you can find many other resources to help you succeed.

“Think Better, Win More!” will give you a mental game to match your physical game.

To get better at anything, check out “The Improvement Factor: How Winners Turn Practice into Success.”

Need some motivation? Everyone needs it now and then. Open any page of “Thank God You’re Lazy! The Instant Cure for What’s Holding You Back” for a story or a quote to lift your spirits.

Are you a teacher, boss or sports coach? Here’s “Ten Things Great Coaches Know” by Mike Tully and Gary Pritchard.