You can be in school or into school. You can be in a sport or into a sport. You can be in a relationship or into it.

You get the idea.

People achieve great things because they are totally into what they are doing.
So tell us. Call this number: (973) 743-4690. You will hear about an essay contest.

You do the rest.

There is no catch, no obligation. This contest is just Dr. Rob Gilbert’s way of learning about people who are into it. Call the number now!

In today’s world — especially in today’s economy — everyone needs high-level skills. And to acquire high-level skills, you need high-level motivation.

That’s where the Olympic dream begins, with the decision to compete at the highest level. Once that decision is made, certain behaviors, like rigorous and regular training, must follow. And that takes motivation.

Tonight, sports psychologist Dr. Rob Gilbert and I will be conducting a one-hour phone seminar on “How Bad Do You Really Want it?” We’ll be discussing the relationship between motivation, action and results.

The seminar, which is free except for the price of the phone call, takes place at 10 p.m. EST. Here is the phone number: (712) 775 7200. The access code is: 117668#

Few questions will mean as much in your life as that one. Because the more you want something, the more likely you will get it. Great achievements begin with great passion.
Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, once reported to training camp six weeks before required. He was that eager to make a great impression and to get started. Today, he is considered one of the best quarterbacks who ever lived.

Albert Einstein said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”

On Sunday evening, sports psychologist Dr. Rob Gilbert and I will be conducting a one-hour phone seminar on “How Bad Do You Really Want it?” We’ll be discussing the relationship between motivation, action and results.

The seminar, which is free except for the price of the phone call, takes place at 10 p.m. EST. Here is the phone number: (712) 775 7200. The access code is: 117668#

In those messages, which number more than 6,000, one stands out for me. Dr. Gilbert tells the story of a strongman who can bend an iron bar. At first the bar won’t move. That’s when things change. The strongman seems to go to another level of effort and intensity, and soon the bar looks more like a horseshoe.

Dr. Gilbert offers the moral of the story: when things get difficult, champions don’t get discouraged. They get excited.

How about you? When you hit obstacles, what happens to your energy level? Randy Pausch, who gave brilliant lectures before succumbing to pancreatic cancer, said this:

“Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people.”

No matter what obstacles are in front of you, remember the strongman. It’s not time to get discouraged. It’s time to get excited.

Dr. Gilbert’s hotline number is (973) 743-4690.

You can probably guess what was No.1 on the Hit Parade. “I can’t.” These are words you hear all the time. Say them in my gym and you’re automatically doing pushups.

As Dr. Gilbert often mentions, if you talked to your friends the same way you talk to yourself, you’d be alone a lot of the time. You would never dream of limiting others the way you limit yourself.

Yet you hear this kind of negative self-talk all the time: “I can’t.” “I’m not good at that.” “I’m not a very good student.”

Coincidentally or not, Dr. Gilbert’s hotline message came just around the same time that Muhammad Ali turned 68. Ali, three-time heavyweight champion, was also king of positive self-talk. He proclaimed, “I am the greatest of all time,” and he said it loudly and often.

Some people didn’t care for his style, but I wish some of my players would spend more time talking like Ali and less saying things that limit themselves.

New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan has also gained a reputation for bold statements. But he has his team believing it itself.

Shad Helmstetter wrote a book called “What to Say When You talk to Yourself.” Try to get a hold of it and read it. And while you’re at it, give Dr. Gilbert’s Success Hotline a try. It’s free and available 24 hours a day. The number is (973) 743-4690.

And don’t say you can’t.

The first is Dave Cross, co-author of the book “Volleyball Cybernetics.” Dave, who work can be found at www.yesicansports.com, first put into words for me the importance of stretching your comfort zone. At his overnight camps in Oberlin, Ohio, every summer, Dave begins with this instruction: At meals, hold your fork with your opposite hand. This simple drill helps you experience the awkwardness of a beginner, and the speed with which you gain new skill.

The second coach is Dr. Rob Gilbert, a sports psychologist who preaches one gospel: You have all the power you need right inside you. Dr. Gilbert, who maintains a motivational blog at http://gilbertsuccesshotline.blogspot.com/, tells everyone he sees that life is not about ability; it’s about action and about finding the right strategy.

Finally is Dr. Carl McGown, Olympic volleyball coach and instructor at www.goldmedalsquared.com, who taught me that coaching is more than just showing up in the gym every day. It’s a calling that requires time, effort and study.

The coaches come to mind because today Gary Pritchard and I are releasing excerpts from our new podcast, “10 Things that Every Great Coach Knows.” You can access it by going to this link. Once you are on the page, scroll down to the bottom and hit the play button.

All the three coaches I’ve mentioned went into the creation of this podcast. It took me well out of my comfort zone (Dave Cross), it required action (Rob Gilbert), and hopefully it will contribute something to the study of coaching (Carl McGown). Perhaps it will help you bring something important to your program every day. We’ll be releasing one chapter a week. Enjoy!

Do you remember the first big-league baseball game you ever saw? Or the first concert?

It’s possible that the performers were not nearly as excited about the event as you were.

Pro athletes and musicians are just like anyone else. There are days when they just don’t feel like going to work or practice.

But the difference between them and others is that they do it anyway.

Sports psychologist Dr. Rob Gilbert defines a professional as one who does his best when he feels like it the least.

Hank Aaron, who for many years held the record for most career home runs, said, “My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”

Think about that for a moment. Over his 23-year career, there were days when Aaron just didn’t feel well. But the fans never knew. Aaron never ACTED that way.

So whether you’re getting paid or not, you can still be professional in your approach.

It’s OK if you don’t feel like going to the gym.

It’s not OK to stay home if you don’t feel like going.

And it’s certainly not OK to ACT like you don’t feel like being there.