Rhythm & Flow Tennis

Your mind is the most powerful thing you have going for you. You can choose to use the power of your mind to do exactly what you want to do, or set the power of your mind aside and settle for less. Most people in life don’t expect much, so, they don’t give much and don’t get much. Winners are not born winners like many think. There is no genetic code in you that will determine who you will be.

Einstein used to say: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. What you need is skill, not knowledge. The skill to proactively use your imagination. Once you learn this skill, the first task is to begin imagining the vision of who you want to be”.

Earl Nightingale said: “ We literally become what we think about most of the time”. As you see yourself in the heart of your thoughts, so you do become. What you see in your mind’s eye is what you get: Nurse or prostitute, alcoholic or athlete, drug pusher or teacher, nobody or somebody, loser or winner. Each of us becomes that make-believe self we have imagined and fantasized about.

Arnold Schwartzenegger, after winning his last Mr. Universe bodybuilding title was asked by a reporter what he planned on doing next. “I plan on being a number one box office star in Hollywood”. And how was he planning on doing this? “The same way I planned my bodybuilding career. First you have to create a vision of who and what you want to be. Then you have to live your life into that picture every day”. Notice he didn’t say he would wait for a vision, he said: “I will create a vision”.

Neil Armstrong’s vision began as a child. In an interview immediately following his historic first step on the moon, he said: “Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamt that I would do something important in aviation”. Fascinating that the thoughts of a child can shape a destiny.

So, if becoming successful at something is as easy as “deciding” to do so, or “creating a vision” of who you want to be, why don’t more people do so? The road to the top is a long, hard grind. It involves sacrifice and commitment. Most people are not prepared to put the time and effort that it takes into it. As kids we all have dreams of who and what we want to become. As we get older, these dreams are usually replaced by “reality”. There are other reasons for people not following their dreams:

– Lack of support – in reality society does not want us to achieve above the limits that it has conveniently ordained. Most people don’t want you to become more successful than what they are. In the process you consistently receive negative messages from others about your ability to rise to the top. This affects your confidence and self- esteem and you stop believing in yourself.

– Lack of opportunity. Many people don’t follow their dreams because of lack of resources. You need enough money to pay for coaching and to be able to travel. Many times people have to relocate to a different area to get the services they need. This is not always affordable.

– Fear. Dealing with the pain of failure is the one factor that holds most people back from going after their dreams.

– But, believe it or not, the main reason most talented people don’t commit to fulfilling their visions, is laziness or lack of desire.

There are basically 3 groups of people in the world. Your job is to create a vision of which group you want to belong to:

First there are the Spectators. They are the majority who watch life happen as bystanders. They avoid the main arena for fear of being rejected, ridiculed, hurt or defeated. They prefer not to get involved and would rather watch others perform. Most of all, Spectators fear winning. Winning carries the burden of responsibilities and setting a good example. That is too much effort for most, so, they watch others do their thing. They prefer to be on the opposite side of the TV screen.

Another large number of people are the “Losers”. Losers are not the millions of destitute people going to bed hungry every night. They are people in our abundant society who never win, because everything they do is for outside recognition. They need to drive a car like…, dress like…, live in a house like….or be someone else. Losers need anti- anxiety drugs (60 million tablets per year are consumed in the US) to cope with their daily emotional stresses. Their blood pressure jumps as they get angry quickly and defensive easily. As a result, the Loser drinks more, smokes more and pops more pills to escape.

Then there are the Winners. Winners aren’t necessarily the athletes with the trophies, or the students with the straight A’s. These are the few, who in a natural, free flowing way seem to get what they want from life. They put themselves together at work, at home and in the community. They set and achieve goals that benefit themselves and others. True winning is one’s own pursuit of individual excellence. Winning is nothing more than taking the talent or potential you have, and using it fully towards a purpose or a goal that makes you happy.

Your attitude towards your potential is either the key to or the lock on your door of personal fulfillment. Most of us are unable to see the truth of who we could become. It’s hard to imagine the potential in yourself. You might want to begin expressing it as a fantasy. Think up some stories of who you’d like to be. Your subconscious does not know that you’re fantasizing. Fake it till you make it.

THE MOST DANGEROUS RISK OF ALL:

The risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.