Bloom where you are planted. What does this expression mean to you? To me it means that no matter where you are in life, no matter what situation you are faced with, you should always strive to do the best you can do and be the best you can be. You will never move out of a bad situation if you only complain about it. Showing your frustration, moping, complaining and feeling sorry for yourself will just keep you where you are. You must put forth the effort to really thrive where you are and that effort is what will propel you into a much better place.
Although this phrase is Biblical in it's origins (1 Corinthians 7:17-24), the lesson it teaches can be applied universally to anything we do. Can it be applied to athletes? Absolutely! For an athlete to be successful, he or she needs to always be striving to be the best that he or she can be.
Are athletes always happy about the role they are placed in on a team? Are athletes always happy about how their coaches see them or treat them? The obvious answer to both of these questions is no. How to change that situation is not so obvious. Most athletes choose to develop a bad attitude, or hold back on their effort to show their dissatisfaction. In turn, most coaches continue to keep those athletes in the same situation or even demote them.
The successful athletes, the athletes with mental toughness, take a different approach. They do not accept their situation as their final lot. They maintain a positive attitude. They work as hard as they can. They work hard out of pride. They work hard out of respect for themselves, respect for their teammates and respect for the game that they are playing. They put in all of the effort required to maximize their situation and move on to a better place.
By taking the latter approach, the athlete will not only improve his situation and make progress towards all of his goals, but he will also build a strong work ethic and enjoy improved self-confidence.
As we enter 2011, we should all try to Bloom Where We Are Planted.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Play Like A Champion Today Sports Leadership Conference
The Play Like A Champion Today Sports Leadership Conference was held at the University of Notre Dame June 25-27, 2010. It was a wonderful weekend of teaching and learning at which I was privileged to speak. My topic was, The G of GROW: Mental Game Coach: Working with Teams to Meet their Goals. I spoke to an attentive group of teachers, administrators, coaches, athletic directors among others. I very much appreciated their enthusiasm!
Between the sports talk was a moving presentation of HOPE! John O'Leary gave an inspirational talk that did not leave a dry eye in the place. It was titled, "Ignite Your Life! Discovering 5 Keys to Unlock Passion, Potential and Impact". Thank you John for your message of HOPE that you spread to all that hear you speak.
Thank you Professor Clark Power and Professor Kristin Sheehan for allowing me the great pleasure of being part of your program. I look forward to a partnership that will last a long time!
Between the sports talk was a moving presentation of HOPE! John O'Leary gave an inspirational talk that did not leave a dry eye in the place. It was titled, "Ignite Your Life! Discovering 5 Keys to Unlock Passion, Potential and Impact". Thank you John for your message of HOPE that you spread to all that hear you speak.
Thank you Professor Clark Power and Professor Kristin Sheehan for allowing me the great pleasure of being part of your program. I look forward to a partnership that will last a long time!
Friday, January 1, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! MAKE THIS YEAR THE YEAR THAT YOU START PERFORMING AT YOUR BEST
Happy New Year. Make 2010 the year that you start performing at your best.
I have talked to coaches and administrators at every level of athletics, including High School, College and Professional. They are all in agreement with the following:
1. At every level that you perform at, there will be a talent threshold that you have to meet to be able to participate.
2. Of the athletes that meet that threshold, about 15% - 20% will rise to the top immediately because of superior talent.
3. The remaining 80% - 85% of the players will be fairly equal in talent. They will ultimately distinguish themselves based on their make-up. By make-up I mean the player's character, determination, work ethic, attitude, and mental ability and toughness.
Make 2010 the year that you begin to distinguish yourself. Work hard physically and mentally to make yourself the best that you can be. Create a plan that will develop your all around abilities and allow your talents to shine.
See www.yourmentalgamecoach.com for assistance in developing a comprehensive plan.
Also, read the new publication, Enhance Your Performance...with the mental edge that you need. It is already receiving advance praise:
"Paul DeRenzo captures the mental parameters necessary for athletic perseverance at all levels of play"
Paul J. Friday, Chief of Clinical Psychology at UPMC - Shadyside, author of the critically acclaimed book, Friday's Laws: How To Become Normal When You're Not and How to Stay Normal When You Are.
"This book can help improve the performance of the athlete, help the coach be a better coach, and the parent support his children's athletic activities. But beyond that, it can help you face the many problems and challenges of life."
Paul DeVries, Former Yale athlete, graduate of Yale University and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. One of the most respected business and marketing minds of his time.
The book will soon be available at www.yourmentalgamecoach.com and selected bookstores. It can be pre-ordered now via email at: pderenzo@yourmentalgamecoach.com.
I have talked to coaches and administrators at every level of athletics, including High School, College and Professional. They are all in agreement with the following:
1. At every level that you perform at, there will be a talent threshold that you have to meet to be able to participate.
2. Of the athletes that meet that threshold, about 15% - 20% will rise to the top immediately because of superior talent.
3. The remaining 80% - 85% of the players will be fairly equal in talent. They will ultimately distinguish themselves based on their make-up. By make-up I mean the player's character, determination, work ethic, attitude, and mental ability and toughness.
Make 2010 the year that you begin to distinguish yourself. Work hard physically and mentally to make yourself the best that you can be. Create a plan that will develop your all around abilities and allow your talents to shine.
See www.yourmentalgamecoach.com for assistance in developing a comprehensive plan.
Also, read the new publication, Enhance Your Performance...with the mental edge that you need. It is already receiving advance praise:
"Paul DeRenzo captures the mental parameters necessary for athletic perseverance at all levels of play"
Paul J. Friday, Chief of Clinical Psychology at UPMC - Shadyside, author of the critically acclaimed book, Friday's Laws: How To Become Normal When You're Not and How to Stay Normal When You Are.
"This book can help improve the performance of the athlete, help the coach be a better coach, and the parent support his children's athletic activities. But beyond that, it can help you face the many problems and challenges of life."
Paul DeVries, Former Yale athlete, graduate of Yale University and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. One of the most respected business and marketing minds of his time.
The book will soon be available at www.yourmentalgamecoach.com and selected bookstores. It can be pre-ordered now via email at: pderenzo@yourmentalgamecoach.com.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
EXPECTATIONS
Athletes often hold certain expectations and many of them are unhealthy. For an athlete to expect to achieve a certain score in a game or to compile specific statistics in a game or to reach a certain number of wins in a season can hold that athlete back. When you have expectations about how you will perform, you are constantly comparing how you ARE performing to how you think you SHOULD be performing. That can lead to several problems. If you are not performing as well as you think you should be or as well as you expected to, you could become frustrated. That will negatively affect your performance. If you are performing better than you expected, you could pull back, become less aggressive and limit what your performance could have been.
Learn more about expectations and other mental roadblocks at: www.yourmentalgamecoach.com.
Learn more about expectations and other mental roadblocks at: www.yourmentalgamecoach.com.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Happy Birthday Coach John Wooden
John Wooden is 99 years old today. He has shared so many lessons on and off of the court and has shaped the lives of so many that he needs to be acknowledged. If you would like to know how life lessons are learned through sports, or just learn some valuable life lessons, read one of his books. His "Pyramid of Success" ties in with the principles we teach at www.yourmentalgamecoach.com.
www.yourmentalgamecoach.com
Sunday, October 11, 2009
MOTIVATION
Motivation is an important factor in anything you do. Most serious athletes are highly motivated individuals. But is all motivation good and healthy? Do all forms of motivation help athletes perform at their very best? I don't believe so.
Athletes that are intrinsically motivated have an internal desire to compete. They have a fire burning within that drives them to work hard to reach their goals. It is the love of the game and the love of the competition that drives these athletes. These athletes will also be likely develop the necessary mental toughness to match their physical abilities. They are likely to consistently remain motivated.
Athletes that are extrinsically motivated depend on external rewards for their motivation, such as trophies, praise or other awards. While it is always nice to receive praise and recognition for a job well done, if that is the primary source of an athlete's motivation, that athlete is likely to suffer from motivational difficulties. What happens when the reward is not present at the end? Does the athlete not try as hard? Does he temporarily lose motivation? When the rewards for performing one's sport become more important than the actual performance itself, that is a danger sign. That athlete will most likely experience motivational problems.
There are ways to deal with these issues and many other mental roadblocks that hold athletes back.
www.yourmentalgamecoach.com
Athletes that are intrinsically motivated have an internal desire to compete. They have a fire burning within that drives them to work hard to reach their goals. It is the love of the game and the love of the competition that drives these athletes. These athletes will also be likely develop the necessary mental toughness to match their physical abilities. They are likely to consistently remain motivated.
Athletes that are extrinsically motivated depend on external rewards for their motivation, such as trophies, praise or other awards. While it is always nice to receive praise and recognition for a job well done, if that is the primary source of an athlete's motivation, that athlete is likely to suffer from motivational difficulties. What happens when the reward is not present at the end? Does the athlete not try as hard? Does he temporarily lose motivation? When the rewards for performing one's sport become more important than the actual performance itself, that is a danger sign. That athlete will most likely experience motivational problems.
There are ways to deal with these issues and many other mental roadblocks that hold athletes back.
www.yourmentalgamecoach.com
Saturday, October 3, 2009
"Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical".
--Yogi Berra
While Yogi Berra is well known for his many quotes, this one in particular is my favorite. It speaks to the mental aspect of the game of baseball and shows how much significance one of the greatest players in history put on that phase of the game. I believe that a lot of the best athletes in history would feel that same way when it comes to performing at the highest level in their particular sport.
Even though the mental aspect of sports is so significant, it is all but ignored when most athletes are training for their sport. Starting at a very young age, athletes are taught to work on their drills, take 100 swings a day or shoot 100 free throws a day. But they are never taught how to build a healthy confidence in themselves, how to concentrate better or how to reach their optimal mental conditions that would allow them to perform at their best. They are never taught how to deal with the mental roadblocks that arise at some point in every athlete's career.
Learn how to identify mental roadblocks and how to get over them. Learn how to build your confidence and improve your mental game so that you can perform at your very best.
www.yourmentalgamecoach.com
--Yogi Berra
While Yogi Berra is well known for his many quotes, this one in particular is my favorite. It speaks to the mental aspect of the game of baseball and shows how much significance one of the greatest players in history put on that phase of the game. I believe that a lot of the best athletes in history would feel that same way when it comes to performing at the highest level in their particular sport.
Even though the mental aspect of sports is so significant, it is all but ignored when most athletes are training for their sport. Starting at a very young age, athletes are taught to work on their drills, take 100 swings a day or shoot 100 free throws a day. But they are never taught how to build a healthy confidence in themselves, how to concentrate better or how to reach their optimal mental conditions that would allow them to perform at their best. They are never taught how to deal with the mental roadblocks that arise at some point in every athlete's career.
Learn how to identify mental roadblocks and how to get over them. Learn how to build your confidence and improve your mental game so that you can perform at your very best.
www.yourmentalgamecoach.com
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