Since this topic of “Enough” seems to keep popping up, I decided to post something about it on the AAF Facebook Page.

People seems to like it well enough and some have asked if they can share it with others.  Of course, I have no problem with that, so long as you remember to mention where you got it from.

So feel free to share this Softball Quote of the Week with your team this week…

Whether you win or lose, you really won’t be much different, as a person, than you were 2 hours ago.

Never allow the scoreboard to dictate your self worth!

It’s a highly unreliable and completely irrelevant indicator of your true value as a human being.

Really, a couple of hours doesn’t completely change your life. Maybe you’ll learn a few lessons. Maybe it does give you a different perspective on things.

What you choose to do with your experience may very well change your life.

The win or the loss in and of itself does not do that.  You do. The win or the loss does not suddenly make you amazing if you weren’t before nor does it make you worth less than you were before.

Never tie your self worth to the outcome of your performance or of a game. Your true friends and your loved ones don’t love you any more or less because you did or did not hit a ball, because you did or did not make an error, or because you did or did not win a game.

Who you are as a person, as a human being, is not at all correlated with outcomes on the field.

What?  You’re probably wondering what the heck I’m talking about.  What’s an 11% hole and what does it have to do with vision and softball?

Listen to this softball audio on vision and why it’s so key, then you’ll understand…

So what do you think?

Did this vision clip make you go, “Hmmm…?”

Do you see why vision is so key in daily motivation and in softball success?

Have you ever put yourself in an 11% hole?

Will you ever do it again?

Do you even have a vision for softball? Or is it time to get started on one?

What did you think about the thoughts I shared on vision? Do you agree? Have you even thought about this concept before?

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think…

Now if you’re connected with All About Fastpitch on Facebook, then you saw part of this. I realized this needed to develop into a full blown blog post when facebook wouldn’t post the status update as I originally wrote it because it was too long. lol

So here is the expanded version of my softball attitude tip/rant of the week…

I’m sorry, but if you think you can’t or don’t learn anything sitting on the bench you need an attitude adjustment.

Been there – learned tons because I CHOSE to. I made it a point to LEARN any chance I got whether it was in practice or on the bench in the game.

Heck there were even times when I was on the bench during PRACTICE due to injury. I still tried to learn anything and everything I could regardless of the situation I was in.

I made it a point to increase my contribution to the team in any way possible even though I couldn’t play!

Stop your whining. It’s not going to get you what you want.

Whether it’s sitting on the bench or a slump or a bruised knee or a wet field there will ALWAYS be something that challenges you. There will always be obstacles along the way.

Find a way to still be a positive impact on your team. You may not get the game winning hit or the make the game winning play, but this experience WILL serve you well in your future in softball and in life!

Many refer to it as an “attitude of gratitude.” Being thankful for, reflecting upon, and focusing on the things you DO have on a DAILY basis goes a LONG way to making life altering positive changes in your life.

Too many of us spend far too much time focusing on or grumbling about things we don’t like, what we don’t have, or things we wish were different.  Not only are you likely to be less happy focusing on these things, you’re apt to attract more of it!

So try making a commitment to have an attitude of gratitude DAILY. This does work for softball too!  How often do you see players grumbling about practice, opportunities, playing time, etc?  Imagine how much more productive you could be, how much more of a positive impact you could be on your team if you focused on the things you are thankful for?

Try it for a while.  Every day, write down 5 things you are happy about or are thankful for. Turn giving thanks into a daily thing instead of a once-a-year thing.

So what are you thankful for today?

I’m thankful for:

1) my family!

2) you – you make it possible for me to do online softball stuff!

3) health – my physical ability to do everything I can do: enjoy my family, enjoy softball, write, read, etc

Leave a comment here to share your list and start your attitude of gratitude today!

But what happens when a call or two doesn’t go your way?  Or when one mistake leads to another?  Or when the playing conditions are less than desirable?  Or after you’ve been playing all weekend long and fatigue is starting to set in?  Or when your “best” players go down due to injury, health, or ineligibility issues?  How does your team react then?

Do they have the same approach? Do they remain upbeat and positive?  Or do they start to fall apart?  Do they start to press?  Do they start to get frustrated with themselves or each other?  Does your team fall apart or can your team still perform when things get tough?

I’ll admit, it’s not possible to re-create every challenging game-like situation in practice.  However if your team is never challenged in practice chances are they won’t be able to respond the way you want when challenge arises during the game.

Some very wise coaches and elite athletes suggest that training should be harder, tougher, and more challenging than competition.  That way when game day comes, it seems “easy” in comparison.  Is that what you do? Are you preparing your team to perform under adverse conditions, under any circumstance that may occur?  Or is your practice and training too easy?

Here’s an excerpt from an article by Wayne Goldsmith, high performance expert which pretty much sums it all up…

Accept that all teams have to learn to win in tough conditions and prepare to deal with them better than your opposition.

Notice he didn’t say “your team” – he said ALL teams. Often times we use an unfortunate circumstance in our season as an excuse for poor performance, but that’s just a cop out. Do you really think that the best NEVER have a bad day, or calls go against them, or bad weather to deal with, or personality clashes aka drama?

I’m sure you’d agree that such a perfect team environment doesn’t exist. Every team has it’s ups and downs, it’s challenges and obstacles, but the ones that are best prepared to perform in spite of how tough it gets are usually the ones that come out on top.

Not only is “your best no matter what” a great skill to have on the softball field, but in life as well. Help your players learn to keep moving forward no matter what adversity they may face.  Not only will you probably win more games and maybe even a few championships, but your players will also carry invaluable life skill off the field and into the real world where stakes are much higher than a few statistics or a win-loss record.

Before you go off and read her story, I have to share something about Roz…

I had the pleasure of being her teammate for 1 year as a freshman at Kamehameha Schools. The one thing that has always stuck in my mind about Roz is how, on the first day of practice when the coach finally gave everyone the okay to jump into a position, Roz ran out and claimed 2nd base. Literally, she ran over there and said, “This is MY position.”

It was her senior year and the first time she finally got to start at her position. From day one, she went out and took ownership of it. Even though she wasn’t the fastest, or the most athletic, and certainly not the tallest (luv ya Roz) 2nd baseman you’ve ever seen, she played that position like a senior that year and helped lead us to a State Championship.

After she graduated, that position became mine.  Though I’d never played 2nd base before, I knew how to OWN it because Roz had shown me how.   Thanks sis! Now 2b is my favorite position.

I haven’t been in touch with Roz since that year until this week on facebook. 20 years later, within days of reconnecting, she’s been a source of inspiration in my life all over again with her story of survival over breast cancer. She is a Bobby Sox National Champion, a Hawaii High School State Champion, and I’m sure you’d agree a champion in life as well.

Read her story in today’s paper here

But after months and month of coming out day after day, it’s not always easy to stay motivated and focused. It can be quite simple to start “going through the motions” and “check-out” mentally as you take your zillionth swing or throw of the season.

BUT - if you want to be the best you can be in this season, if you want to finish stronger than you started, (which is the point right), you really need to make a commitment to what you are doing. You need to make a commitment to put yourself “all-in” and push all the way through to the end and beyond – similarly to what I talked about in this baserunning post.

That’s why I think it’s so critical to be able to create a habit, the sooner the better, of doing the little things to perfection. Sometimes the long road ahead, or the long road that has already passed, make the entire journey too daunting to look at. It makes this ONE drill seem insignificant. In times like those, if you can simply go back to your simple habit of investing in each drill, in each rep – put your whole self in in each little segment of your training – just commit to that one moment, that one rep at a time…it can help you keep moving forward when the day-to-day starts to feel mundane. It can help keep you on track while to take a moment to rejuvenate and get the fire burning again.

If you can’t do that, if you don’t know how to keep doing at least those “little things” right, then that one “insignificant” drill or rep turns into two, or three. or simply turns into an entire day (what’s ONE practice right?). Then next thing you know, another day is “insignificant” and another and another until you’ve spent in entire week being sub-par, training at a level you’d never actually want to perform at and what good did you do yourself? Probably none at all, and in fact, you may have actually “hurt” yourself creating bad habits physically and/or mentally.

When it comes to staying “on track,” it’s also extremely important to set out with some “bigger” purpose. Something far more important to you than just one drill. Something that you are working toward and working for. Something that makes each drill and each rep and each day on the field worth it. If you’re lucky – just being there is reward enough. For some, that’s the way it is. The opportunity to go out there and do softball stuff is the highlight of any given day. For those people, motivation and focus is rarely a major issue.

But even the best, even the most determined sometimes get into those “moods” when they simply don’t feel like 100%. You know what? That’s human. It’s OKAY. Give yourself a break every now and then. Understand that it’s part of being an athlete. It’s something everyone goes through. Don’t waste time worrying about it. Acknowledge it, address it, and do what you need to do to refresh. You need it. It’s almost impossible to stay at full intensity ALL the time. You need to find ways to unwind, to relax, to refresh, and to rejuvenate mind, body, and spirit in order to perform the best you can.

Finishing up a season strong, isn’t easy. That’s why only a few an do it and do it well. It’s easy at the beginning. It’s easy as you start getting to the “meat” of your season. But when all that’s done and you’ve been climbing and climbing all year long…now there are two directions you can go. You can keep pushing and continue reaching higher and higher – usually this is the tougher, more challenging road. OR you can let up, stop pushing, and find yourself sliding,. or maybe even rolling, down the hill or mountain you just climbed.

Which is it going to be? Can you stay focused? Can you re-commit? Can you, for just a fraction of the time you’ve already put in…keep moving forward and finish stronger than you started? Take it one step at a time…you can do it!

By the time your a junior, HALF your academic time has already passed.  ONE great semester does not undo the sins of four, or six for that matter.  While you may not care much about your grades now, believe me, when you’re a senior, and you’ve finally gotten serious about what happens after high school and your ready to grab ahold of the freedom you so desperately want – you WILL care.  You WILL want as many opportunities as possible. You WILL feel frustrated and bummed and sick when there are wonderful opportunities right there in front of you but you aren’t able to take advantage of them because you didn’t take care of business in the classroom as an underclassman.

I know, you may be only 14 0r 15, but the poor choices you make now will eventually come back to haunt you at what will likely be the most inopportune time.  Do NOT let this happen to you.  Give yourself a chance!  Start preparing for the future NOW!  Get in the habit of making good decisions and choices now.

• Wake up and get to school on time every day.
• Go to class every day.
• Do your homework every day.
• Get to practice on time every day.
• Do quality work in the classroom and on the field every day.
• Be your best every day.

The more you practice making the right decisions, the easier it will become and the more prepared you will be for life after high school.  Making good choices now will set you up for the brightest, most exciting, most enjoyable future possible.  High school and college are fun, fun years IF you make the right decisions.

Don’t leave your future to chance.  Make it what you want by laying the groundwork now.  It’s never too early to start practicing good habits or start making good decisions.  Be the best you can be every day.  Good things will come your way.

“How Do I Stack Up?”

This player is a freshman that college coaches of some of the best programs in the nation already know about.  She’s got great grades and doesn’t have to be hounded by her parents or coaches about it.  She’s not one of those players who’s been playing since she was 5 and yet, she can hit the ball and “has it all” as a pitcher.

AND is just a freshman in high school this year!

So how do you stack up?  Where are you in your skills and grades and attitude?  Are you working hard enough?  Or are you just “settling” for “being the best” where you are at?  Are you really, truly striving to being the best you can?  Why should a coach choose you?  Can you do better?  Can you strive for more?  Can you push for more than you’re doing now?  Do you need to raise the level of your softball performance?

Maybe now is a good time to do a serious self-check and re-evaluate your direction.  Be Great!

Skip the arguments and trash talking and drama. It will always be around you.  Don’t get caught up in it.  If you really want to excel and reach your goals, you have no time for it.  Let them talk.  In the mean time you’ll be busy working on your game and getting better.  Then, when it comes down to it, when it really counts, guess who’ll be the one to actually get the job done?  Actually accomplishing the goals that they set?

Guess who will be the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest?

Them – with all the time they spent talking?

Or you – the one reaping the rewards of all the time you spent working?

Keep your mouth shut, your nose to the grindstone…keep doing what you LOVE, place your energy and effort in the right places, and let your results speak for themselves.

Then later my husband said it was a football movie and Sandra Bullock was in it. Well, now…that’s more my kind of movie! So we decided to see it. There are a few things that stood out in my mind from this movie and I’ll share them here.

Get to Know Your Players
There was one part in the movie where Sandra Bullock told the football coach that he should get to know his players. You see, she was able to “reach” one of the players much quicker and much more effectively because she knew and understood him. She was basically telling the coach that if he actually got to know his players a bit better, he could probably be more effective as a coach. Without knowing your players, you’re likely to use coaching strategies or tactics with them that don’t work. You won’t get your point across as clearly and your players may not respond the way you want them to. This is all very clearly illustrated in the movie and I thought that was pretty cool and fun to see.

What the Heck is Your Excuse?
The other major thing that struck me was just how much the main character had accomplished and where he had come from. Seriously, there are very few people that I personally know, involved in this game of softball who’ve face the kinds of challenges and obstacles this guy faced from a very young age.  I know there are players out there who have tough lives.  I know there are players out there who come from less than ideal family or home life situations, but this kid had it pretty tough.

• Not having a place to live
• Never having had a bed before
• Not even playing his sport until high school
• Scoring extremely low in school and on evaluation tests, etc, etc, etc.

To say the odds were against him is an understatement.  I can’t say I know anyone who’s had all the disadvantages he did.  And yet, look at how much he accomplished!

• Athletic scholarship to a competitive DI school (not just to college)
• Going from a 1.7 GPA to over 2.5 in one year so that he could qualify for that scholarship
• He learned the game in a relatively short period of time and excelled to the point of not only receiving an athletic scholarship, but to getting multiple offers from top DI schools
• Making the Honor Roll in college even after struggling for so long academically earlier in his life
• Not only did he sign with a DI school, but he earned a starting spot in games as a freshman
• Not only did he start games as a freshman, but he was named as a Freshman All-American
• Not only did he start games in college, but he excelled enough to get drafted to the NFL
• Not only did he get drafted to be a professional football player, he was picked in the FIRST round (23rd overall)
• Not only did he get drafted, he signed a multi-million dollar contract AND ended up staring in his very first year in the NFL

And on top of all that, there is a major motion movie picture about his life that people are raving about ~ all in the same year he finished college and got drafted.

Wow!  Wow!  and WOW!

When you look at everything he experienced growing up and all the obstacles that stood in his way, chances are, the things you’ve faced in your life pale in comparison (I realize this may not be true for everyone…but if you’re here, reading this blog on the internet, odds are, your life hasn’t been as difficult).  Then look at all that he achieved in spite of all that and compare it to what you’ve done, what your life is like. Was he physically talented?  Obviously ~ but that doesn’t mean things came easy or that his accomplishments came without effort!

Watch the movie, take a good hard look at yourself and your situation.  If your life isn’t what you want it to be…honestly…what in the world is your excuse?

What is your excuse for not making your life into something great?  Will you and I reach that same multi-million dollar, nationally recognized level that Michael Oher did (that’s the main character in the movie)?  Maybe not.  Probably not.  But the very least, you should be able to make your life into something you’re proud out…something you love…and something you’re happy about!  It may not be easy, but it IS do-able!

Focusing too much on your weaknesses can leave you with a sense of incompetancy. You may begin to doubt your ability, maybe even your value, as a player.  This, in turn, can lead to lack of confidence and I’m sure you know what happens when your confidence level drops…so does your level of performance!

So again, while it’s great to identify and work on your weaknesses, it’s also very important to remember your strengths, what you’re good at, and what you CAN do.   Even the best in the world, whether it’s in sports, or business, or in any other area, has weaknesses.  However, these people are VERY good at accentuating their strengths and making sure they are the best at what they do well – so much so that their weaknesses are often overlooked because they are so far overpowered by their strengths.  Focus less on what you can’t do and focus a little more on what you CAN do.

For today’s Focus Friday, I want you to list 5 things you’re good at or do well.

Here are mine:

1. Enjoying the game of softball
2. Sharing what I know with others
3. Encouraging others
4. Moving past mistakes and learning from them
5. Making Strawberry Banana Smoothies

What’s your 5?  Leave a comment below and share them!

P.S. – Tom Hanson talks about Focus in his 7 Success Secrets for Baseball/Softball CD. If you haven’t picked up your complimentary copy yet (just pay $4.95 shipping), get it HERE.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wadem/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

What is it that you want SOOOOO bad that you can taste it?

…and what are you willing to do to get there?????

That’s what I want to know today.  Leave a comment here and share what ONE thing you want most out of this year or this season (or even a few years from now if you have a bigger goal in mind).

• What is it that’s driving you each and every day to do what you do?
• What are you aiming for?
• What is it that you want and what are you willing to do to get it? (no cheating allowed!!!!)

Leave a comment here and share!

So – simple exercise that you will do right here.  Leave a comment and list 5 things that you are thankful for or happy about on this beautiful Friday.

Here are mine:

1. My family and the day I will be spending with them tomorrow
2. Our beautiful weather
3. My  good health
4. The opportunity to blog about something I love (softball!) and have people who actually read it
5. Being able to share information and resources that HELP others!

What are your 5?  Leave a comment below and share!

thank you photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/vernhart/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

beach photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/januszbc/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

There have been things I’ve wanted to do for you, videos I wanted to create, new content I wanted to put up here at AAF, new stuff I’ve wanted to add to the Elite Member area and I haven’t been able to do it. My MacBook, which is where I have all my AAF stuff saved and what I used to do all my video tasks, has been broken for a while. It won’t power up. It’s totally and completely dead.

I’ve tried to get on the phone with Apple Care before, but I happened to call during a time when their help center was closed. Their automated message suggested that I go online to make an appointment. So I did. After going through a bunch of steps and filling out forms on the internet, the process ended with an error message. Super frustrating!!! A phone call, all the time on the computer and zero progress. I was as far from getting help for my MacBook as when I started. I really dislike calling in to help centers because it always seems to take up so much more time than necessary. Then there are those times when I’m on hold for so long and end up getting disconnected and have to start all over! Ugh!

So, after that failed attempt and getting the help I needed for my laptop, I’ve been put it off, hoping that I could figure out how to get it to charge (after all I was able to do it once since I started having problems – but never again).

I’ve been using all that as an excuse as to why I “can’t” create the new videos and content I want to give you – “technical difficulties.”

Well, yesterday I DECIDED that I needed to get on the ball and stop dragging my feet. I need to stop making excuses! I got on the phone again and made that dreaded call to customer service and did have to wait on hold for a while and did have to explain my situation more than once. You know how you explain everything to the first person you talk to, they make all kinds of notes, yet when they transfer you to the department that can help you, you still have to explain everything all over again anyway? Why do they take all those notes if no one’s going to read them? Anyway, bottom line is, I have an appointment to get my MacBook taken care of this morning. I finally got off my butt and did something about my problem.

Even though that’s one of my pet peeves (people grumbling about a situation, but doing nothing to better it), I find myself falling into that funk every now and then. Life gets in the way, my schedule gets hectic, family issues arise. I’m sure you’ve been there before. You’ve probably had times like that too. But is there something right now that you KNOW you need to take care of? Something you KNOW is holding you back, but you’ve been pushing it to the back burner or dragging your feet about?

If there is, I challenge you to get off your butt today and do something, anything to improve your situation. Will my MacBook be fixed today? I don’t know. I hope so, but at least I know I got the ball rolling in the right direction now. If there’s something more I have to do, I’m prepared to take those steps to see the task through to completion. But you know what? It all startes with the DECISION to take ACTION. That’s why I love BeachBody’s little slogan (the company that puts out p90x which I am doing)…

Decide. Commit. Succeed

It really is as elementary as that. You can accomplish so much by doing those first two things….making a decision about what it is you want and what you’re going to do, then committing to it day in and day out even if you don’t feel like it. You can know that you want something or know that you want to do it, but that can be light-years away from actually making the decision to get up and DO it. Make the decision to improve then commit to doing something every day to get yourself closer to that goal. The success part can’t help but follow.

Where can you use a little “P90X” in your life, your game? P90X is not a fly by night type of program. It’s not for the weak. It’s not for the unmotivated. It’s not for the uncommited or those who are “hoping” to change their fitness and their lives. It’s for serious, committed, motivated, mentally tough people who are willing and ready to face the challenges it throws at them and take their “game” to the next level. It’s for those are are ready to throw excuses aside and “get busy!”

So…What’s that one thing you’ve been pushing to the back of your mind? That you know you need to take care of or make a change in? What is it that you’re going to get up off your butt about today?

That’s one of the main reasons the “Shameless Brags” group was created at Fastpitch World: to give you a place to celebrate and share your small (or big) victories and motivate you to keep pushing forward toward your ultimate goals.

Plus, I always find it motivating to read success stories from others in the game.

So…have you or your team accomplished something cool this season?

It doesn’t have to be big – it can be something small (1st homerun even). If so, please come and share your story! “Shameless Brags” was created specifically for sharing positive stories so that
others can celebrate with you and get inspired as well.

Or, if you don’t have anything to write, maybe you’ll find a little inspiration in the stories there.

If you haven’t been to Fastpitch World yet, you do need to sign up for an account before you can post, but it doesn’t cost a thing and only takes a few minutes.

Can’t wait to read your success story there!

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Don’t have any goals set yet? Elite members have 24/7 access to our Goal Setting Bootcamp which walks you through the questions and process you need to in order to set powerful
effective goals for your future.   Join our Elite Members Today

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