THEME: Routine

"The conscious practice of routines leads to the unconscious habits of success."-Gary Mack

            How many times have you tried to do something for the first time and failed miserably?  Trying to shoot a basketball?  How about trying to tackle a big test without REALLY studying the material?  In these cases, we may try very hard, but still not get the results that we are really striving for.  This is where developing a healthy routine is extremely beneficial to an athlete, a student, or anyone else in the world.  Being involved in a healthy routine means preparing yourself in all facets of your task.  As an athlete, routines are a means for making sure that you are in the right place at the right time.  By developing good routines, you have prepared the proper way over, and over, and over again.  Let’s apply this to that test that you didn’t do so well on because you crammed the night before.  If you study that material a little bit each night so it stays fresh in your mind.  Suddenly, this material is much easier to recall on test day because you are very familiar with it.  Likewise, taking the same good swing in practice, using constant positive self-talk, and having a set of habits creates a familiar setting for you on the field.  It puts you in the best place at the right time.  Furthermore, familiarity gives anyone a sense of being comfortable.  Wouldn’t you rather play this difficult game in a comfortable state rather than an anxious and nervous one?  As you approach the day and this week, let’s see if you can create something that gives you a familiar feeling (whether its having the same throwing partner in warm ups, or even chewing sunflower seeds when you hit!).  Have a great day!

Some Quotes to Think About:

“Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.”

-Aristotle

THEME: Attitude

“When you take a person and put him in a situation where he is having fun, his possibilities are limitless.” – Marshall Faulk

            Attitude.  How sick and tired are you of hearing about “your attitude”.  We’ve all heard it time and time again.  However, we usually hear it in a negative way.  Example: “Your attitude needs to change.”  Yes, this is something we (even adults!) hear all the time, but for good reason.  Attitude, in my opinion, is a key for our team AND your personal success.  A coach told me once, “What we think will affect how we feel, which in turn affects what we do (or how well we do it!).”  Does this mean the player who plays with a positive attitude will play better than the player who plays with no confidence and a poor attitude.  Yes it does!  If you go into an at-bat against a good pitcher and say, “I have no chance to get on base against this guy”, chances are very good that you wont.  Will you get lucky once in a while?  Yes.  But this is no mentality for consistent success.  In a game where 3 hits in 10 at bats will get you in the hall of fame, we need all the help we can get. (This means we FAIL 7 out of 10 times!)

Now, how do we get to the point where we have a positive attitude?  For most, attitude is a result of success.  An average athlete says, “If I do well, then I am happy.”  What we are really looking for is, “I am happy, therefore I will do well.”

We are going to be in a lot of situations where we can choose to have a bad attitude.  We will have times on the field and in the classroom when we can say “Oh, no” rather than “I can succeed.”  The good news is that while we cannot control the circumstances we are dealt, we CAN control the attitude we bring to that situation.  If you choose to have a good attitude, I guarantee your success will go up. 

As we continue through the season, lets make a great effort in having a good attitude in a situation in which we could have a bad one.  I’ll help out with some examples of negative attitudes and what they could be replaced with.

Poor attitude/self talk                                           Positive attitude/self talk

There is a very big difference in these two columns and they both yield very different attitudes.  The biggest key (and one that we have been doing a GREAT job with in practice so far!) is to have FUN.  Baseball is a fun game; otherwise we wouldn’t be out here.  Continue to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm every day on and off the field.

Some Quotes to Think About:

“If you say you can or you can't you are right either way” 
                              - Henry Ford

THEME: Enthusiasm

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

            Enthusiasm “is showing great interest and excitement for something.”  I was told this as a kid, and it is an idea that I feel is very under-preached.  In my opinion, enthusiasm is the greatest key to our success in whatever we do.  If we do not carry a certain level of enthusiasm into what we do, it will be very difficult for us to achieve whatever it is that we are striving for (our purpose!).  While enthusiasm for something is ultimately self-driven, this week’s theme will give you an idea of what it means to have excitement and how it can affect our performance.  Let’s break it down into interest and excitement.

            When we talk about showing an interest for something, it is the idea that it we are motivated to LEARN more about whatever it may be.  If it’s a subject in school, you want to gain a deeper understanding for the information.  If it’s a job, you want to be able to hold more responsibility to work your way up.  We must show that we are willing and open to learning.  If we are not willing to learn, we will stay in the same place for a long, long time.  This is only part of the equation, though.

            The second part of enthusiasm is showing great excitement.  When we show excitement for what we do, we are fully engaged and we do whatever it is with ENERGY!  If it is on the baseball field, it is hustling on and off the field at a full sprint.  It is diving for a ball in the hole or sliding in hard to second base to break up a double play.  ALL of my movements are at 100% effort, because if they are not I am getting into a bad routine by not giving my best all the time (haven’t we talked about routines before?).  If we are what we repeatedly do, then energy works in the same manner.  If I constantly practice it, my energy levels for everything I do will be higher, I guarantee it. 

            Now, does this mean that I will not be successful in anything unless I am enthusiastic about it?  What if Math just doesn’t interest me?  What if I really don’t like history?  These are all legitimate questions because the fact of the matter is that we aren’t always going to have a great interest in everything!  However, our willingness to learn should ALWAYS be present.  Whether it’s baseball, schoolwork, or your job, we must always have a mindset that is open to learning.  If we practice being willing to learn, then when we come across that thing that grabs our attention, then our energy and our willingness to learn creates the enthusiasm that we all strive for. 

All of us have an interest in baseball (otherwise we wouldn’t be out here right?).  Hopefully, we are willing to learn and are willing to do things at 100%, everyday.  If these two things are true and present, then we will be able to turn a lot of “almost there” games into wins.  We are right there!  You must wake up everyday and make the decision to be enthusiastic.  Each person must focus on maintaining his own energy level and willingness to learn, because that is a full time job. 

As we move through this week, lets be enthusiastic about what we do.  Lets come out with a lot of energy and hustle (its contagious) and be willing to learn everyday.  If we do this I promise you will like how the week ends up.  Have a great week!

Some Quotes to Think About:

“You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm”

- Sidonie Gabrielle Colette