I attended the final match of the International Tennis Championship in Delray Beach, Florida, last sunday, where 18 year old qualifier Kei Nishikori from Japan upset James Blake, the 12th ranked player in the world. Blake gave the crowd a lesson in world class mental toughness, yet the the lesson seemed lost on most. The Palm Beach Post ran the story of the match the next day scolding Blake for not being more emotional. This is another classic example of how the masses don’t understand mental toughness and world class thinking. The message sent to thousands of teenage athletes was getting angry is the answer to high performance. Not only is this ridiculous, it’s irresponsible. This got under my skin so much I had to wait two days to record this post!  I’ll look forward to your comments. ( 5:44 )

 

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I had an opportunity to see Eddie Van Halen last night in Fort Lauderdale, and I walked away with a mental toughness secret we should all be reminded of. Consider this lesson through the eyes of objective reality and see if you pass the test. keep in mind as you listen to this post that delusional thinking is the enemy of world class success. ( 5: 25 )

 

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The University of Pennsylvania did a study on happiness that made the cover of Time Magazine a few years ago and found that gratitude was the secret of happiness. This is a concept we’ve been talking about in mental toughness training for over 20 years that’s finally being accepted by the academic community. I wrote about it in 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, and in my new book, Coaching the 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class. So heres a critical thinking question for you: when was the last time you expressed your gratitude to someone who added value to your life? As it turns out, expressing gratitude is a win-win exercise in rooted in a love and adbundance philosophy. The person you’re thanking feels appreciated and you feel great for thanking him or her. How can you beat that! For more information on the U of Penn study, visit www.authentichappiness.com  Dr. Martin Seligman headed up this study, and is the founder and leader of the positive psychology movement. Although positive psychology and critical thinking (mental toughness) sometimes clash, Dr. Seligmans books and research are worth there weight in gold. I’ll look forward to your comments. (5:09 )

 

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