Assisting others in Becoming Champions in their sport, performance and Life

In the fall and winter of 09 I had the honor of facilitating my Inner Fitness program with a group of young lady soccer players. Today some of those young ladies were featured in the Nelson Daily News for their outstanding achievements. I am so proud of  Andrea Stinson (best all round athlete), Brittany Wheeler (top female scholar), and Sarah Fuhr (for basketball and soccer) all featured in this article.

It is so wonderful to be part of the world of sport and I love assisting in others becoming Champions in their sport, performance and life.

World Cup 2010 - Deep Hunger to Connect

Have been counting down to this day for what seems like a very long time! For those of you who may not be aware, (if that’s possible) today is start of the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa. This is the first tournament held in the continent of Africa and promises to be special both on and off the pitch.


The first World Cup was in 1930 and since then it has grown to become one of world’s largest sporting events, bringing people from all different corners of the world together and giving them to opportunity to interact and connect. The digital age has opened up many new ways to connect with fans across the globe and also show your passion and love for the game of football, and your team. In this blog I hope will add something to why there is such a Deep Hunger to Connect through this World Cup experience.

In my upcoming documentary, book and game I begin by taking my audience on a journey to the ancient world where athletic contests were offerings to the gods and in some cases, notably the Mayas, it was the athletes themselves who were the offerings! Sport was more than entertainment, an afternoon at the ball game, it was an individual and group religious experience. Sport had divine purpose whether as a rite to win celestial favor, to placate an angry deity, or to honor departed heroes.

Michael Novak, author of The Joy of Sports, insists this purpose still exists today: ...sports flow outward from a deep natural impulse that is radically religious: an impulse of freedom, respect for ritual limits, a zest for symbolic meaning, and a longing for perfection.

Furthermore, Novak and others argue this function of sport is eternal whether we acknowledge this or not. Writes Andrew Cooper, Sports satisfy our deep hunger to connect with a realm of mythic meaning ... to see the transpersonal forces that work within and upon human nature enacted in dramatic form, and to experience the social cohesion that these forms make possible. Whether or not we so name them, these are religious functions.

Sport’s spiritual function works on both the level of the athlete and the audience; in fact, each is often dependent on the other. A winning performance by an athlete can stir a crowd into exhilaration, and they, in turn, can compel an athlete to new heights. Todays opening of the World Cup is a powerful example of how Cheering works, thus alludes to the popular notion of home team advantage whereby athletes are inspired by positive audience reaction and collective enthusiasm. Perhaps it’s not an accident, then, that the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek, meaning to be inspired or possessed by a god.

This religious aspect of sport, however, has once again been sublimated by a secular culture: Our society so thoroughly secularizes sport that we can barely recognize, let alone express, what it makes us feel, laments Cooper. Recognition of the sacred has been reduced to popular idioms such as team worship, sports icon and, yes, The Zone.

Owning the Zone traces the secularization of sport and asks the question, Did we go wrong and, if so, where? The implications of this question are far-reaching for they threaten to touch upon the malaise that is modern sport. Contract disputes and players’ strikes, diva behaviour among star athletes, crass commercialization, soaring ticket prices that make professional sports inaccessible to much of the masses, these and other problems might be attributed to some extent to the loss of sport’s sacred place.

Let me ask you this. What does the secularization of sport mean for athletes and what implications, if any, does it have on their ability to enter and Own The Zone?

There is a wonderful paradox in Buddhism about losing yourself in order to find yourself. Enlightenment can only be reached when one surrenders the ego to a higher power, surrenders individual goals to the greater good. One can play on the word goals here, for the new trend in coaching is to encourage athletes to do exactly the same as a monk. Phil Jackson works from the premise that When a player surrenders his self-interest for the greater good, his fullest gifts as an athlete are manifested...When players are totally focused on the team goal, their efforts can create chain reactions ... Selflessness is the soul of teamwork. It’s what makes the difference, Jackson argues, between an unsuccessful team with many talented players who cling to individual glory, and a successful team with average players who don’t.

This need to lose oneself in the game in order to win it also works in solo competitions like golf. As Dr. Gio Valiante, a Rollins College psychology professor who works with pro golfers, states. Someone who plays to impress others or prove something will have too many external thoughts to truly focus. The player who plays to learn, improve and excel is fully involved in the process and its details. That’s a player who can get into the zone and be more fulfilled.

However, now that The Zone has become a mainstream issue some would say a fad there is added pressure upon athletes to claim access to it.The Zone has become the Holy Grail of sport and most athletes, professional or amateur, feel the pressure to boast they’ve drunk from this cup. The irony is that, like the Holy Grail, the more you seek the glory of The Zone the more elusive it becomes.

The result is the paradox of the humble sports hero. One only has to think of the grace, and graciousness, of a Wayne Gretzky and contrast it with the out-of-control behaviour of a Mike Tyson or a Dany Heatley to see how this paradox works. Star athletes and teams are among a nation’s heroes, and our need for heroes who behave like heroes, who take their responsibility as role models seriously, runs deep within our cultural consciousness. When a hero falls from grace the collective disappointment is profound, shattering the faith and calling into question the very value and meaning of sport.

Owning the Zone concludes that professional sport must once again find the sacred within itself if it is to meet the needs of both athlete and audience. It is a question of survival. As we have argued throughout this documentary, sport is very much like a religion and it is worth noting that previous belief systems which failed to meet the needs of its adherents eventually drifted into oblivion or were consumed by another, stronger faith. If we as a culture are to hold onto this pathway to the divine, participants of sport, whether contestant or spectator, must continue to find The Zone, to marvel at its splendor, and find meaning in the experience.

This unique book and documentary will examine Peak Performers in Sports Entertainment and the strategies (internal performance strategy) unconsciously utilized by these peak performers that keep them Owning the Zone and that have made the difference that makes the difference in their lives and work

Through this exploration, you as the audience will discover a revelatory understanding of how peak performers achieve and maintain peak performance. By becoming fully being aware of how internal performance strategies program one for performance, you will learn how to utilize their own strategy in a more productive way.

You may actually like to try on a peak performer’s strategy to see how it can make a difference in their life and they can through my private coaching, soon to be released book and video game.

Reputation is What You are Perceived to be Character is what YOU are

This blog is dedicated to my grandson Baye ... there are no words that could better describe what being a teacher, coach and success really means.

Baye, may you one day on your journey through this thing called life watch this video by John Wooden and may you one day be blessed with a teacher/coach such as John.

Reputation is what YOU are perceived to be. Your character is what YOU are. Coaching for people not for points.

The role of Beliefs

Did you know that the a belief is not about reality?


You have a belief in place of knowledge about reality.


Beliefs are about the things that nobody can know in reality.


So now ask yourself what is my reality? 

Jose Mourinho -SELF BELIEFS - Who's Your Boss?

CNN) -- The success achieved by Portuguese soccer coach Jose Mourinho suggests that his players would not just run through a brick wall for him; they'd happily march through an obstacle course full of them to earn his respect.

The self-proclaimed "Special One" is the flamboyant manager of Italian champions Inter Milan who are currently on course to take the Serie A title for the fifth consecutive year.

But if his current Inter squad love him, then his former Chelsea players adore him, after his successful stint at the club between 2004 and 2007 delivered their first English Premier League triumphs in over 50 years.

England international and Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard says of Mourinho: "I love him as a man and as a manager."

The two sets of players collide in Europe's most prestigious club competition -- the Champions League -- on Wednesday, when all eyes will be on the game's ultimate touchline showman in his first competitive match against his old club.

But how does Mourinho arouse such complete loyalty from his employees? And is he everything a good boss should be? He does and he is, according to sports psychologist Andy Barton.

Respect
.It's no fluke that after a defeat, Inter gets straight back on its feet. That's all thanks to Mourinho.
--Diego Milito, Inter Milan

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"Mourinho's role with his players is the same as it should be in any office," Barton told CNN. "He is very, very supportive of them and treats them as equals. He knows he needs to focus people on what they do well, and then on what they need to do to improve.

"Sometimes in the workplace managers think it is all about being ruthless when that is the least effective way of doing things. Appraisals can turn into a long list of what employees do wrong. That doesn't help at all; it puts them in a negative mind set.

"But Mourinho will always look to turn a positive into a negative. If a team is 3-0 down at half time and the manager starts screaming about all the mistakes they've made it isn't going to help. Instead he'll focus on some of the things they are doing right, and then tell them how they can turn the game around.

"You have to be specific about what is required; that way, the player or employee starts to build up a mental image of what is needed. A good manager is committed to trying to get the best out of an individual, and knowing how each member of staff ticks. Mourinho is a master at that."

Protection
Barton says Mourinho is desperate to alleviate as much pressure as possible from his players, and is quite prepared to do something outrageous to shield them from criticism.

Mourinho was hit with a three-game ban following a gesture he made during Saturday's controversial 0-0 draw against Sampdoria. After two of his players were sent off Mourinho crossed his arms in the manner of being handcuffed -- a suggestion that Inter were being victimized by match officials.

Previously this season, after another poor Inter performance, Mourinho leapt off the team coach to physically confront a journalist who he said had invaded his players' space. The media uproar after the confrontation deflected attention from the bad result, and made sure he was the story instead.

One of his players, Diego Milito, confirmed the success of this tactic in an interview with newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport: "There is no coach like him when it comes to sticking his neck out and defending everyone, that way reducing the tension within the team when things aren't going well. It's no fluke that after a defeat, Inter gets straight back on its feet. That's all thanks to Mourinho."

Self belief
Underpinning Mourinho's approach is an unwavering self belief that he transmits to his players, as Barton explained: "Mourinho's self belief is palpable and you can read it in everything -- his body language and how he speaks -- you know he has complete trust in his abilities and that gives his players confidence.

"He's like a general on the touchline, commanding his troops and he explodes sometimes. He may do it heighten the opposition players arousal levels, to inspire in them an intense desire to beat him, and that can throw them off their game and affect their decision making. He very much makes it us against the world."

There is another intriguing subplot to the Inter versus Chelsea clash. The English side are now managed by Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who left Inter's bitter rivals AC Milan this summer.

A running battle between the pair erupted during their stint in opposite dugouts and it continued even after Ancelotti left for London. Mourinho has been quoted as saying: "Ancelotti is no friend of mine." The Italian replied by referring to his rival as "His Mourinhity" in his autobiography.

Mourinho often says inflammatory things about opposition players and managers before a big game but Barton says Mourinho may take a different approach in the build up to Wednesday's crucial match. He told CNN: "I don't think he will be confrontational about his return clash against Chelsea because he has always professed his love for the club and the players he used to coach but he will make a few jibes about Ancelotti, and could try to undermine his position by talking about his own success at the club.

"The thing about Mourinho is that you don't know what he's going to do next but whatever it is it will be because he thinks it is beneficial to the team. Mourinho will definitely be looking forward to going back. He will thrive on the attention and will be happy to keep the pressure from his team."


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Why to BELIEVE in others

Viktor E. Frankl was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. He spent three years during World War II in concentration camps, including Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and Dachau, where he formulated many of his key ideas. Logotherapy, his psychotherapeutic school, is founded on the belief that striving to find meaning in life is the most powerful motivation for human beings.


Frankl wrote 39 books, which were published in 38 languages. His best-known, Man's Search for Meaning, gives a firsthand account of his experiences during the Holocaust, and describes the psychotherapeutic method he pioneered. The Library of Congress called it one of "the ten most influential books in America." Frankl lectured on five continents.


"Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human. "
Viktor Frankl

Vancouver Canucks Live in stuck Belief Systems not unlike the frozen water they skate on

I am so grateful to the Masters I have had the priviledge of studying and apprenticing with. Robert Dilts of NLP University and Christina Hall President of NLP Society. My life was turned around completely and forever because of NLP. My work is totally based in NLP. I will always be grateful for and to NLP and these Master Trainers who create and teach with integrity. This has been passed on to me and I honor this and embrace using these techniques when I work with all my clients.Below is an exerpt from an interview with Robert Dilts for the documentary Beyond Beliefs.

by Robert Dilts, Co-Developer of NLP

Excerpt from interview for the film"> Beyond Belief
The other thing about NLP it says there are different levels, lets call it programming.  That is, to have a behavior, there is an inner mental map, a cognitive program that sort of guides that behavior.  Behind that cognitive map are beliefs and values which are different than, let’s say, our idea about what we want.  They are more the motivation, the permission, and then behind that is our sense of identity.
So if I say I want something, there is an “I” who wants it, and behind that “I” that’s where you get to that sense of a purpose, of belonging to something that is beyond yourself, that is bigger than yourself.  This is where you get a sense of some kind of deeper vision of purpose.
People who are able to achieve things they want in their life most effectively are people who are aligned in that way:  their identity is aligned with their higher purpose, then their beliefs fit with that identity and that is connected with their capabilities which lead to their behavior.
When you are aligned, when your identity and your beliefs and your capability are aligned, we called that being in the zone.  A lot of NLP is about coaching what you might call the inner game.  Every athlete, every performer knows that you have an outer game, which is what you are doing, what the physical activity is.

And there’s the mental game, which has to do with your mental attitude and your emotional attitude.  So when those things are aligned, the athlete would say you are in the zone and a performer you would say you havepresence. So when you have that sense of confidence, the zone is what we call being in a state of effortless excellence, of flow.

 The idea of neuro-linguistics is you’ve got language and the nervous system.  A positive affirmation is the linguistic part of the belief, but it is not the “neuro” part.  To actually bring in an empowering belief, you are going to be doing more than just saying it in the mind.  That’s the verbal part, the idea of the belief.

 In NLP we say you’ve got to get beyond the idea. to get it in the muscle.  The way you are going to do that is by adding in information from the other senses and also using the body, your physical attitude, you are aligning again the words with your inner images, your memories and your physiology.

 In NLP coaching we do a number of things.  The first is to help people get IN the zone and the second is to find out what gets in the way of being in the zone and how to transform that.  One of the ways that we’re going to coach people to get into the zone, it starts by coming present in the body, to come into the body.  In fact, we say the body is always in the present, to bring the mind and the body into the same place.