I get knocked down, but I get up again!

It has been a cold and snowy week in St. Louis and I am more ready for spring and the start of race season than ever! I know in the middle of July I will complain about the heat, but right now a 90 degree day at Gateway International Raceway with the smell of race fuel and the sound of thunder seems like a wonderful escape from winter. Of course race season will be here before we know it and it a good chance to start over again. One of the other things I love about sports is there is always another week and there is always another season and there is always another chance. As I write this blog, the Super Bowl is just a few hours away. There are always so many wonderful stories of sacrifice, courage, and resilience in the super bowl. For most people, you either love him or "not quite so much" when you think of Kurt Warner. But whatever you think of Kurt, his story of determination and faith is pretty amazing. He played at the University of Northern Iowa (near my childhood hometown) and then he started his interesting NFL career (after a little work in a grocery store, Arena football, etc.). He had a successful career with the St. Louis Rams (near my current hometown) from 1998-2003. And then because of some injuries, etc. Warner left St. Louis and I think most people thought that was it for Kurt Warner. He went to the New York Giants and then on to the Arizona Cardinals and everyone thought that was about it. But Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals surprised everyone this year with an amazing year and Kurt definitely keeps getting knocked down but gets up again (both literally and figuratively!). No matter what happens at the Super Bowl, the Warner story is a great story of determination and resilience.

Chumbawamba said it best with:

We'll be singing

When we're winning

We'll be singing

I get knocked down

But I get up again

You're never going to keep me down

How Bad Do You Want It?

I think all of us love sports because you just never know who is going to win until the game is over. Sports are exciting because it is not always the best team, the fastest car, or the team or person that is "supposed" to win that wins. Of course I love drag racing the best, but I have enjoyed watching the football playoffs because I love watching the psychology of the games. Teams that were supposedly "unbeatable" get beat and teams that were not supposed to even get to the playoffs can go all the way! And I think what it all comes down to is "How Bad Do You Want It?" The teams and the players that really dig deep and keep playing hard, practice hard, and never give up do end up coming out on top. You can see it in these players and the teams, they have that walk, they have the drive, they practice hard, they play hard, they get knocked down and get back up, and they really want it. The drag racers who race year after year know how hard it is to keep the motivation to work on the car, sacrifice other things so you can go racing, and keep trying over the years. It is always fun when everything is working great and winning, but when you have a few problems and get beat a few weeks in a row, you have dig down deep to keep trying and you have to answer the question, How Bad Do You Want It? There is a great song by Tim McGraw called "How Bad Do You Want It?" and I encourage you to buy this CD or download the song for your MP3 player, it is a great motivational song. And take a minute to really think about "How Bad Do You Want It?" What are you willing to do, what are you willing to sacrifice, how hard are you willing to work, are you willing to lay it all out on the line, and is it really something that burns you up inside? I know for sure that the winners out there want it really bad.

A few lyrics from Tim McGraw's How Bad Do You Want It:

"Been out here on this highway

Breathing diesel smoke

Driving hard for hours

Trying to make that Memphis show

People always ask me"Son what does it take

To reach out and touch your dreams?"

To them I always say

Are you hungry?

Are you thirsty?

Is it a fire that burns you up inside?

How bad do you want it?

How bad do you need it?

Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming

With that one thing on your mind?

How bad do you want it?

How bad do you need it?

Cause if you want it all

You've got to lay it all out on the line....

There's always a price you pay no matter what you do

If you're gonna climb that mountain to the top

It always comes down to

How bad do you want it??"

Don't Leave anything on the field!!!

OK—two scenarios for you to think about. Scenario number 1 you go into a situation (work, personal, sport, etc.) and you only give about 50% of what you possibly could give and then you fail. How bad do you feel? You know you could have done more and succeeded. Scenario number 2 you go into a situation (work, personal, sport, etc.) and you give 100% of what you can give at that moment and you fail. How bad do you feel? You did everything you could; you tried your hardest, now you have learned what else you need to do to succeed in the future, but this time you failed. Can you get back up, dust yourself off, and learn and go out and give 100% again and keep learning and trying and improving?

I think most of think, yeah Scenario 2 is better you should always give 100%, but I think if we are HONEST and I mean down and dirty honest, some of us know we don’t give 100% all the time. We hold back, we wait, we are tentative, we lack confidence, we don’t give it our all. And then if we fail, maybe we can feel like, “well I failed because I didn’t give 100%.” And maybe that makes us feel a little bit better—but here is the deal , we will never be the best we can be if we keep leaving something on the field and we don’t give 100% of what we have to give. If we don’t give 100% we can’t push and learn and get better. When we give 100% and fail we have to do more analysis—why am I still failing, what do I have to learn, what do I have to do different, what do I have to get better at?

In drag racing, do you feel better when you try really, really, really hard you are prepared and worked hard and were mentally and physically the best you could be and go red by .001 second or when you were slacking a little and didn’t have your head on straight and cut a .089 light? Both situations are bad, you lost both ways—but what way can you fix? What way is going to win you more rounds in the long run?

So think about this—do you want to go out and give it your all? Are you willing to be brave and give 100% of yourself even if that means failing? Why are you holding back? What are you waiting for? When are you going to give 100%? If not now, when? The best racers, the best athletes, the best people, they give 100% every time to the things they care about. Start right now and decide if you are going to push and learn and grow and risk failing while giving 100% or are you going to make yourself feel better by holding back and not giving all you can give?

Michael Phelps is GOLDEN! (That is music to our ears!)

It is official, I really have Olympic Fever. In fact, it is hard to want to do anything but watch the Olympics. Even sports I didn't know anything about such as synchronized diving are suddenly my new favorite sport! OK, drag racing and auto racing will always be my favorite sport, but you have to admit that the swimming has been very exciting to watch. And if you have been watching the Olympics or following it all, you have to be impressed with the USA swimmer, Michael Phelps! I have been particularly interested in watching and learning about these athletes and what makes them tick mentally. One thing that has been very interesting is watching Michael Phelps before his events. He warms up in a pool and then he comes into the cube and has to wait. During this time you can see him visualizing and listening to his MP3 player. A lot of other athletes you can also watch as they visualize, breathe, and listen to music. And I believe what better athletes to learn from and emulate than Olympic athletes?

So watch them, read about them, and see what you can learn about their drive, motivation, relaxation, confidence, and concentration.

I went on to a few different websites trying to find what is on Michael Phelps' Playlist--certainly any music that motivates a person and keep them focused is the correct music. For some people it might be hard rock, others 80s music, others classical, and others hip hop.

One website reported that Michael Phelps enjoys the following tunes:

1. Overnight Celebrity
Twista

2. Burn
Usher

3. Roses
Outkast

4. 'Till I Collapse
Eminem

5. Smile
G Unit

Certainly these songs may not be for everyone, but they certainly are doing the trick for Michael Phelps. But all of us may just learn a listen about finding music that we can use to help us get motivated, stay focused, and GO FOR THE GOLD!!!

I have Olympic Fever!

Of course auto racing and drag racing in particular is my favorite sport, but I actually like almost any sport. In the fall I love watching the World Series, in the winter I love watching the Super Bowl, and during the entire year there is always some interesting college or professional sport to watch. Psychologists say that a lot of us love sport because we can "bask in the reflected glory" of these outstanding athletes. In other words, we can feel good about ourselves by identifying with outstanding people. It is funny when you hear a fan talking about a Cardinals baseball game and they say, "Yeah, we won last night, we beat the Cubs." As if that person were playing shortstop for the Cardinals. But I certainly do this as well--I feel good when my favorite teams or athletes win and there is no better time to feel good then when it comes to the Olympics! Of course those of us living in the USA will be cheering for our USA athletes! Because I have completed the course work and necessary supervised hours working with athletes, I am an Association for Applied Sport Psychology Certified Consultant (AASP CC). And because of my status as an AASP CC, I was able to apply to be on the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. My name is now on the list that any Olympic or Paralympic athlete could contact me for mental performance enhancement consultation. So I am definitely rooting for the USA Olympic athletes as they perform in China! And since I now have Olympic fever, I think it is a good chance for all of us to watch the games and see what we can learn in our own sport or exercise endeavors. First lesson, determination and perseverance--every Olympic story is a story of self-sacrifice and sticking with their sport through the good and the bad. Second, practice, practice, practice--the amount of time and energy that Olympic athletes dedicate to their sport is inspiring. And finally passion--never forget the love of the sport and the intense desire to be the best that we can learn from these Olympic athletes. It is exciting to watch all of these great athletes from around the world come together and compete. They keep adding new sports every year and I am just waiting for the year they add Top Fuel Funny Car to the list of Olympic events!