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As 2009 approaches, we all need to take time to re-evaluate our goals: what’s working, what’s not and what do we really want in terms of peak performance in the coming year? These next three articles will create a solid and strong base for you to attack the coming year. Here’s the line-up:
- Safety in Numbers - Building your own training/support team and getting your personal team aligned for success (your mind, emotions and behaviors).
- Map It! - Yes, you’ve heard it before but you can never have enough learning around goal setting and identifying what drives your game.
- Get Your Gear- Provisions for the Jungle. Once you have your team and your map, you need to make sure you have what it takes to survive the challenge.
Now that you have the preview, let’s get started! It is never a good idea to embark on a journey through the peak performance jungle alone. You need a guide and a team to make sure you travel safely and avoid the quacks and dangers along the way.
What kind of team are we talking about? Well, there are actually 2 teams that drive every player’s performance and development.
1. Your Dream Team – everything inside of YOU- your mind, emotions and behaviors.
2. Your Training Team- The people who support, train and hold you accountable to unleash your best.
So, how do you build the ultimate Dream Team? The best way to engage your mind, heart, and body together to work as one toward your goals is to first identify your message. Your message is what you are about as a player, not just your w-l or ranking but how you want to be known on and off the court and how you want to play …what do you want others to see and experience and know about you when they experience you as a player? What’s your message?
Here is an example:
- Mental - I am mentally tough and I am relentless on and off the court.
- Emotional - I play with passion and use my emotions positively to charge my belief in myself and take my game to next level.
- Physically- I am beastly, fit, strong, and always give 110 %. I never leave anything on the court.
If this were your message, how would you play to illustrate this message to others, your opponents, coaches, sponsors? Always be clear about whom you want to be and how you want to compete and the results will follow. In other words, play LOUD and let your message be heard by HOW you compete, train, and show up each day on the court.
What about your Training Team? As you know, though tennis is largely an individual sport it takes a team of people to support you to be your best, and your job is to choose those people carefully and to appreciate their efforts on your behalf. Your Training Team can consist of parents, coaches, trainers, physical therapists, teachers, friends, family, teammates… Ideally, all of your team members should be people you respect, who believe in you, your dreams, and are willing to support you to achieve them.
Now, let’s take these concepts and create some traction for you to use them to help you reach your goals. Here’s the recap:
- Big Idea - the BIG IDEA here is that it takes the power of 2 teams working together: your Dream Team and Your Training Team to leverage your talent, skill, and achieve peak performance in tennis, school and life! Play Loud! Your response: Own Your Message
- MOJO Moment- “More Joy” - This is when you think about actually being and playing your message on and off the court…when you imagine how you look, what others say about you, knowing you are being authentic as a player, confident you are living your message… HOW DOES IT FEEL? You need to go there and imagine it first. Tap into the power of your emotions to move you and motivate you to keep moving forward. Your response: FEEL IT! FEEL your message and allow it to energize you.
- Game Plan- Here’s where you take action. Get a piece of paper and create 2 sections for Dream Team and Training Team. List all those people on your training team, and/or those you want to become a part of your team and make sure you list one thing you most appreciate about them, how they help/support you and then give them a personal acknowledgment (a simple thanks for all you do for me) is just fine!
It’s now time for a Dream Team meeting! It’s your job to make sure all members are aligned toward the same mind, heart, body, and spirit goals. Under each one, list how you know they are on board and if they aren’t, what will it take to get them there? Example: if your heart is in it but your mind has doubts, start to ask yourself, how would you need to think differently (talk to your self or visualize) to get in alignment with what you truly want.
Your Response: DO IT! Take Action Now!
Happy Team Building! Look for next issue before the New Year. 2009 is going to start off rockin!
Peace,
Joanne
Peak Performance Coach and Jungle Guide
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Joanne Foreman is the founder of Pure Impact, a performance coaching company passionate about helping clients put the pieces together for peak performance in sports, business, and life. For more information about Joanne and Pure Impact visit www.pureimpact.net or email joanne@pureimpact.net.
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