Please post a comment on this blog and let me know what you think about confidence in girls basketball. Just scroll down to leave a comment. This should be your thoughts on what you heard in the video or other ways you have gotten your confidence back. I will be personally responding to the comments.
Patosha Jeffery, The Girls Basketball Trainer
Another Great John Di Lemme Tip.
If you are a Champion (and you are), then you will be promoted to greater and higher realms of leadership. Life has a way of elevating true Champions. Just as cream rises to the top of milk, true Champions rise to the top of companies, projects, and great events. When that happens, old relationships fall away. It can be emotional and difficult, but it’s part of the price of leadership. Champions must be separated from the crowd before they can be elevated into prominence.
I only hang out with Champions. My mastermind team consists wonderful, fired up, success maniacs that are striving to succeed in every area of their life. They support and encourage my “Why” in life, and I support them the same way. But, you know what? Not one of them is someone I knew from my past. Except for my parents and some family, not one of my friends from my old days is around me today. Think about that; I was separated away from the lower levels. That’s not prideful talk. I’m humbled and grateful for the blessings of God that have elevated me. But, I’m telling you that one of the prices that Champions have to pay is being separated from the old gang.
I won’t even try to convince you that this is an easy process. Sometimes it happens naturally after you begin to immerse yourself in positive self-development materials and activities. One day you look around, and you are surrounded by positive, like-minded people. Believe me, negative naysayers don’t want to hang around with someone that is always speaking empowering words or has a positive outlook on life despite the obstacles.
On the other hand, sometimes those friends that are always dragging you down just decide to hang around and try harder to squash your Why in life. What do you do? You have to exercise the gift of goodbye. Explain to those people that you are on a path to success and you cannot allow them to steal your dreams. It’s like a bad apple in a barrel of delicious red apples. That bad apple becomes cankerous and destroys all of the bright, vibrant apples. This is what happens when you allow those so-called friends to continually badger you with their negative nonsense.
I readily admit that I am always ready to embrace goodbye. I only spend time with Champions. Of course, I’ll help someone that is struggling to find success. I am a mentor, and I’m pretty good at spotting the Champions fighting to get out of people. You’ve seen them too; they’re not addicted to negative attitudes and words. They are always searching the horizon in order to spot their future. When they see it, they go for it. I will always have time to help those people. I love them…Champions struggling to be born. It is not hateful to tell someone goodbye. Rather, it’s faithful. It’s faithful to your own dream and to live the life of a Champion. It’s not a personal thing. You shouldn’t be cruel or dismissive of others, but you have to respond to the call of success. That call will always separate you before it elevates you.
I have seen people elevated while trying to hang on to someone from the old days. If they continue, the old buddy will often trip them up. Not because he’s a bad guy, but because he’s addicted to negativity. It’s like eagles trying to hang out with pigeons. There’s nothing wrong with pigeons, but they will NEVER be eagles. You are an eagle! Fly higher than the pigeons and don’t look down. If you’re making $50,000 a year, start hanging out with people who make $200,000 a year. Learn their secrets. Ask them to teach you. That’s what “separated to be elevated” means. You make a choice about the kind of influences, the kind of people, the kind of books, the kind of movies and the kind of material that you will allow into your mind.
This is serious stuff. Listen to me. If you were determined to become physically fit and healthy, you wouldn’t continue to hang out with Twinkies, donuts, beer, and Doritos. You would find the gift of goodbye; you would move out of the old nutritional neighborhood. You would allow yourself to be separated from McDonalds and Pizza Hut in order to be elevated to healthy power foods. What if you tried to be healthy, but said, “I can’t leave my old friends – the fries, the cakes, the milk shakes – I can’t forsake them?” How long would your dream of health and physical fitness last? It’s the same thing with success and living as a Champion.
You have a decision to make. Are you going to be a Champion? Are you willing to pay the price? The struggle is vitally important. It does something in you and for you. I’ve never known a Champion who didn’t have to struggle with shaking off the old in order to embrace the new. The number of obstacles that you face in life will lay the foundation for massive growth.
Let me tell you, sometimes between the separated and the elevated, there is a very lonely period. You’ve been separated from your old friends and not yet integrated with lots of Champions. That is a real testing time. I was in my twenties when I made the decision to leave my old friends behind. At that time, I was surrounded by many so-called friends that called me everyday to hang out. It wasn’t until I began my success journey that I finally realized that I was wasting precious time by hanging out with that crowd. I wanted so much more out of life and believed I could achieve it. Unfortunately, my friends weren’t ready to step out in faith and build a new life for themselves. After a while, I noticed that the phone stopped ringing and I rarely saw any of those people. It was very lonely but I eventually met new friends that believed in me as much as I believed in myself and my Why in life.
If you want to achieve greatness in your life, then you have to make the decision to develop a mastermind team of positive, influential people that are success-driven and believe in you. Have you ever tried to steer a parked car? Not much excitement there. It’s far better to steer a car that’s moving. The power steering is flowing, the tires are moving on the highway, and you can gently and effortlessly glide that vehicle right up onto the road. When you try to steer from a parked, no power, cold-engine spot on the driveway, nothing happens. Success is like that. You will never be able to turn the key in your heart and travel down the road of success without first pulling out of the old, comfortable parking spot of negative associations.
You’re a Champion! Your car is already moving. The fact that you’re reading this article and not a comic book or other time-waster means that your car is moving pretty well. Just keep rolling . . . right on past the slower cars, the older cars and the beat-up pick-ups that have not been maintained. You were destined for higher elevations. It’s time to go for it!
Motivating Champions Worldwide !
“You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give.”
-Edward O. Wilson
Last year, I hosted an online confidence workshop. I spoke about who you can talk to during your down times. I spoke about what you can do outside of practice. I discussed simple 4 word sentences that can lift you up. I even talked about 3 techniques to get your mind right before a game.
For those who were not able to attend, I decided to turn the online workshop into a DVD. It is also available in e-book and audio format.
You can visit girlsbasketballresources.com to access it.
“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.”
-Mark Victor Hansen
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”
-Michael Jordan
I was reading a blog post from Alan Stein. He is the strength and conditioning coach from the video I posted on Conditioning Drills
His post talks about branding yourself. It has some very interesting points and it comes at the right time especially since basketball tryouts and the last NCAA evaluation period of the year are approaching. That means players will be putting themselves in position to impress and stand out so team coaches and college coaches can see them.
Here are some interesting points:
What are your favorite brands?
Nike? Apple? Facebook? BMW? Vitamin Water?Do you consider people to be brands? Well they are! The most obvious is Michael Jordan (heck, his company is called the Jordan Brand). What about Donald Trump, Jay-Z, and LeBron James? Do you consider them brands? I certainly do. Why? Because the characteristics that come to mind when you think of them as individuals are automatically associated with the product they endorse. Make sense? You won’t see Donald Trump endorsing Wrangler Jeans.
If you want to be successful, both on and off the court, you need to start viewing yourself as a brand as well. Think of it as “brand you.” Everything you do affects your brand in some way (either positively or negatively). The way you dress, the way you act, and even the way you play. You need to take your brand very seriously if you want to make it to the top. And just to clarify, I believe in being authentic. I am not telling you to act like someone else or to try to please others just for the sake of it. You need to be real. You need to be genuine. You need to believe in your own brand, and equally important, set the standards of your brand. You need to decide what characteristics you find most important and then live up to them every day of your life.
Is your goal to play college basketball? Then carry yourself as if you already do! Hold yourself to the same standard of excellence as an elite college basketball player would… now… don’t wait. Carry yourself with the same honor, character, humbleness and work ethic as college superstars Evan Turner (Ohio State) or Wesley Johnson (Syracuse). Those two represent everything that is right with college basketball. Evan and Wesley know the importance of their brand. And now both are surefire lottery picks.
What do you want people to think about your brand? What would you want them to say when describing your brand? Hard working or lazy? Coachable or a hard-headed? Energy giver or energy taker?
What makes your brand unique on the court? Are you a great passer? Or are you a ball hog? Are you a lock-up defender? Or do you only play one end of the floor? Are you a good teammate? Or are you only focused on getting yours?
What makes your brand special off the court? Are you a good student? Or are you a class clown? Do you do what is right when no one is watching? Or are you always looking for a short-cut or an easy way out? Nike cares about what people think of their brand. So does Apple. So does Vitamin Water. So does every other big time brand. So should you.
If you don’t think these things matter, then honestly, you don’t have a clue. They matter more than you know. What people (coaches, teachers, scouts, parents, friends, etc.) think about your brand has a direct impact on the opportunities you will have in life. You only buy brands you like and trust, right? Why would people be any different? Would you buy an iPod if there was a good chance it would break? Would you drink Gatorade if it tasted like vinegar? Absolutely not! So why would a college coach want to give you a scholarship or an NBA general manager give you a contract if they didn’t have full confidence in your brand (both on and off the court)? The answer is… they wouldn’t.
Everything you do reflects your brand – everything! The way you dress, your email etiquette, your Tweets, your table manners, your voicemail message, your eye contact… the list goes on and on.
I roll my eyes when a player sends me an incoherent email full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes asking me what they need to do to be successful on the court. Especially when it is sent from ChocolateAdonis@aol.com (which actually happened!). How am I supposed to take them seriously? If you don’t have the personal pride to use spell check or punctuation, why would I think you have the discipline to follow my recommendations? Please don’t waste my time. Same goes for someone who has a 5 minute rap song full of foul language on their outgoing voice message or a Facebook profile full of inappropriate pictures. These folks just don’t get it.
Research has shown it takes less than 30 seconds for someone to form a lasting impression of you. If you make a poor first impression, it can take up to 21 follow up impressions to change that person’s opinion. First impressions are a big deal. Remember, whether it is right or wrong, people will always judge you and judge your brand. What do you want them to think?
One of my favorite stories of first impressions and building a strong brand is when Michael Redd met Jerry Colangelo. Back in 2006, USA Basketball was in the initial stages of putting together the “Redeem Team” to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Jerry Colangelo (managing director of USA Basketball) arranged individual interviews with every potential player. He wanted to meet with them prior to deciding who to put on the team. He wanted to look them in the eye to get a sense of their character and commitment. Michael Redd drove straight from his practice with the Milwaukee Bucks to a hotel in Chicago for the interview. When Mr. Colangelo answered the door, Michael was standing there in his team warm-ups with a garment bag on his shoulder. After shaking hands, Michael asked if he could be excused to use the rest room. When he emerged a few minutes later he was dressed in a full suit and tie. Now he was ready for the interview. Now he was ready to show Mr. Colangelo what his brand was about.
Michael Redd’s actions landed him on the team that eventually won the gold medal. Putting on his suit and tie for the interview showed respect and professionalism. You see, Michael Redd gets it. He understands the importance of his brand. It is not an accident he plays in the NBA and has an Olympic gold medal.
What is Your Brand?
ONE QUESTION: ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT GIRLS BASKETBALL AS THE DRUMMER IN THE VIDEO IS ABOUT DRUMMING?
YOU GOT TO SEE THIS – PRESS PLAY ON THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every once in a while you will encounter a bad game or a bad day. It just seems like nothing will go your way. Contrary to popular belief you can still look good during a bad game or day.
Since the July evaluation period is almost here. It is the perfect time to help you get prepared to showcase your skills to the college coaches and scouts you will be playing in front of.
None other than former college coach, ESPN Hoopgurlz’s Mark Lewis breaks down 8 ways to over come a slump.
- Show them that you can still defend.
- Show them that you can always rebound.
- Show them that you won’t overreact.
- Show them you can learn over the course of the game.
- Show them that you have reading and math skills.
- Show them that you understand time and clock management.
- Show them that you’ve got focus and the right attitude.
- Show them that you can communicate on the floor.
Click here for the complete ESPN Hoopgurlz article
I hosted my very first workshop last weekend and it was a complete success. If you were not able to attend, don’t worry. It was recorded and is now available to watch. As a matter of fact, check out this sneak peek of what’s inside.
This workshop is a great opportunity to learn how to increase your confidence and get out of a slump. Visit Girls Basketball Confidence Workshop for more information.