Thursday, November 29, 2007

Volume III Part 2

themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"

The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses.
—Napoleon Hill—

Commitment

Do you expect all airlines to be efficient 99% of the time? Let’s assume a certain airline flies 100 times a day which is about 36,500 flights a year at a 99.9% success rate. At .1%, about 36 flights wouldn’t be arriving to their destination annually.

How about your drinking water? What if it were unsafe one day out of a month? What about the mail? At 99.9%, it equates to 16,000 lost pieces of mail an hour! What if this was an answer to scholarship money to your favorite school. I think you’re beginning to get the point.

When you make a commitment to become a teammate, that commitment should be 100%. If there is just one bad apple in the bunch, it will spoil the entire bushel! Don’t let this happen to your team. Here are some preventive measures:

All your teammates should be willing to learn – fire those that aren’t because you just can’t afford a no-it-all.

Stay disciplined – listen to your coaches and you will win—no exceptions!

Once you make a commitment as a team, stay committed—99% just isn’t enough.

Be a wingman to your teammates.

Refuse to fail TOGETHER!

Get That MoJo Goin’

On any given night any team can beat another no matter who they are or where they are ranked in the polls. Every year upsets occur and no team is immune to falling to a lesser opponent. TO PREVENT THIS YOU NEED TO STAY FOCUSED AND FOLLOW THROUGH! Keep the team momentum flowing.

We talked about David and Goliath
(TMDA Volume II Part 5) in a previous blog, and how attitude played an important role. Don’t just talk the talk you need to walk the walk if you want to win. If your team truly believes in itself, victory will follow.

Once you get into the business world, one of the keys to success will be your ability to work closely with your team and to build trust. Your daily preparation for game day equates to how you perform in life.

Next Blog

How to build trust.

Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Volume III Part 1

themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"

The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.
—Vince Lombardi—


A Team In Conflict

When a team is winning it’s easy to get along, but what happens when a team starts to lose consistently? The team begins to go into conflict.

You need to understand the mechanics of teamwork and the role each member of the team plays. Without this knowledge, a team will not be successful—it’s all about chemistry.

When I played football in high school many years ago, we went from a championship team one year to a team in crisis the next. As a junior, our football team was young and “a year away” from greatness. Well, we proved everyone wrong by going undefeated, becoming conference champions, and were ranked #3 of all high schools in the nation!

The following year was supposed to be “our year,” but it wasn’t. We argued with each other, we couldn’t even agree on a captain, and at times tempers flared. In short, we were a team in turmoil. We proved everyone wrong again, but in reverse. Oh, we won the conference championship, but lost three games that year.

This is a typical example of a team with great talent, but having a poor attitude
(TMDA Vol. II Part 5). Why? Because we didn’t understand the meaning of teamwork and the role each of us played. That championship team produced because we had a captain that understood what it takes to win. He symbolized all the necessary qualities that a great leader should have and he led a tight knit team.

Team Sport Or Individual Sport?

When does a team sport become an individual sport? When a team plays like individuals. Everyone has a job to perform whether its on the field or off. A team sport means just that—A TEAM SPORT. I’d like to see how many yards a halfback could gain without a line blocking for him, or how many goals a forward can score in field hockey without being set up by teammates. The answer in each case is obviously very few if any at all.

We all want to win, but too many of us don’t know how to win. The Million Dollar Athlete is about to change all that.

Improve your game. Take the DiSC assessment to learn your strengths and weaknesses on the playing field. Send me an email at tpperformer@aol.com and I'll tell you how you can take it.

Next Blog

When is 99% not enough?

Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com

Monday, November 19, 2007

Volume II Part 18

themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"

Time to Move On

We’ve covered a lot of ground over the last several months and there’s still more to come. Let’s look at some of the highlights:

We discussed self-awareness using the DiSC model and why understanding yourself is so important to your success

We learned that being different isn’t wrong—it’s just being different and that we need to respect the opinions of others

We talked about maintaining a positive attitude and that you can’t change what happened yesterday

We also discussed the sub-conscious mind and the power it has in influencing the way you think and act

You learned how to make every day a perfect day by practicing a positive attitude

We also discussed why following through is so important in building that positive attitude

In the “chicken and egg” theory, you learned why self-confidence needs to come first if you want to gain success

We discussed building trust and why it’s so important in your success

Finally, you learned how to focus on the task, how to control the outcome, which leads to winning in life

What’s Next?

So far we’ve discussed two Power Principles For Success—Self-Awareness and Attitude. Our third Power Principle involves Teamwork and how we can work together as a group to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is the third in my series of Six Power Principles For Success.

The goal of this program is to give you an unfair advantage over your competition. Learn and practice the Six Power Principles and you will gain more success than you can ever handle. Imagine scoring that winning goal, hitting that game winning home run, or scoring that winning touchdown. Nothing is impossible—follow these six principles and it can happen!

The remaining three power principles we will be discussing are Mastering Time, Leadership, and Success. I told you we have a lot to talk about. Becoming that Million Dollar Athlete isn’t easy so you need to focus—control—win.

I’m pumped up and ready to go so see you next time where we’ll begin a new and exciting journey that will build YOUR success.

ARE YOU BUILT TO SUCCEED? Take the DiSC assessment and find out!

Next Blog

“All for one and one for all.”

Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Volume II Part 17

themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"

“A stumbling block to the pessimist is a stepping-stone to the optimist.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

Getting Out Of A Rut

Do you ever find yourself in a rut? We’ve all been at a low point at some time in our lives, and how long you stay there is what matters. Studies show that how you see the future will shape your future.

If you see yourself as never becoming a successful athlete or person, you are shaping your future negatively. Now deep inside your subconscious is the realization that you do have a purpose in life. You need to work toward that purpose and make life significant.

So what do you need to do to get out of that rut and become the athlete and person you dream about? Well, the best way to develop your future is to create it. DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF take action and give your life a purpose.

The first thing you need to do is set some goals. Here are some examples of what you can do:

Decide what you want out of your life – what kind of athlete do you want to become?

Decide what kind of person you want to become – write down the type of personality you want to be.

Determine some long range goals – you should want to achieve these goals by
the time you graduate high school or college (e.g. captain of the team)

Determine your short range goals – you might want to achieve these by the time your season ends (e.g. winning the league championship)

Break your goals down into small parts so you can achieve a little every day

The things you do only have meaning if they help you reach your goal. Remember how we talked about following through and its importance to your overall plan.


It’s Like The Sun Rising

No matter how great an athlete you think you are you’re going to go into a slump. It’s like the sun rising every day – it will happen. So expect it and deal with it. You know it won’t last forever and once it’s over you move on.

You can’t let today get you down because there is always tomorrow. You can’t change what you did yesterday, but you can create a better tomorrow by staying positive and letting the past be the past.

Next Blog

We’re movin’ on!

If you want game, take the DiSC Assessment.

Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com

Monday, November 12, 2007

Volume II Part16

themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
—Lou Holtz—

Taking Command

Let’s say you’re a pitcher and you’re goal is to obviously get each batter out. How do you do that? Do you throw the ball as fast and as hard as you can? Do you throw a bunch of off-speed pitches and curveballs? As a pitcher, what do you need to do to get a batter out?

If you’re a pitcher in baseball or softball, kick a soccer ball, throw a football, or hit a tennis ball, what is the one thing you can control? You control where the ball is placed. This is the key element in winning because YOU control your own destiny.

You don’t have to be the hardest throwing pitcher or hit or kick the ball harder and further than anyone else. If you put the ball where your opponent can’t get to it, that’s all it takes to win—that’s control.

Look at the quote from
Lou Holtz above. Read what he says about the difference between ability, motivation, and attitude. Your attitude determines how well you hit, kick, or throw the ball with the ability to place it where YOU want it to go.

Now there aren’t many
great hitters in baseball. In fact, in all of baseball, there have been only 185 life-time .300 hitters since 1871! So what makes them so great? The key is they can spray the field by hitting the ball anywhere they want to. They are in control at the plate.

Taking Control

So take control of your game by being able to put the ball where you want it to go. If you can do that, you’ll be a winner many more times than you will a loser. I don’t care what your sport is and whether you’re a male or a female. The lesson here is concentrate on what you can control.

Break down your sport and focus on how you can gain the power to control the outcome of the game. A strategy is worthless if you can’t execute.

Focus – Control – Win!

Next Blog

Are you in a rut?

Take Control — Take The DiSC Assessment.

Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Volume II Part 15

themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect it’s successful outcome.”
–William James—

Building Trust

How important is
trust and do you think you can win without it? Let’s assume you are a cheerleader and your routine is to be thrown in the air, perform a back somersault, and then be caught in the arms of two other cheerleaders. What would be your trust factor with the two cheerleaders that are there to catch you? It better be nothing less than 100%!

What if in that same scenario one of the cheerleaders was a sub—someone you’ve never done this routine with. Think about what your trust factor is now. Whatever it may be, it’s certainly less than 100% and that could be an issue in your mind.

It takes a long time to build trust, and it takes an instant to lose it. This happens every day in business and also on the athletic field. Once you lose trust in someone, you no longer feel secure around them. You just don’t have the feeling they can get the job done, and that’s when the problems occur.

If you’re a positional player, you overcompensate by trying to do someone else’s job along with your own. Now you get other players doing the same thing and you can see what happens. It’s like a domino affect and tempers run high. Has this ever happened to you?

So, How Do You Gain Trust?

One of the most important attributes you need to have is to listen intently to others. This will begin to open the doors to cooperation—the basis of solid teamwork. You will begin to be well-liked by others as they will respond favorably to you. Once this happens, the trust factor begins to grow.

You also build trust by sticking together “through thick and through thin.” As a winning team you need to think like one person. The best teams are those that know what the other teammates are going to do—they think alike. Think of a quarterback and a receiver, a point guard and a power forward, a pitcher and catcher. They can all anticipate each others next move and are on the same page. In short, they know their own strengths and weaknesses
(DiSC Assessment / TMDA Volume I Part IV).

Start building trust by beginning to listen with intent to your teammates, coaches, and teachers. The payoff will be amazing!

Next Blog

Focus on what you can control.

Take that step to beat the competition by registering for the DiSC assessement today. Email me at tpperformer@aol.com and I'll tell you how.

Tony Falco
“TheCoach”
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Volume II Part 14

themilliondollarathlete
"Bring Out The Greatness Within You"

If you expect nothing, you're apt to be surprised. You'll
get it.
—Malcom Forbes—

The Chicken Or The Egg?

Now I ask you, what comes first self-confidence or success? Do you need self-confidence to become successful or do you need success first to become self-confident? What do you think? You may think this is a chicken and egg question, but it’s really not.

If you want to become The Million Dollar Athlete, you need to have control of everything and anything you do in life. That means you need to have a tremendous amount of self-confidence FIRST before you can control your destiny.
Have you ever heard sports announcers say, “the QB is starting out by throwing short passes so they can build their confidence in throwing the ball.” THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG APPROACH! If you try to succeed first before you gain confidence, you’ll never be in control of your own destiny. Why?

Think about it for a minute. How fragile might you be if you let success control your confidence level? Using the QB example above, if you throw four or five incomplete passes in a row where’s your confidence level now? It’s probably pretty low.

What if self-confidence is the controlling factor instead? How do you think you would react now if you threw those same four or five incomplete passes? Your attitude would be that you will complete the next ten in a row because your self-confidence hasn’t been shaken! By allowing confidence to control your destiny, success becomes automatic.

Shaken—Not Stirred!

So your confidence will drive your success. Don’t worry if you aren’t a success right away—most people aren’t. Continued failure may shake your self-confidence but don’t let it consume you. If you play baseball or softball, accept that you will be in a batting slump. The quicker you recover depends upon the amount of confidence you have in yourself as a hitter.

Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees hits over .300 every year, and goes into batting slumps. He recognizes this and puts the past behind him so he can concentrate only on today. Athletes like Jeter have their confidence shaken, but it’s never stirred. All the great ones realize this fact and it’s what makes them Million Dollar Athletes.

Hey, think you got game? Not without taking the DiSC Assessment you don't. Send me an email at tpperformer@aol.com and I'll tell you how to register.


Next Blog

The trust factor.

Tony Falco
“The Million Dollar Athlete
www.milliondollarathlete.blogspot.com