The Best Wine Grapes Were Planted to Suffer

For Maggie Harrison, an Oregon winemaker, the primary consideration in growing the best wine grapes is character, so the vines are often planted in soil  where they can barely survive and have to fight for nutrients. The grapes gain depth of flavor in proportion to the amount of work the vine must expend to survive. Harrison calls this process “suffering.”

If we incorporate that approach to resilience, perhaps the best way to build character and resilience is to embrace when adversity hits.  Only then can we  develop the skills that allow us to fight to survive. 

Character and resilience are qualities that enable individuals to navigate life's challenges with grace and determination. They are not innate traits but rather cultivated through deliberate effort and experience. In this blog post, we explore the parallels between growing wine grapes and building character, resilience, and anti-fragility in humans. By drawing inspiration from the art of viticulture, we can glean valuable insights into personal growth and development.

1. Planting the Seeds: Nurturing a Strong Foundation

Just as a successful grapevine begins with a well-prepared soil bed, building character and resilience requires a solid foundation. This involves instilling core values, developing self-awareness, and establishing a sense of purpose. By understanding our personal values and aspirations, we create a fertile ground for growth.

2. Weathering the Storms: Embracing Challenges

Grapes face adversity in the form of harsh weather conditions, diseases, and pests. Similarly, humans encounter hardships, setbacks, and obstacles along their journey. Embracing challenges, rather than avoiding them, is crucial for growth. Just as grapevines strengthen their roots when faced with adversity, humans develop resilience by confronting and overcoming obstacles head-on.

3. Pruning and Training: Shaping Strength and Adaptability

To produce quality grapes, vineyard owners engage in meticulous planning, trial and error, pruning and training. Similarly, individuals must constantly refine their skills, learn from failures, and adapt to changing circumstances. By embracing continuous learning and self-improvement, we develop the ability to navigate life's complexities with greater ease.

4. Harvesting the Fruits: Celebrating Milestones and Lessons Learned

The culmination of a year's worth of labor and nurturing is the harvest season. Similarly, in our personal development journey, we must take the time to celebrate our achievements and acknowledge the lessons we have learned along the way. By recognizing our progress and expressing gratitude, we cultivate a positive mindset and fuel further growth.

5. Developing Anti-Fragility: Thriving in Adversity

The concept of anti-fragility, introduced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, refers to the ability to not just withstand shocks and disturbances but to actually benefit from them. Grapevines exposed to moderate stress produce stronger, more resilient grapes. Likewise, individuals who embrace challenges, learn from failures, and adapt to change, become more anti-fragile. They thrive in the face of adversity, gaining strength and wisdom from each experience.

Conclusion:

Just as wine grapes require careful cultivation to produce the finest wines, building character, resilience, and anti-fragility in humans demands deliberate effort and a growth-oriented mindset. By drawing inspiration from the art of growing wine grapes, we can appreciate the value of embracing challenges, nurturing a strong foundation, continuous learning, and celebrating milestones. Let us cultivate our inner vineyards and unlock our true potential as we embark on a journey of personal growth, resilience, and anti-fragility. Cheers to becoming the best version of ourselves!  

Excerpts taken from: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/04/magazine/maggie-harrison-wine-antica-terra.html

To learn more about mental conditioning, enroll in our self-paced online course:  "Strengthening Your Mental Core."  

Stan Wawrinka's Mental Toughness Powers Him to the U. S. Open Final (Video)

"Really tough for the body, a big fight physically and mentally. You need to accept to suffer and almost enjoy it, because you have no choice. I saw after the first set he would start to be tired if I pushed him physically. I know I can last for three, four, five hours. Same as against Del Potro. I need to stay with him, not go down, show him you will push him, push him again. Sometimes my brain gets lost on the tennis court. When I stay tough I can beat anybody. I know I can bring my best in a Grand Slam. Maybe because i didn't play so well in last few months." 

--Stan Wawrinka, tennis pro, speaking on ESPN following his win in the semifinals of the U.S. Open on 9/9/2016.

Stan Wawrinka sounds highly motivated as he heads into a showdown in the finals against Novak Djokovic on Sunday in New York. Can he will himself to victory? It seems that his head's on straight right now. Will it be enough for the upset?

How do you call up your mental toughness? Are you willing to suffer mentally and physically to achieve greatness?

But Not For Long

I've got a secret weapon for mental toughness.  

The lyrics of a very popular song from B.o.B. featuring Trey Songz includes a phrase could be the most valuable mental conditioning tip you can have for dealing with adversity.

"But not for long."

Every athlete and performer makes mistakes and experiences errors during practice as well as during games and competitive events. Mistakes are part of the game, and there is no such thing as perfection. You can always do better, and you can always improve. Problems occur when errors weaken an athlete’s confidence and mental focus. Successful athletes are able to let go quickly after a mistake. 

When you focus on a past mistake, you create noise in the system, you increase mental distraction, your mindset becomes negative, and this can erode and destroy mental toughness. The negative self-talk we tend to get into after a mistake distracts us from the focus and concentration we need to achieve our best performance.

It is quite easy to get into a negative frame of mind, dwell on mistakes, and focus on failure.  We all do it to some extent.  We can get caught up in negative self-talk.  However, we need a way to get back on track.  We need a way to re-focus, to re-boot as quickly as possible.   

"I'm having a bad day."  

"I'm playing badly."  

"My opponent is making me look bad."  

"That was embarrassing."  

"I'm not ready for this."  

"This isn't working." 

"But not for long."

Try to be aware of your negative self-talk.  Try replacing your typical negative self-talk with this phrase:

"But, not for long."

Give it a try.  This is a great way to increase your mental toughness and improve your emotional resilience.  Let me know how it goes.   

2015 NBA Finals Case Study: The Secret of Commitment

Last night, prior to Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals, Head Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, made a change in his starting line-up.  He replaced Andrew Bogut with Andre Iguodala. That move along with a change in defensive strategy and a change in his substitution rotations, made all the difference in the world. Although the Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a 7-0 start, Kerr did not panic nor throw out his game-plan.  Instead, the Warriors called a time-out, quickly bounced back and finished the quarter by outscoring the Cavs, 31-17.  Kerr made a crucial decision, but more importantly, he made a commitment to the strategy for Game 4.  He did not waver.  The strategy paid off in a 103-82 win to tie the series, 2-2.  

Working with elite and aspiring athletes, performers and other professionals at all levels for years, I have come to a recent revelation or refinement concerning the art of mental conditioning.  This revelation is about our mindset consisting of five basic modes. Mental conditioning is enhanced when we understand each mode, its proper timing and its function within our personal performance enhancement system.

1.  Practice Mode
2.  Rehearsal Mode
2.  Preparation Mode
3.  Performance Mode
4.  Evaluation Mode

To cut to the chase, most of us, whether we are aware of it or not, are in constant evaluation mode. We are hardwired and socialized to be in evaluation mode.  We live in evaluation mode.  We measure, we assess, we predict, we criticize, we worry, we comment--24/7.  That's the way we roll.

How's it going?  How's it coming?  How am I doing?  Am I getting there?  Did I get there?  Am I there yet?   Are we there yet?  Why aren't we there yet?  What's wrong with me?  What am I doing wrong? Why are things going wrong?  Here I go again.  Am I behind?  Where should I be?   Who's ahead of me?  Am I losing?  Am I winning?  What do I need to do to catch up?  I can't catch up.  I knew I should have worked harder.  Is this is a mistake?  I'll never get this right.  

Evaluation mode is embedded in our self-talk.  By the same token, most self-talk keeps us in evaluation mode.  In evaluation mode, our self-talk tends to get very harsh very quickly.  Staying in evaluation mode too long or at the wrong time creates anxiety, self-doubt, and, even worse, panic. If you are anxious, you stayed to long in evaluation mode.

Because of this tendency to over-evaluate, we don't really learn or value the four other modes.  We tend to stay in evaluation mode due to our fear of failure.  Our over-use and over-reliance on evaluation mode keeps us anxious and prevents us from being in other equally important modes. Most importantly, we don't sequence our modes correctly and in a way that puts us in the best position to succeed.  Here are the five modes.

• Practice Mode:  This mode requires experimentation and trial-and-error. In this mode, we try new behaviors and get feedback about possible feasibility, usefulness or utility.  This mode provides the opportunity to experiment, to dabble, to invent, to create, to try something new. This is where we allow for and even encourage mistakes.  This is where we study our craft.  In this mode (and only in this mode), we have the luxury of getting out of our comfort zone.  This is where we get information about whether this new behavior is worth rehearsing.  

• Deliberate Rehearsal Mode:  This is the mode that takes our successful experiments from Practice Mode and turns them into muscle memory.  This is where we repeat, repeat, repeat. We hone our craft, we improve, we focus on getting things just right.  This is where we sharpen our sword.   We rehearse until get it right and then rehearse some more until we can't get it wrong. This is the mode that gives us information that we have the necessary competence to be successful and the confidence to perform.  Here we rehearse the skills to execute the necessary sequence of behaviors to reach our goals.    

• Preparation Mode:  This mode is about getting ready to perform, both physically and mentally.  This mode focuses our mental conditioning as well as being the time to plan and organize.  When here, we structure our time and energy in such a way that we develop our plan of action and commit to its proper execution.  Here is where we focus on our mental imagery, our visualization, and get in the right frame of mind and achieve the optimal level of arousal.   This mode is a transition mode from practice and rehearsal toward performance mode. It allows us to be in the best position to achieve peak performance.  

• Performance Mode:  Game-time!  Simply put, this is where we execute.  If in the proper mindset, we follow our plan and allow our muscle memory to take over. Adjustments are minor or minimal in this mode. We have planned well, have committed to our plan, and let the plan work. Most importantly, we are not in evaluation mode.  If we allow ourselves to get in evaluation mode during the game, we will become distracted, particularly by our self-talk.  If we get into evaluation mode, our self-talk will get involved and that will engage our brain's cortex.  That mental chatter will likely become a distraction.  It will disrupt our muscle memory and reduce our game-time speed and efficiency in decision-making.  This does not mean that we are unaware of situational variables, but we maintain our overall game-plan.   Performance mode basically requires us to suspend our analytic mind and focus strictly on performance.  

• Evaluation Mode:  This mode is most effective as a post-game activity.  It re-engages our cortex.  It allows for more complex post-game problem-solving.  It occurs and should occur following a performance or event.  It allows us to objectively and dispassionately assess our performance, our game-plan, our step-wise progress, after the fact.  It allows us to gather data about our ability to execute our plan.  It allows us to determine what we did well, what we need to continue doing, what we need to improve or develop, and what we need to eliminate.  Most importantly, it allows us to get back to Practice Mode, armed with important information about what more we can do to improve.

So, be more mindful of being in the appropriate mode at the appropriate time and make sure you stay out of Evaluation Mode (our current default mode) when you should be in one of the other four modes.  Your mental conditioning and your performance will improve significantly as a result.  Just ask Steve Kerr!  

Tony Romo's Playoff Composure

"You just have to stay in the moment and understand the game, It doesn't end after the first quarter, second quarter. You just have to keep calm. I've played enough games to understand that. Maybe I didn't do that as well when I was younger.''

-Tony Romo, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, after a 24-20 comeback wild-card playoff victory over the Detroit Lions.  

Romo provided leadership to the Cowboys with his perseverance, tenacity, composure, and experience.  After being down 20-7 to the Lions, the Cowboys with Romo at the helm, bounced back and took over the game with 17 second-half points to win.  They now play the Green Bay Packers next weekend in the quest for a berth in the NFC championship game on the road to the Super Bowl.   Romo endured six defensive sacks and constant pressure from the Lions during a difficult first half to end up with 293 passing yards for the win.   

"If you are mentally tough enough, and you've been through it, and I think experience helps you, you just get rid of those thoughts and understand that this game is going to go all the way to the end," Romo said. "Just don't give them anything to let this game get out of reach and it will find a way to get back at the end."

Romo has the ultimate goal, the Super Bowl, in mind.  “As players, we all want to be playing in that game and holding that trophy at the end of the year,” Romo said. “Just hoist it up and know that you accomplished your goal that you set. I know that’s my goal. I mean, everything else is just peanuts compared to it.”

An experienced, talented but much maligned quarterback, Romo, who has won only two playoff games in his career, understands the importance of taking advantage of rare opportunities for championships.  "More than anything, you just know that every season is a different season,” Romo said. “I was around football enough to know, three or four seasons before then, how tough it can be.”

Romo's composure has rubbed off on the team.

"This team has done an unbelievable job with composure," tight end Jason Witten said after the game. "It's been that way since April. I think when you experience what we have the last few years, there's a mindset. The change that you wanna see, you have to go do something about it. I've said it all year, we watched those games, we talked about the handful of plays that were difference-makers in [the] game."

Will the talent, preparation, and mental conditioning of the Cowboys prevail in Green Bay?

Excerpts from nytimes.com (1/3/2015 & 1/4/2015), sports.yahoo.com (1/4/2015), nfl.com (1/4/2015), and madison.com (1/6/2015).

For more on Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, check out the book:  Razor Thin:  The Difference Between Winning and Losing.   

Kobe Bryant Reaches for Next Step in his Maturity

"Right now we've really figured out how to bond together as a group. True chemistry is built through adversity. It's tough because it could cut either way. It seems to have brought us together."
--Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, in an interview prior to last season (October 2013).

And the adversity just keeps coming.  Many people have predicted another losing season for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have lost the first five games of the 2014-2015 NBA season. Though, Bryant, their leader, returns after two injury-plagued season, the team is not expected to return to the Lakers' typical place as an elite, championship-contending playoff team. Nevertheless, despite it being early in the season, Bryant has displayed an unexpected and surprising level of maturity in his reaction to the losses.

The Lakers are losing their games by an average of almost 15 points per game. Despite averaging 27 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in five games this season, Bryant seems to realize that the Lakers need him to display a new Kobe.  The losses are frustrating; but the Lakers do not need just superstar, super-scorer Kobe.  They also need:      

Professionalism:

“I know him and I know he’ll stay professional about it,” Clippers forward Matt Barnes, who spent two seasons with the Lakers, said of Bryant. “You always want to see someone who’s had a historical career go out in the right way, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen that way. It’s going to be a long season for him.”

Leadership:

“They still take his lead,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said of Bryant. “He gives that team toughness, he gives them resolve. I guarantee you, whether they play well or not, they’re not going to be a team that gives in, because Kobe never gives in.”

Mentoring:

“You have to be able to assert yourself, especially on a team I’m playing on,” Bryant said. “I don’t want chumps and I don’t want pushovers. If you’re a chump and you’re a pushover, I will run over you. And so it’s important for them to have that toughness and to say ‘I believe in myself. I can step up and make these plays, I can perform.’ I think that’s very important.”


“Absolutely,” he said. “A lot more teaching. A lot more communication as opposed to the players we had in the past. Here it’s really kind of teaching, how to get things down, how to deal with the emotional roller coasters that take place throughout the course of games, the challenge of things and figuring things out.”

Resilience:

"We can't get discouraged by it," Bryant said. "It's a very long season. You just have to stay the course. Keep on looking to improve, keep on looking to get better and things will eventually break.

"You have to understand there is nothing you can do with what's transpired. You have to move on to tomorrow. Right? You have to. Kicking and screaming is not going to do anything.

"Lakers fans know it's a process. Things can turn pretty quickly. We've seen it there before. If there is anything we're relying on, we're relying on our history, what we've been able to accomplish and how quickly we are able to turn things around."

Loyalty:

"I've enjoyed a great amount of success here. You can't just enjoy the successful times and then run away from the bad ones. No, I don't even think about [departing]. I'm a Laker."

His leadership is in his mindset and mental conditioning.  That is why he has been successful for so long.  That is why he has come back from potential career-ending injuries.  And, now, he needs to help others' mental conditioning.  He just might turn things around.  He's a Laker.      

Excerpts taken from nytimes.com (11/1/2014) and sports.yahoo.com (11/2/2014).

Chicago Bulls' Mindset Dictates Success

“If you work hard one day and you improve, and then you don’t work hard for three days, well guess what? You’re not going to be very consistent, The good teams establish how they’re going to go about their business. They do it day after day. That’s how you build your mental toughness, that’s how you build your conditioning, that’s how you build your discipline, and that’s how you win.

“You start off the season, and you have everybody saying they want to win a championship, but very few are willing to pay that price every single day. When you study championship teams, you see the drive that they have. I know what Michael [Jordan] did when he was here. I know his mentality. I know what [Kevin] Garnett did in Boston, I know what Larry Bird did in Boston, I know what Isiah [Thomas] did in Detroit, I know what Magic [Johnson] did with the Lakers, and you don’t sneak around. You’ve got to earn it.’’ 

 --Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls head coach, discussing the team mindset entering the 2014-2015 NBA season.

The Chicago Bulls are one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference of the NBA and contend for the Finals Championship this year.  To that end, the Bulls opened with season with a win over the New York Knicks, 104-80.

The Bulls spend the summer upgrading their team talent.  They signed Pau Gasol, giving him a contract for three years, worth $22 million. In his debut with the Bulls, Gasol scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. They drafted a collegiate star, Doug McDermott and brought in, Nikola Mirotic, arguably the best player in Europe. They have ex-MVP Derrick Rose, back from two years of injuries, at point guard.

Despite the talent upgrade, what may determine their standing this year is their success at developing the mental toughness that Coach Thibodeau is speaking of.  The desire to win must be followed by the will to put in the work and the daily preparation that is required to excel and succeed.   

All NBA teams and players want to win.  Who will put in the time and energy to make it happen?  

The season has begun.

Taken from Chicago Sun Times (October 29,2014).

Your Fitness Identity

All elite athletes and, the teams they play on, seek, refine and try to maintain an identity. The most successful are able to achieve greatness as a result of being successful in establishing and maintaining that identity.  Often, the difference between winning and losing is often a matter of the battle of identities.  A battle of strength and wills comes down to a battle of identities.  

This identity acts as a guide map that assists them to perform at the highest and most efficient level. It helps them stay on course and maximize focus.  It improves their ability to stick with their strategic vision as well as consistently make good decisions, even under the most stressful and extremely competitive conditions.

Even weekend warriors and other recreational athletes can benefit from developing an identity to help optimize performance.

For example, as an aging recreation athlete, I have had a more and more difficult time with physical conditioning, maintaining a healthy weight, and performing at a satisfying level.  I recently realized that despite my continued involvement with sports as a participant, fan, coach, and psychologist, that I had lost my identity as a fit individual.   

That lack of identity as a fit individual has greatly affected my performance as an athlete.  This crisis of identity contributed to a very subtle, but clear lack of vision that translated into an inconsistent workout schedule, sleep habits, and nutritional choices.  It also contributed to a unclear set of priorities and a lack of mindfulness in daily activities and behavior. 

It became easier and easier to believe that I lacked motivation and needed to find "it" fast.   What I really needed was to regain my fitness identity.   At this point in my life it is more important to have that fitness identity than to be an athlete, but without it I had no chance to continue to perform satisfactorily at any level (nor to regain any significant level of fitness).

My fitness identity serves as a basic component of a solid foundation on which "motivation" stands.  If I have a strong identity as a fit individual, motivation takes care of itself, because actions are not made up of micro-decisions that may or not connect with my mood or "motivation."  With a strong fitness identity, my actions flow and are consistent with my identity.  Conversely, without a fitness identity, I am leaving my actions to chance and a flow inconsistent with fitness.

Reconnecting with my fitness identity has quickly and dramatically affected my physical posture, my body language, energy level, and my exercise calendar.  It has also had an effect on the perceptions of friends and colleagues, who have noticed a difference.  Most importantly, I do not have to agonize about whether or not I am going to the gym..  I just go.  It is a part of my daily activities and I no longer put myself in a position to decide on a day-by-day basis.  It has affected my stress and relaxation level.  It has been a huge boost to my exercise routine in that it has affected the energy level that I bring to my workouts.

Fortunately, a majority of us had a strong fitness identity at one time (even if we have lost it). Youth is a natural source for a strong fitness identity.  However, some of us are not so lucky. A greater number of people in our digital, sedentary society, are no longer influenced, instructed, nor encouraged to develop a fitness identity early in life.  Many of us are not mentally or physically conditioned for a fitness identity.  It is much easier to develop a fitness identity as a child than it is to try as an adult to regain one.      

Do you have a fitness identity?  Have you lost touch with your fitness identity?  How helpful do you think it is to have a fitness identity?  What will you do to retain a fitness identity?            

Adversity Fuels Championship Runs

“You’ve got to embrace the adversity. Otherwise, you are going to be miserable and don’t belong in this clubhouse. Adversity is to be expected when you put on the pinstripes.”

-- Russell Martin, New York Yankees catcher, responding to a sustained late-season losing streak.

Championship are not easily won.  Championship seasons do not go smoothly.  Injuries, slumps, trades, travel, difficult scheduling, fatigue, family issues, etc. are all part of the adversity that all teams must face.  However, it is the championship teams that deal with adversity well.  

Winners welcome pressure and embrace the challenge of adversity.  Teams that understand that adversity is to be expected and are willing to take on the challenge are the teams that succeed. Frustration, stress and pressure must be met head-on.  

Most importantly, successful teams and franchises that win consistently understand that mental toughness and the ability to deal with adversity must be part of their team DNA.  

Historically, the New York Yankees are a franchise that has been highly success at dealing with adversity.  Will this year's Yankees team successfully meet the challenge of adversity?


Excerpt from nytimes.com, "A Study in Pinstripes: ‘Embrace the Adversity’", Bill Pennington, September 8, 2012.

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Peyton Manning's Rehabilitation Mindset

“To me, it’s like he hasn’t missed a beat. Not his attitude or his drive or his will. That’s why he’s been able to play so well for so long. It’s always full speed ahead when it comes to football. I’ve never seen him not do that. That’s workouts, off-season, on the football field, in practice.

“In that aspect, I knew that would always be there. I knew from throwing with him early in the off-season. It seemed like every time we threw, he got better.”

--Brandon Stokley, discussing Petyon Manning's comeback attempt this year following neck surgery. Stokley played four seasons with Manning in Indianapolis and worked out with him at Duke before joining the Broncos.

Excerpt from nytimes.com (9/1/2012). "Forward Progress For Peyton Manning, One Pass, Then Many Steps," Judy Battista.

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Location:Hudson Rd,Decatur,United States

Texas Tech Running Back Has No Time for Mental Weakness

“I don’t have time to be mentally weak.  It’s my last year. Mentally I feel like I’m fine. It’s just a matter of getting the knee back to 100 percent.”

--Eric Stephens, senior Texas Tech running back, who dislocated his left knee and suffered a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament last season.

Stephens suffered the severe knee injury 10 months ago during a loss to Texas A&M. The subsequent swelling was so severe he wasn’t able to have surgery until late November. Ever since, all of Stephens’ energies have been focused on being ready for the start of his senior season.

“I’m about 95 percent right now,” Stephens said. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m 100 percent, but I’ll definitely be ready when the season starts.”

Tech coach Tommy Tuberville plans to have Stephens avoid any contact until near the end of preseason camp.  However challenging, Stephens will eventually have to clear the mental hurdle of cutting hard and taking hits to the knee.


Excerpt from lubbockonline.com (08/05/2012) at:  http://lubbockonline.com/sports-red-raiders-football/2012-08-05/stephens-i-dont-have-time-be-mentally-weak.  Article by Nick Cosmider, Lubbock Avalanche Journal, "Stephens:  I Don't Have Time to be Mentally Weak."

The Miami Heat Gets Through the Fire of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals

"We had to go through a lot of adversity.  That struggle that we went through in March, where we lost five straight -- all of them close games, where we didn't execute down the stretch and weren't able to close games out -- that helped us. As painful as that was, we had to go through that fire together to be able to gain the confidence where we could be successful now in the postseason."

--Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, after his team won the NBA Eastern Conference playoff finals with a 83-80 win over the Chicago Bulls.  

The Heat came back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win the game in Chicago, against the top-seeded Bulls.  The Heat won the series 4-1 after losing badly in first game of the series.  So, the Heat are no strangers to adversity.


The Heat will now face the NBA Western Conference champions, the Dallas Mavericks, who beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-1 in that series.  The Mavericks beat the Heat in both of their regular season games.  In addition, the Heat and the Mavericks faced each other in the 2006 NBA Finals, in which the Heat won 4-2 after trailing 0-2 after the first two games.  


Great team players possess a mental toughness and a particular mindset that sets them apart.  This mental conditioning allow them to fight through fierce competition, adversity, and pressure.  This unique personality characteristic puts them in the best position to succeed.


Success requires perseverance and determination.  Success involves the ability to persist through difficulties.  To these athletes, failure is not an option.


Success requires tenacity and the willingness to pay the price, including enduring the pain, suffering and hard work that it takes to practice, prepare for and fight through the exhaustion of a long regular season and the playoffs.  


Finally, to achieve the goal of a championship, the players must be driven to incredibly high levels of performance.  They must have the ability to deal with adversity through their extreme emotional strength and resilience.  They must have a tolerance for pressure and stress.  They must quickly bounce back from setbacks (from missed shots and fouls to single game losses).


Both the Heat and the Mavericks have been through considerable adversity to get to this point:  The NBA Finals.  They have prepared for months and years for this.  Who will prevail?  Who will have the mental toughness to take the title?


How about you?  


Are you prepared for success?  Can you fight through adversity with tenacity and perseverance?


Excerpts take from ESPN.com (May 26, 2011) and The Handbook of Peak Performance.    

Mavericks Roar Back from Behind and Take a 3-1 Lead in NBA Playoffs

"Throughout every season, there comes a time and a situation where they're going to test the courage and the mettle and the inner strength of your team.  This was one of those times. It's a defining moment of your season. It's one that we're going to look back on when it's all done and say, 'Hey, that was the game.'" 

--Jason Terry, Mavs guard, after the Mavs won Game Four of the Western Conference finals in the NBA playoffs.

The Dallas Mavericks are only one win away from the NBA finals.  Trailing by 15 points with only 5 minutes to play the Mavs made a comeback to remember.  They tied the game in regulation 101-101 to go to overtime and get the win.    

The veterans Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 points, and Jason Kidd hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in overtime.  The rally stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 on Monday night and allowed the Mavs to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.  


“One thing about this team all year, they’ve been a resourceful group, they keep believing, and we’ve been extremely opportunistic,” Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle said. “The way they hung in tonight was fantastic.”


Excerpts from ESPN.com (May 24, 2011)

Leadership Lessons: The Pursuit of Osama bin Laden

Perhaps not since President John F. Kennedy stared down the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960's has a United States President been so clearly in charge and purposeful (at a time when perhaps his political career was so on the ropes).  

In successfully pursuing and eliminating Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama displayed and has continued to display an inspiring level of leadership that has earned the respect of this country and our allies abroad.  President Obama has established a strong legacy and has solidified his stance as a respected leader here and throughout the world. His place in history is now safe. He is the leader that we hoped for and expected when we elected him.  He took his role as Commander-in-Chief seriously and took responsibility when it was most needed.  

So, what did he do?  What leadership model does he leave for us to follow?

• Vision:   Single-minded Pursuit of a Desired Outcome
• Responsibility and Accountability for Doing the Right Thing
• Patience
• Tenacity
• Perseverance

It took 10 years for us to find bin Laden.  We could have failed in our mission had we struck too soon or at the wrong place or without proper preparation.  We also could have struck in such a way that could have been questioned for years, particularly if we had been left with no proof of bin Laden's death.    

• Dealing with Ambiguity
• Calculated Risk Taking
• Failure not an Option

President Obama could not be assured of success, however, he moved forward when he needed to increase the likelihood of a positive outcome.  He was particularly vulnerable to attacks from political opponents.  

• Courage in the Face of Criticism
• Willingness to Accept the Consequences

President Obama used all the resources at his disposal:  strategic thinkers and experienced advisors; and deployed the right tactical strike team of the highest level of competence to achieve his goal.

• Full Use of Intelligence and Best Information Available
• Due Diligence
• Realistic Cost/Benefits Analysis
• Careful Planning
• Delegating To Those with the Right Skills

President Obama has made good decisions that have been hailed around the world as being culturally and politically sensitive when the wrong moves would have been costly, moving us backwards in the fight against terrorism and damaged our reputation with allies.  His mishandling of Osama bin Laden's remains could have been disastrous.    

• Sense of Humanity, Respect and Humility

Again, I applaud President Obama and thank all the people that were involved in this critical mission.  Congratulations.  We appreciate what you have done and what you have left us as a model for leadership. 

I Know, I Know, You Were Expecting Something Pretty

The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Final is supposed to be a thing of athletic beauty and artistic splendor.  It is expected to be spliced into an awe inspiring "One Shining Moment" video.  Right?  


If you read what has been written and hear what has been said about the game between Butler and champion UConn, the words "ugly," "embarrassing,' "bad basketball," "poor shooting," etc. are most frequently used.  For many it was uninspiring and, certainly, not an exciting brand of basketball.  You aren't going to have many people looking at the game films or the highlights over and over, year after year.  


However, I suggest that you should look at this game very closely.  Despite the lack of beauty, one team was going to be champion.   One team would take home a trophy that every team and player in the country covets and few possess.  


What I learned from this game, is that this championship and every championship is about two teams slugging it out for supremacy. This game was about mental toughness.  It was about keeping your head in the game and never giving up.  It was about believing in your system and executing, and dealing with setback after setback.  Both teams took leads that they could have built upon.  Only one team did.   

Jeremy Lamb, UConn freshman, who gave his team a much needed spark in the second half, said, “I saw one time we scored, one of them put his head down. I said, ‘We got ‘em.’” 

This game was mental as well as physical.  This game was about effort in the face of adversity.  

"Every time we play hard, great things always happen to us," Kemba Walker, the MVP of the NCAA tournament, said.

This game was about perseverance.  It was about overcoming barriers.  It was about dealing with strong defensive pressure.  Every shot was contested.   Both teams wanted it, both teams gave maximum effort.  Both teams continued to run their offense and make adjustments to take advantage of their opponents. 


Despite being down by 3 points at halftime, Coach Jim Calhoun of UConn understood the championship would hinge on which team was able to mentally withstand the other.

"The halftime speech was rather interesting," Calhoun said. "The adjustment was we were going to out-will them and outwork them."

In the second half, UConn responded and took home the trophy.


We were unstoppable," Walker said. "That's why we're national champions."



Excerpts from CBSsports.ca and ESPN.com (April 4, 2011).