Andre Agassi Open

In the last month, two of the sports figures I've admired most as a casual sports-a-holic, have had 'coming out' parties.  One was forced upon him - Tiger Woods.  I'll probably write a post about him later.  For now, I want to focus on Andre Agassi.  The latest chapter in his story ends happily (which is how I think Tiger's will end too).  No news article summarizes how I feel more than this one from Rick Reilly.  I hope you'll read it. 

I first saw Andre in one of his first tournaments at age 16.  He went to the semi-finals and lost to McEnroe there, but I've been a fan of his ever since.  As a tennis player, I admired his return game.  And now, in real life, his return from a seemingly hopeless situation is inspiring.

I plan on reading "Open" by Andre Agassi over Christmas break. 

Thanks Andre - for modeling hope and true manhood in the face of no hope and adversity.

The Magic of Thinking Big

Excerpt from Dan Miller, 48 Days Newsletter:

"I don't know of anything that can inspire, encourage, motivate and release a higher level of success than reading good books. Many books are worth re-reading. Here's one written in 1959 that I like to read at least once every year. In his little classic book, The Magic of Thinking Big, David Schwartz provides 5 simple actions to help us feel more confident and accomplish more:

1. Be a front seater. Sitting up front builds confidence.

2. Practice eye contact. Looking the other person in the eye tells him, I'm honest and confident."

3. Walk 25% faster. Psychologists link slovenly postures and sluggish walking to unpleasant attitudes towards oneself, work and the people around us. The extremely beaten people, the real down-and-outers, just shuffle and stumble along. They have zero confidence. The walk of a confident person tells the world, "I've got someplace important to go, something important to do." Throw your shoulders back, lift up your head, move ahead just a little faster and feel self-confidence grow.

4. Practice speaking up. As you speak up, you add to your confidence. It's a confidence building vitamin.

5. Smile big. Try to feel defeated and smile big at the same time. You can't do it. A big smile gives confidence. A big smile beats fear, rolls away worry, defeats despondency.

Lou Holtz says he was given this book as a 47 yr.-old unemployed high school coach. It transformed his thinking. He listed 100 things he wanted to do before he died. Last I heard he had accomplished 97 of those goals. I wonder what it could do for you.