What can I say? It all started with a nail biter I lost 10-12. I felt confident I could win this match. The next game went my way with an 11-8 win that wasn’t decisive, but it was a solid game. The next game was all over the place, he took it 9-11, once again only a few points separating us. At this point, I’m thinking it’s still going to plan even though I am down 2-1 in games. All the preparation, planning and routines are still going to pay dividends.

The fourth game was another good effort, yielding an 11-7 win for me.

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Well it happened again – I was up 2 games and then lost the next 2. But now I know what’s going on. I am in-between several improvements in my training and when I play to win, I win and when I let up and play not to lose I actually don’t win… It’s a very slight nuance, but one that today became crystal clear, in hindsight. So, you want to know what happened in game 5?

I came out with all 8 cylinders and double barrels loaded – got up 5-0 and took the game 11-6 – with total power, pace and intensity that was firewalking, over-the-top full-on domination.

I felt good to finally figure this out. Of course in hindsight it’s always 20-20…

I suspected this was happening, but because I didn’t feel or think (self-talk) I was doing this, it was hard to pin point.

Throughout this competition I’ve felt confident, strong and in control – in the past I didn’t have this match confidence due to lack of experience. I’ve played less than 10 competitive matches in total, so to get to world-class competition this quickly means there are going to be gaps to fill.

More match play will fill this gap as will targeted training sessions once this competition is over.

Lessons of the day that I can share publicly are:

Once you ‘decide’ to win, something changes in your physiology, body chemistry and of course mindset. Sure this sounds self-evident, but anyone who’s competed and punched above his or her weight understands this pivotal shift.

I just hadn’t realised I had dialled it down one notch since my self-talk hadn’t changed – I wasn’t saying or thinking different things even though my body was.

The scores in this match were 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 4-11 and 11-6. The third game was the one I should and could have put away, losing it by 2 points – that’s the lesson I’ve learned – to trust my instincts and abilities to red line it when it counts.

The other lesson was the preparation for today’s match – I did a few things to make sure I was ‘ready’ – in doing so, I noticed others who were also doing likewise – until today I had never even thought they would be there…

It’s confidential because at the top levels, everyone’s trying to get and keep the edge so I can’t divulge who and what they were doing because I wouldn’t want them doing that to me.

That’s the other lesson I learned today – the camaraderie is quite something. I’ve said it before how positive an environment it is with world-class competitors who are fit and healthy…

I obviously highly recommend it to anyone who’s feeling alone, left out or otherwise excluded. Any sport or group activity that is competitive will attract this positive and supportive environmental factor…

So that’s it for today – tomorrow’s match is another challenge – one that I look forward to.

Wish me luck!

I know you want me to get to the point so I will – The first game was scrappy, I didn’t have my range or accuracy of shots. Yesterday’s match yielded 25% winners and a low percentage of unforced errors. The first game today was the exact opposite. My signature shots that were up yesterday were down in the tin today. But if I lifted my game a notch, the accuracy should come back – so I told myself. I lost the first game 4-11.

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If you are ever feeling low on energy or self-motivation, watch this video. It will revitalise, re-energise and replenish your soul and spirit to stop feeling sorry for yourself. I watch it every few months to keep raising my own bar and self-expectation… Enjoy!

Every once in a while, someone sends me something that’s pretty cool that I just have to share with you – this is one such example from top equestrian Caylene Vincent of Ballarat, Victoria. It’s simple, but as an aficionado of the Champion Mindset, you are focused on health, fitness and wellbeing so seeing something like this will be intriguing, but also it’s something you can use in your communications, blog, newsletter, or e-mails… Enjoy!

Cool Body Scan

Psst! Don’t forget to mention me as the source and of course Caylene who passed it on to me so you could have it!

A champion gets to know the ‘ins and outs’ of his/her body. The more in tune you are with it, the better you can get it to perform when you it most. That being said, a colleague and top equestrian Caylene Vincent sent me the following stats that I am sure you will find both intriguing and funny.

Did you know… Read More »»

It’s one of life’s paradoxes. What it takes to MAKE you into a Champion can PREVENT you from becoming one. That is a really deep thought. One worth reflecting on. You need the DRIVE AND WILL TO WIN, but that very drive and especially ego can PREVENT you from the goal you so aspire to achieve…

What I’m talking about it playing to WIN versus playing to IMPROVE. I often play with players who just want to WIN on the DAY. That’s it, that’s all. They don’t care about tomorrow or the next day. Winning TODAY is everything.

Winning Might Make You Into A Loser

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I recently played with a squash Champion who recaptured his self-awareness his name is Dr Malcolm Simons. He was a squash legend in his day, I posted his results in this blog post on MasterMind Groups. Anyway… getting to the point – I was on the court with him and we both got a priceless lesson/experience out of it. He got back in touch with his self awareness on the court and I saw first-hand how a pro can not only take the pace OFF the ball, but to create his own pace REGARDLESS of how the ball comes off the front wall.

I sliced, I drove, I floated and I lobbed the ball – each and every time Malcolm created his own pace to hit his cross court nick drop shot – MASTERFUL.

Now that I have EXPERIENCED it first-hand I can now start the process of learning to mimic it to get the same devastating effect on the ball.

Champions like to help Champions get better…

Fun stuff!

I had breakfast with someone recently who was surprised that I said I wasn’t aiming to be a World Masters Champion and that it wasn’t a self-defeating prophecy. I had to explain that I couldn’t afford the opportunity cost and that in the overall scheme of things ‘no one cares’ about a Gold Medal in my desk drawer.

That being said, I explained that my goals have been to get in the ‘Top 100′ last year, I made the ‘Top 50′. This year I am aiming for the ‘Top 32′ and the year after that, the ‘Top 16′. That is where I think I will reach my maximum skills and fitness —> That I am willing to create and invest in.

Sure, I could stop working, get myself a coach, a dozen players to train and WIN a World Championship, but what would I do the day after that?

What would it have cost me?

What would be the point?

I have a big ego, but not THAT big.

I also have an equally big INTELLECT (a.k.a. a brain that stills works).

I reckon that I can reach the TOP 16 in the world AND not get injured OR create any long-term damage to my body AND be fit, heathly and vitally strong AND be professionally and financially successful AND enhance my personal/romantic relationship AND expand my ‘inner circle’ of friends…

As you might know, my mission in life is “to continue living my dream and empower others to do the same“.

My dream is to become the best ‘me’ I can be. That means “I can have it all”.

I don’t want ONE thing at the cost of everything else.

If I do end up winning a World Championship, trust me – I’ll take it!

But my goal, my outcome is NOT uni-dimensional. It’s multi-dimensional BECAUSE that’s what I’m all about – life is an adventure, a journey that isn’t and should never be about juts ONE thing.

It should be about living a FULL-FILLING LIFE.

Anyway, that’s my outcome/goal/result/reward I want.

I am having a BLAST as I happily achieve rather than achieving to be happy.

I just wanted you to know – so you can appreciate a different, antimimeticisomorphic perspective on ‘winning’.

I’ll tell you about an experience of lifetime I had this week with someone I consider to be a ‘World Champion of his life even though he only reached #7 in the world in squash…’ In my esteem, he’s ‘World #1 in inspiration, leadership, tenacity and excellence of leading by example’.

More about him in an upcoming blog post.

Today’s post is about the Law Of Attraction. As you know, I am training for the World Masters Squash Championships coming up in October and one of the things I need to do is play different players more often to get better ‘court sense’ and adaptability to different styles of play and players. Just when I thought I would have to join a squash club (I have a court in my building)…

I popped into my racquet shop to pick up my new batch of racquets (more on this strategy later), and guess what? I bumped into a former squash buddy who had stopped playing due to a soccer injury and he’s back playing squash. How cool is that?!?!

Then Bob, the owner of the racquet shop said he came across someone who just moved to Sydney from overseas and is looking for a partner!

I am playing him tonight for the first time – I’ll let you know how it goes.

The moral of today’s story is that when you ‘put it out there’, the Universe will respond. That’s something non-champions have trouble with – they never put themselves out there so this rarely happens for them.

How do you ‘put it out there’?

GREAT QUESTION.

DECIDE, COMMIT and RESOLVE to lift your game. DO whatever it takes to make it happen and BELIEVE that when you are ready, the solution will appear. You know the adage “When the student is ready, the master will appear.”

This is the same thing – expect it works for ANYTHING you need – ANYTHING. Including a few new squash partners to have a hit with!