ANTs being Automatic Negative Thoughts and how they can ruin your game So the ANTs will inherit the Earth (if you let them). OK so for a change I’m failing to be witty in my title. No wait, I’m never witty. I’m never humorous. I am the least funny sport psychology consultant aka Certified Mental Trainer® on Earth. Why would I ever attempt humor to get a point across? Even my kids think I lack a complete sense of humor. I might just be the most serious unfunny person on the planet, maybe the Universe.   Perhaps this would be

Think back to a time when you were most resourceful, productive and successful. You led yourself, and possibly others, to exceptional results. This is a time when you felt your happiest, most congruent, confident, fulfilled and actualized as the unique and gifted person you are. At whatever is most important to you in life. This would most likely be a time when you’d accomplished some great and important goal or life milestone. Where in your body did you feel your success, congruence, power and joy? Many people feel this in their chest, their heart or their stomach. Where do you

Last night I attended a K-9 demonstration given by our local police department. The K-9 team shared some videos, photos and stories about how the role their dogs play in finding and capturing criminals. Afterwards, we went outside and watched one of their dogs in action in the parking lot as it located contraband (placed in a police van by an officer) and captured someone (played by an officer) who became a threat during a staged traffic stop. The one thing that became apparent was that police officers and K-9s train for “the moment”, the point in time when everything

  NEW DIRECTIONS IN LEADERSHIP New Directions Leader As Beginner: Part Four  “Every time you go up a notch in your career, you start at zero all over again.” –  Charles Barkley, 1993 NBA MVP New Directions Leaders understand that we’re always beginners at whatever level we’re at in our professional development. It took me awhile to grasp this concept. One of my first lessons in this was when I enrolled, as a freshman at the University of California at Berkeley, in a political science class taught by Professor Waterman. The first week we were assigned to write a short

I was an instructor at the Learning Annex in NY City for many years. Classes ended at 9 pm and the ride home was a long one. One evening, after teaching an anger management course for three hours, I pulled into my driveway around 11 pm, exhausted and anxious to crawl into bed. I pulled my car into the garage and from there entered directly into the great room at the back of the house. Suddenly, an ominous figure  jumped out from behind the sideboard with arms extended over his head making a loud terrifying sound. Instinctively, I let out

Habit #3: Passion Peak Performance, Motivational Leadership and Goal Achievement Think now of someone who has purposefully accomplished something truly significant (I say “purposefully” to distinguish those rare souls who figuratively win life’s lottery and serendipitously stumble upon some kernel of success). Can you think of one highly significant accomplishment that did not require considerable purpose and passion? By passion I don’t mean the effervescent and demonstrative passion of the extrovert. I do mean the burning feeling, intention and personal “must” that comes with recognition of and commitment to one’s greatest personal imperative in life. Love, war, peace, breakthroughs in

My problem is speaking to my boss via the telephone. I find that it’s hard to get a word in during a conversation, yet if I’m not quick to respond to a question, he gets annoyed. I find myself very often talking over him which is annoying to me and to him, I’m sure. Sometimes I’m so frustrated after a conversation I want to scream! He can be very rushed at times as he is usually very busy and short on time. Signed, Frustrated at Work ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Frustrated, This is a situation that can be managed over time, using

“Sometimes you need to sit and think. Sometimes you need to just sit.”                                                                                                                                                                                        -Satchel Page An ancient proverb of uncertain origin says, “Speech is silver; silence is golden.”  The Tremeloes of Great Britain recorded “Silence Is Golden” in the 1960s and the song can still occasionally be heard on the radio.  Good leaders understand the value of silence. Silence is often hard to find.  Our lives are constantly bombarded with noise.  From the time we rise until the time we go to bed we hear dogs barking, machines working, automobiles passing, horns honking, radios playing and phones ringing. 

  NEW DIRECTIONS IN LEADERSHIP   New Directions Leader As Beginner: Part Five “Use the Force, Luke.” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back When my wife Segan was training to be a psychotherapist, she asked if I would give a talk at the youth home where she worked. I had been telling her about the value of “Full-Spectrum Respect” (one of the New Directions in Leadership principles), and she thought that the guys at the youth home would benefit from hearing me speak. Not long after our conversation, I found myself driving to the youth home to address fifty boys

In 1981, the book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, was released. It chronicled Rabbi Harold Kushner’s  journey of doubt and fear that arose when his three-year old son was diagnosed with a degenerative disease that would dramatically reduce the length of his life.  The following year, my marriage to my high school sweetheart abruptly ended, throwing me into a downward spiral of anguish, grief, fear, despair, and anger. In many ways, I felt deeply connected to the Rabbi. While each of us faces our own life struggles, many people react to ostensible unfairness by querying, “Why me?” Even