LT ON GIVING BACK AND HIS WORK ETHIC

Some good insight on what makes LaDainian Tomlinson special.

FAILURE = PRACTICE SHOTS

"An inventor fails 999 times,

and if he succeeds once, he's in.

He treats failures simply

as practice shots."

-Charles Kettering-

THE DRIVE TO IMPROVE

The following is an excerpt from "Meek's Little Book of Hope" written by WNBA point guard Temeka Johnson. The book is compilation of stories and quotes designed to motivate and is due out this fall.

Michael Jordan changed the game for a lot of athletes. Immediately after winning his first championship, he went right back in the gym to work on his game. If the greatest player to ever lace them up worked that hard, what are the rest of the players going to expect?

Work ethic typically comes from within, but it’s never too late to learn. For me, the drive to become successful is also based on my will to win. If I want to win championships, I have to become better – yearly. Even after winning my first championship in the WNBA, I knew that more players and teams would be working harder to stop us from winning another one. I hired a personal trainer to get even better. I worked extra before and after practices, as well as before and after games.

For many, it’s not about just beating your opponent, it’s about being the best you can possibly be. That equates to every walk of life. If you’re a student, it’s about studying until you know everything, not just knowing enough to pass a test. If you’re at your job, it’s about putting in long hours and taking ownership in your work, not about proving something to your boss or co-worker. It’s your internal drive that you should be focused on. That’s what helps me get better every year. On those days when you think you’ve done enough, this chapter will help you push through and accomplish more.

CREATING "TOUCH"

"There is no such thing as

natural touch. Touch

is something you

create by hitting millions

of golf balls."

-Lee Trevino-

CONCENTRATION

"Concentration is the ability to

think about absolutely nothing

when it is absolutely necessary."

-Ray Knight

ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE...

“Above anything else,

 I hate to lose.”

-Jackie Robinson

THE WAY THE BALL BOUNCES

"The man who complains about

the way the ball bounces is

likely the one who dropped it."

-Lou Holtz

HOW TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM OTHER PLAYERS

"The guys who separate themselves are those who are able to take what appear to be setbacks and stay prepared, keep working."

DEREK FISHER

WHEN A PLAYER IS MADE

"The time when there is no

one there to feel sorry for you

 or to cheer for you is

when a player is made."

-Tim Duncan

WHAT SEPARATES A WINNER FROM SECOND PLACE

"It's extra effort that separates a winner from second place.  But winning takes a lot more than that.  It starts with complete command of the fundamentals.  Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice.  And finally it takes love, fairness, and respect for your fellow man.  Put all those together and even if you don't win, how can you lose?

-Jess Owens

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

“Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”


-Chuck Swindoll
From John Maxwell’s “The Difference Maker”

MIKE SINGLETARY'S FAVORITE PART OF THE GAME

"Do you know what my favorite

part of the game is?

The opportunity to play."

-Mike Singletary

WHAT ALL PLAYERS MUST UNDERSTAND

"It's not up to anyone else to

make me give my best."

-Hakeem Olajuwon

WHAT EVERY GREAT ATHLETE KNOWS

"There has never been a great athlete who died not knowing what pain is."

-Bill Bradley

WHAT MAKES A TEAM WORK

"Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work."

-Vince Lombardi