Thursday, August 26, 2010

Blog # 16: Learning from Mardy Fish: It is never too late to make the hard choices that will change your life forever

As I watched the Cincinnati final last weekend between Mardy Fish and Roger Federer, I couldn't help but marvel at Fish's comeback and be inspired by what he has done. About a year ago, Fish was at his lowest point in his tennis career; he was overweight, he was facing an imminent knee surgery, and people continued to say he would never, ever live up to his high potential as a tennis player.

Mardy says he had one of those life moments. You know the kind. Where you look at yourself in the mirror and see two potential roads you may head down. Road one (unfortunately often the easier one and road of least resistance) is where you keep doing what you have been and continue to head down this dark path. Road two, the road you know will be the toughest journey you have ever embarked upon, is your new path. It will lead you on a scary and unknown journey, but it is the the road you know you need to be on. You were meant to be on it.

Fish looked at himself in the mirror and contemplated retirement. But he ultimately decided to use this dark time as a learning opportunity. As a chance to change his life. He decided to go through with the surgery and to lose 25 pounds in recovery, to get more fit than he has ever been, and to give his tennis career one last full blown go. He knew he had the physical talent, and now that he had hit rock bottom, he was ready to put in the work. To do the really really hard stuff. The kind of work that is most rewarding.

I had a similar moment about six years ago in my own life. I had always been a heavy drinker and loved to party on the weekends, and I could see what it was doing to me and where I was headed. When I woke up the morning of December 3 2004, I looked myself in the mirror just as Mardy did. I knew I could either continue on the path of destruction, or make the hardest changes of my life. Like Mardy, I chose the harder, but more rewarding journey. It was the most important moment in my life.

This is why I am pulling for Mardy Fish as he heads into the 2010 US Open.


Because he teaches us all it is never too late to make difficult and critical changes.

What difficult and important changes do you need to make as you look in the mirror?

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Monday, August 16, 2010

Blog #15 Top 10 take-aways from Toronto 2010

1. Murray is the best player in the world on hard courts when he plays agressively. He could win majors and be #1 if he always played that way. Unfortunately, 90 percent of the time against 90 percent of opponents, he doesn't need to, so he has a hard time MAKING himself be aggressive.

2. Fed is not all the way back. He still is seriously lacking confidence and making way, way too many unforced errors. But, when he is making a large percentage of first serves, he is so so hard to beat. He will NOT win the Open.

3. Rafa is still incredibly vulnerable on the hard stuff. Anyone who hits hard, flat enough, and big enough can beat him on any given day.

4. Djoko still completely lacks confidence and no one takes him seriously as #2 in the world. He has not beaten ANYONE in the top 10 the ENTIRE year. He is so so fragile emotionally. He has all of the weapons to be #1, but not the mental toughness.

5. If Nalbandian lost 10 more pounds and kept working hard, he can win a major and get into the top 5. He would stay more healthy, and no one is better than him when he is on.

6. Berdych is the real deal and will win a slam. He now has won me over because he has learned what it means to COMPETE.

7. Dologolpov is perhaps the best young player in the game and will get to the top 15.

8. Cilic is in a world of trouble and had better get it going FAST.

9. Sod is still way, way too up and down.

10. DavyD may never get back to the top 8, no matter how many thousands of tourni's he plays every year!