Inspired Athletes

BOB SHEPPARD, Yankees' Legendary Public-Address Announcer

29 Jul 2010 03:40:44 pm GMT +- 6:00

[i][b]�I don�t go to work, I go to a game!�[/b][/i] Today�s [I]Real Zeal[/I] quote came from Bob Sheppard, longtime Yankees announcer, during an interview and feature article by ESPN baseball analyst, Buster Olney. [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5371001][u]To view the entire piece.[/url][/u] ****************** Bob Sheppard loved being articulate. His job, he said, was not to be funny or verbose or dramatic. It was to be clear, concise and precise. And for more than fifty years, Bob Sheppard introduced every player who walked up to home plate at Yankee Stadium. That�s a lot of stars and a ton of baseball moments. And Bob Sheppard loved it. And the players loved him. Derek Jeter, Yankees captain, had this to say about Bob Sheppard: [i]"Players changed year in and year out, he was the one constant. Every time you heard it, you got chills."[/i] In fact, even today, Bob Sheppard introduces Jeter � via a recording! Bob Sheppard was not only a baseball announcer. He was also a teacher � teaching speech for over thirty years at New York public schools and then at St. John�s University. He believes his biggest contribution in life was through his teaching. From a 2000 [URL=http://www.americansportscastersonline.com/bobsheppardinterview.html][u]interview with American Sportscaster Association President Lou Schwartz[/URL][/u]: [list][i]�My sports activity seems to cut down on what I really contributed to society, and that's teaching. � When I hear from former students and they say I helped them achieve their goals, I feel I have contributed to society more than all I have done in sports.� [/list][/i] A legend, an inspiration, and a man who didn�t go to work � but to a [i]game![/i]...

LAUREN JACKSON, Seattle Storm Superstar

22 Jul 2010 04:13:47 pm GMT +- 6:00

[i][b] �I'm one of those people who never really dwells on the past.�[/b][/i] Lauren Jackson is a basketball superstar. Drafted in 2001 by the Seattle Storm, she has played ten years in the WNBA. During that time, she has won two MVP awards, a national title, and is considered one of the all time best players in professional women�s basketball. As is true of most athletes, Lauren has suffered her share of injuries and setbacks. But rather than allowing them to damage her confidence or her belief in what�s possible, she lets them live where they belong � in the past. In Lauren�s words: [i]�I'm one of those people who never really dwells on the past."[/i] Unlike Lauren, many of us insist on hanging on to our past. We drag it with us into our present, like a ball and chain. We use it to justify why we do some things and can�t do others. Our past, we say, explains who we are. But these arguments thwart our success and limit our future. Some of us operate like Lauren � we don�t dwell in our past. We�re more effective in each moment because we�re [i]present[/i] in each moment. We�re free and self-expressed. We�ve learned that the past need not dictate our future. And we�ve learned that with this perspective � [i]all things truly are possible![/i] To learn more about Lauren Jackson, keep reading. ******************* Today�s Real Zeal quote came when Lauren was asked about how impactful her injuries have been on her career. Her answer? [i]�Fortunately, I'm one of those people who never really dwells on the past. I'm very much an "in the moment" sort of person, so I don't think it's affected me at all. When I'm in it, it's hard, but when I'm out of it it's like it never happened.�[/i] [url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2012017151_webjacksonchat03.html][u]To read her entire interview.[/url][/u] ****************** Lauren Jackson is one of many leaders on the Seattle Storm team. This season, the team is 19-2 (yes that�s 19 wins and only 2 losses) � one of the best starts in WNBA history. Lauren is Australian born; both her parents are basketball players, so Lauren has come by her gifts naturally. Early on, it was clear she was a basketball prodigy and many believe she is the best basketball player Australia has ever produced. Lauren is living her dream and she is all the more powerful in her success because she lives her life free from her past � in the wonderful creative space of � Anything�s possible!...

GRAEME MCDOWELL, Winner 2010 U.S. Open Golf Tournament

15 Jul 2010 03:44:37 pm GMT +- 6:00

[i][b] �I�ve got to go out and earn it.�[/b][/i] Today�s Real Zeal quote came from Graeme McDowell, first time major golf champion and 2010 winner of the U.S. Open. He spoke these words on the first day of the tournament: [i]�I�d be lying if I told you I hadn�t thought about holding the trophy. But I�ve got to go out and earn it.�[/i] ****************** On June 20, Graeme McDowell, a professional golfer from Northern Ireland, won his first major tournament � the prestigious and coveted U.S. Open. He is the first European to win the tournament in 40 years. If you watched this tournament, you saw firsthand how unforgiving Pebble Beach is � the ONLY way to win is to �earn� it. Graeme McDowell knew this. On the first day of the tournament, he acknowledged: [i]�I�d be lying if I told you I hadn�t thought about holding the trophy. But I�ve got to go out and earn it.�[/i] We, too, have dreams of holding our �trophy� � the perfect job, a home in the country, a chance to start our own business. Yet how many of us operate as if our dreams are to be [i]earned?[/i] Hoping instead, that through some miracle of miracles, our success will be handed to us on a silver platter. For Graeme McDowell � �earning it� involves much more than playing well in the U.S. Open. It required a lifelong set of commitments, choices, and actions. Take a minute and examine your own dreams. What are you doing to [i]earn[/i] them? What � in the form of commitments, choices and actions � will it take to achieve what you�ve set out to accomplish? Graeme McDowell has given us a gift. He has reminded us that no matter how badly we [i]want[/i] something � in the end, we have to earn it! To learn more about the inspired Graeme McDowell, please continue reading below. ********************** I�d like to add two things to this week�s Real Zeal message. One, Graeme McDowell�s first major victory came on Father�s Day and as serendipity would have it, Graeme�s father (who had traveled from Northern Ireland)was with his son for this momentous occasion. In an [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/usopen10/columns/story?columnist=harig_bob&id=5306633][u]interview with Tom Renaldi[/url][/u] from ESPN after the event, Tom asked Graeme: [i]What do you think this day and that moment meant to him?[/i] Graeme�s response: [list][i]�He�s been living every golf shot I ever had. He introduced me to golf. And I don�t think he ever quite imagined what he was setting me on a journey towards � to win the US Open on Father�s Day with my dad walking around with me is one of the more special feelings of my life.�[/list][/i] Second, it is inevitable that a big win precipitates a look at Graeme�s life history and how he got to where he is today. There was one conversation that stood out for me above the others. It came from [url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/features/graeme-mcdowell-the-untold-story-of-golfs-modest-champion-14851626.html][u]Professor Eric Wallace[/url][/u] from the University of Ulster: [list][i]�What marks him out as special is that he is not afraid to win.�[/list][/i] If we combine a mentality of not being afraid to win with I�ve got to go out and earn it, we have a powerful success mechanism alive and well in Graeme McDowell....

CLIFF LEE, Seattle Mariner, Ace Pitcher

08 Jul 2010 05:18:16 am GMT +- 6:00

[i][b] �It is what it is.�[/b][/i] Today�s Real Zeal quote comes from Cliff Lee, ace pitcher for the Seattle Mariners and one of the best pitchers in all of baseball -- ever. At the time of this writing, Cliffis one of the top prospects for potential trades in mid season. [url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2012240121_cliff_lee_is_one_cool_customer.html#continue] [u]To read more on this[/url][/u]. ****************** Because the Seattle Mariners are last in their division � and because Cliff Lee is an ace pitcher whose inspired pitching is coveted by many teams still in contention � a trade appears imminent. In fact, by the time you read this, Cliff Lee may no longer be a Mariner. Does Cliff Lee have a choice about being traded? No. Will he be consulted? No. So, when he is asked about possible trade scenarios, he says little. He knows the decision is out of his hands. His response is consistently: [i]�It is what it is.�[/i] When you hear Cliff speak these words, you don�t hear regret. You don�t hear resentment or upset. You hear someone who is grounded in the �what�s so.� Someone who is crystal clear that the best place to focus his attention and effort is on his pitching � where he has control � and to put those issues he cannot control, out of his mind. Can you think of a better way to reduce stress? An easier access to peace of mind? A more surefire method of maximizing your effort? I can�t. If we use Cliff Lee as our example, we�ll stop railing against what shouldn�t be. We�ll cease howling about what ought to be. And we�ll lose any charge from all things beyond our control. Instead? We�ll l remind ourselves: [i][b]It is what it is[/i][/b]. And then we�ll take a deep breath and relax. Aaaaaaaah. To learn more about the inspired Cliff Lee, please read on. **************** If you�ve ever watched Cliff Lee play, what you see is a man who LOVES what he�s doing. Who sprints onto the mound at the beginning of each inning and off the mound at the end. Whose passion for the game is evident to all. Who is a great teammate who leads by example. To the young up and coming pitchers in the Mariners� organization, he�s been an incomparable role model. And he is SO GOOD. He�s a former Cy Young winner-2008- and in contention this year. In this 2010 season, he has an impressive ERA of 2.39. He�s walked only 6 and struck out 89. In fact, his strikeout to walk ratio is the best in all of baseball. It is no wonder he�s been voted to this year�s All Star team. And as today�s Real Zeal shows us � he�s a master at dealing with �what is,� effectively eliminating from his attention what he can�t control. [b]Cliff Lee is an athlete who inspires his teammates, his coaches, his fans, and the world![/b]...

PHIL JACKSON, Coach, Los Angeles Lakers

24 Jun 2010 03:58:11 pm GMT +- 6:00

[i][b] �If you have a clear mind and an open heart, you won�t have to search for direction. Direction will come to you.�[/b][/i] Today�s Real Zeal quote comes from Phil Jackson�s book, [i]Sacred Hoops, Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. [/i] [url=http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Hoops-Spiritual-Lessons-Hardwood/dp/1401308813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276891572&sr=1-1][u]To view this book on Amazon[/u][/url]. ********************* On June 17, Phil Jackson won an unprecedented 11th NBA championship by defeating the archrival Boston Celtics in 7 games. Without a doubt he is one of the most successful NBA coaches of all time. He is also one of the most inspired. Why? Phil stands uniquely alone in his quest to merge sports and spirituality. To apply lessons from Christianity, Zen Buddhism and the Lakota Sioux to a materialistic and ego-driven culture. To transform a �me� mentality into one of �we.� Phil is successful because he is inspired in [i]each[/i] moment. His clear head and open heart allow wisdom and direction to come to him. How do [i]we[/i] do that? What is our access to a clear mind and an open heart so that the brilliance of the universe can find its way to us? Here is what Phil, as leader and coach, does: [list]He creates a vision for his team and makes sure each member has not only aligned on it, but owns it. He makes sure the players are connected to something bigger than themselves � surrendering the �me� to the �we.� He (and his team) meditate regularly. He is an aggressive competitor � but holds respect and honor for the opponent. He creates a space of love and open communication.[/list] There are lessons here for each of us. And just possibly an access for allowing the intelligence of the moment to find its way to us � without having to go search for it! To learn more about the inspirational ways of Phil Jackson and to read a few inspired excerpts from his book, please keep reading. ******************* Phil Jackson is really an amazing human being. Rather than tell you about him, I�m going to share a few telling excerpts from his book. (which I highly recommend) [b]On leadership:[/b] [i][list]�Vision is the source of leadership, the expansive dream state where everything begins and all is possible. � But visions are never the sole property of one man or one woman. Before a vision can become reality, it must be owned by every single member of the group.�[/list][/i] [b]On creating a winning team:[/b] [i][list]�The most effective way to forge a winning team is to call on the players� need to connect with something larger than themselves. � It requires the individuals involved to surrender their self-interest for the greater good so that the whole adds up to more than the sum of its parts.�[/list][/i] [b]On competition:[/b] [i][list]�There HAS to be another way, an approach that honors the humanity of both sides while recognizing that only one victor can emerge. A blueprint for giving your all out of respect for the battle, never hatred of the enemy. And, most of all, a wide-angle view of competition that encompasses both opponents as partners in the dance.�[/list][/i] [b]On winning:[/b] [i][list]�� winning is ephemeral. Yes victory is sweet, but it doesn�t necessarily make life any easier the next season or even the next day. After the cheering crowds disperse and the last bottle of champagne is drained, you have to return to the battlefield and start all over again.[/list] [b]On true joy:[/b] [i][list]�� true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.�[/list][/i] [b]An inspired human being, inspiring the world.[/b]...