What does it mean to practice at 100%?

I am not sure how many of you have played sports.  One crucial element to success is how well you practice.  It can be so tedious sometimes.  And, much like the military, where training is so difficult, the theory being if you bleed in training, you won’t bleed in combat… You must question your psychology around how YOU practice.  Your “team” is watching you.

I vividly remember making the varsity football team as a sophomore and starting that year.  I came from a football powerhouse school, and back in those days, that was pretty unusual.  I remember the August “two-a-days” and the wind sprints we used to run at the end.  My goal in those drills was to a) survive, and b) to beat the guys next to me.

For my junior year, I just wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be to find my fame and greatness.  That summer I managed to hook up and train with the state decathlon champion who was from my school.  Not only did my speed improve, but what I learned about practice became an invaluable lesson: Phil ran every drill at 100%.  He never slacked.  It was not a training method I was used to or had seen before.  I can’t tell you how radically my play shifted when I realized practice was not something to survive or compete around you.

It was something you gave your heart and soul to, and the rewards were quite rich.

What’s your game today?  Do you play it at 100%?  More importantly, what’s your practice today?  That’s even more crucial that you practice at 100%.  That’s where your growth and greatness will come.

Are you more attached to your batting average, your score on the golf course, or how you swing?  Are you doing the practice that you need to do?  Are you doing the drills, putting your head on straight, playing the game full out, both in practice and on the field… And feeling great about that and letting the chips fall where they may, knowing you will be more likely to win than lose when you’re that person?

What will you do differently tomorrow if you make different choices at your exertion levels?

How will you know it’s working?

Take the time to not only ponder these questions… WRITE DOWN THE ANSWERS.  When you see your thoughts in black and white… they change.