The year is 2007.............My goal? To improve on 2006. As you know, excellence in performance, and in life, begins with a vision of where you want to go and a commitment to do what it takes to get there. It is inspired by having, or creating, a positive vision....whether in your sport or in your life outside of your performance.

Just like you, I am a performer in life's drama...........only in a different context. WE are all capable of pursuing our dreams and reaching our goals. WE all possess unlimited strength within the power of our mind.So, where does the heart of human excellence begin? It begins to beat in rhythmic fashion when you discover a pursuit that gives you a sense of meaning, joy, and passion. To excel at any challenging pursuit, you must have, or develop, a reason for doing it, a passion for your pursuit. High levels of commitment grow naturally out of positive visions and love for, or joy in, what you are doing. If you like what you are doing, and are able to remain committed to it, you will become very competent at it--which can be a very worthy and beneficial goal. However, to become truly GREAT at it, and to continue to perform at high levels over extended periods of time, you must LOVE what you are doing........not just like it!I have been competing since 1996. I have won a few shows and I have placed out of the top 5 in many shows, but I still excel. I excel at high levels because my pursuit is my passion and it drives me. I love the joyful times of training and I draw positive energy from my pursuit. This helps me reach my goals and benefit from the journey.

Are you interested in seeing what I am doing in the gym? You can bet I am focusing! FOCUS is everything. It is a mind-place where nothing else in the world exists apart from being totally connected with what I am doing at the moment. The key to accomplishing this lies in absorbing yourself in the present--in the here and now--and gradually increasing the consistency, intensity, quality, and duration of your focus. Take a look at my focus in the following pics. My focus is on my pursuit for excellence.

CONFIDENCE is also an important ingredient to my pursuit. Confidence comes from my commitment to do the preparation, talking to myself in positive ways about what I have accomplished and what I can do, drawing lessons from my experience and acting on them, and remaining positive with myself through the many challenges along the way. If you have an unwavering belief in the capacity of what you are able to carry out, the doors are opened to higher levels of excellence. When you let negative experiences and negative thoughts interfere with your confidence, your performance will suffer.

What are my big dreams? What do I want to accomplish? I THINK about it. I RUN it through my mind. I FEEL it in my body. Positive thoughts and images help to create the mind-set and focus for my pursuit. I am what I think I am. I can do what I see myself doing. Who's a winner? I am!