Rehabilitation in Sport - Ben Cousins return

Controversial AFL player Ben Cousins continues his comeback campaign to the national game following the AFL ruling. Despite stringent drug testing imposed on Cousins requiring up to 3 drug tests a week, he is keen to be drafted into a club for the 2009 season. There are many points of view on whether Cousins should play or not, and under what conditions, and it begs the question, how do we allow someone to move forward from their past mistakes?
Dale Carnegie, renowned for his business and leadership training, has said "give people a grand reputation to live up to." The point being, that what we expect to see is what we get. If we expect someone or something to go wrong, we will look for all the evidence that supports this belief, and overlook all the times that it goes right. We are all 'creators' or our reality and if there is a collective belief that Ben Cousins is going to 'stuff up' again, then we might all be proven right.
To get ahead in anything you want to get up more times than you fall down. As long as you keep striving, and that each time you fall you get up again, then you will succeed. Cousins has fallen hard more than once, but let's not push him down. When a toddler starts to walk and they fall down two, three, four times....are you going to give up on him/her ever walking? Of course not.
Perhaps if we give him, and others returning from rehabilitation of any sort, the support and belief that people can change, then Ben Cousins is more likely to return to his sporting glory. I hope he does.

Goals and Dreams: Act on them now

"GOALS: Imagine what you can do when you are inspired by them, imagine what you can do when you believe in them, imagine what you can do when you ACT upon them." (Jim Rohn)
I shared this quote today at a networking breakfast and thought to share it here. Your imagination can either create OR limit your opportunities and the choice is yours. When you dare to dream, such as many of the Olympians on show recently, then you open yourself up to what is possible. When that dream inspires you, pathways will open themselves up to you and it's up to you to take them, to ACT upon them. It is not enough to think that your thoughts will create your results. By having inspired thoughts, you will find a way to take the right action. Pay attention to the signs. The one who takes regular daily action in the right direction is the one who will succeed. Is that you?
If you want help with focus and training your mind towards your dreams, visit masteryourmindmasteryoursport.com to register for my online course.

Goal Setting with Brian Tracy

I was reading "Maximum Achievement" by Brian Tracy last night and got some new distinctions with regard to Goal Setting. It wasn't anything that I hadn't heard before, but just by reading it again and being open to learning something new, I understood it at a deeper level.
It is with regard to the power of persistence, particularly for goals that are much bigger than your current experience. These goals do not come easy or quickly - as Brian Tracy says "you will have to grow and develop to the point that you are ready to achieve it." Consequently, you experience challenges to reach that point.
Think of all the great things that you have achieved in the past - did they follow times of difficulty and even initial 'failures'? When you experience the same challenge over and over again, there is still something for YOU to GET. Here is another chance to learn and grow.
Many of the greatest successes in time occurred 'one step beyond' a great failure. Often it seems like everything is suggesting to quit, when in fact it is the challenge to you - HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT THIS GOAL? How much do you belief in yourself. Along the way you even get to learn something about faith and trust at a deeper level than you ever thought possible.
Get the learnings, belief in yourself and your dream, and GO FOR IT!