Hi,
I hope this issue finds you well, and a Happy Independence Day to all my US readers.
The yawn I refer to in the title was today's all USA Womens Final at Wimbledon.
Serena Williams was playing Venus Williams - again. It was the fourth time they had met in the final, and the second successive year.
In fact there has only been 1 final since 2000 that hasn't featured one of them at least.
It's not their fault that no-one else seems good enough to get there, but boy does it make for a boring watch.
I don't think for a minute that the games are fixed, but there is no way that they play with the same menace when they face each other.
Let's not take away from their story though, and it's a classic of goal achievement.
Born in a very rough area of LA, their father Richard just decided he would get his girls to the top of the tennis world, so learnt the game himself from books and tapes.
He then set about training the sisters, and because he didnt enter them into the junior circuit, there was already something of an enigmatic feel around them when they did eventually burst on the scene.
They brought an unseen level of strength to the game, with ferocious hitting, and sure enough, as he had predicted, both of them went on the be at the top of the game and Wimbledon champions.
It's not all been plain sailing - they've had much criticism, and I myself have written about the ugly histrionics that Serena in particular is prone to.
Guess what though, they couldn't care less, in fact when people tell them what they should or should not do, they reply with action not words, and do what they themselves think they should do.
It's unorthodox, and in the tennis world that can be frowned upon, but the results speak for themselves.
It's also important to remember that they got where they are, and stay there, only after years and years (and years) of hard hard work.
There are many stories which perfectly illustrate the formula for success and goal achievement, but that of the Williams sisters is a doozy!
Ok, that's it for this time, I would like to say I'm off to open an Independence Day bag of sweets, but in truth there's no way sweets should be reserved for just one day, so I'm off to open an 'anyday' bag of sweets!
'Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!
My book - Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com
(Click on my picture at the bottom of that page for the special price!)
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Mon 22nd June - Sultry Sunset & Self Belief!
Hi,
I hope everything is well with you.
Here's a picture I took the other day, I hopped in the car, and 30 minutes later was watching the sun go down over the sea.
It was lovely warm evening, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, it was nice and quiet except for the waves lapping.
Aah, just like the opening sequence of 'Jaws'.
Only without the massive young-naked-woman-eating shark.
Or more importantly, without the naked young woman...
Anyway the reason I posted it, was because it was an evening that took a deal of stress away from me, and the picture is a reminder of that feeling. That technique of using pictures is dismissed and underused.
The thought of a nice image works well to get rid of moments of stress, but seeing the actual picture itself works even better - any pics you could do with rooting out for a feelgood burst?
Wimbledon started today, with the usual raft of self improvement stories - here's a quick summary...
Andy Murray, the great British hope, having his chances boosted by Rafael Nadal withdrawing. Outside Murray's control, but he's ready to pounce on the opportunity.
Speaking of Nadal, unlucky for him to attain his goal last year, and not be able to defend.
On the womens side, 15 yr old Brit Laura Robson. Having won the girls title last year, she shows a self belief I never had at that age.
At that age it is either natural, and/or as a result of her upbringing. She may well have to come back from knocks in the future, but at present does not have to force herself to believe in her ability.
Many people are not like that, and have to work hard to believe they can achieve. It's well worth the mental effort though, because once you get there it can unleash wonderous things.
There's a load of Russian women at the top that are not household names. Some people say it's boring - what rubbish! There is nothing to stop anyone else putting in the work, and I mean years of work! So good luck to those that have done.
Ok, that's it for now - if I promised not to write about Wimbledon again this year, I would be lying - let's wait and see...!
'Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the
Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!
My book - Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com
I hope everything is well with you.
Here's a picture I took the other day, I hopped in the car, and 30 minutes later was watching the sun go down over the sea.
It was lovely warm evening, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, it was nice and quiet except for the waves lapping.
Aah, just like the opening sequence of 'Jaws'.
Only without the massive young-naked-woman-eating shark.
Or more importantly, without the naked young woman...
Anyway the reason I posted it, was because it was an evening that took a deal of stress away from me, and the picture is a reminder of that feeling. That technique of using pictures is dismissed and underused.
The thought of a nice image works well to get rid of moments of stress, but seeing the actual picture itself works even better - any pics you could do with rooting out for a feelgood burst?
Wimbledon started today, with the usual raft of self improvement stories - here's a quick summary...
Andy Murray, the great British hope, having his chances boosted by Rafael Nadal withdrawing. Outside Murray's control, but he's ready to pounce on the opportunity.
Speaking of Nadal, unlucky for him to attain his goal last year, and not be able to defend.
On the womens side, 15 yr old Brit Laura Robson. Having won the girls title last year, she shows a self belief I never had at that age.
At that age it is either natural, and/or as a result of her upbringing. She may well have to come back from knocks in the future, but at present does not have to force herself to believe in her ability.
Many people are not like that, and have to work hard to believe they can achieve. It's well worth the mental effort though, because once you get there it can unleash wonderous things.
There's a load of Russian women at the top that are not household names. Some people say it's boring - what rubbish! There is nothing to stop anyone else putting in the work, and I mean years of work! So good luck to those that have done.
Ok, that's it for now - if I promised not to write about Wimbledon again this year, I would be lying - let's wait and see...!
'Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the
Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!
My book - Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com
Monday, June 08, 2009
June 8th 2009 - Did Dinara Do It?
Hi,
I hope today finds you well.
The title of this issue is 'Did Dinara Do It?' and no doubt many of you will be asking 'who, where and what now?'
Fair enough, so here goes...
Sat 6th June 2009 saw the final of the French Open tennis in Paris.
Not since 2001 has a womens final even gone to 3 sets, so the hope was that Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova could serve up a treat.
Er, no they couldn't, and in fact it was the serve that caused the problem, as Safina's serve was just appaling - it led to a fairly easy victory for Kuznetsova.
So here's the thing - Dinara Safina is the current world number 1 ranked player, but she has yet to win a Grand Slam title, and in tennis unless you pick up one of those babies, you're never considered to be the top.
Saturday was her 3rd Grand Slam final and she has played badly in all of them, so it may look like she never will win one, although it should be remembered that Chris Evert lost her first 3 finals.
So what has all this got to do with goal achievement and self improvement?
Well in Dinara's case I want to go to her chidhood.
Her mother was a top tennis coach, and she vowed that both Dinara and her older brother Marat Safin would be number 1 ranked Grand Slam winners.
That sounds familiar to when Richard Williams decided both his daughters Venus and Serena would get to the top.
Marat retires this year, as a former world number 1, and with 2 Slam titles under his belt, so the pressure is starting to pile up on Dinara.
Not easy, eh? And it shows just how hard some people will work towards their goal, and *keep* working.
Right from childhood, her life has been tennis. Hour after hour hitting balls, physical training, diet regimes, for year after year.
Defeats along the way, and back to the drawing board.
Now, even as world number 1 she has problems. She has had to work so hard at the mechanics of her swing that it now such a mental pressure, it makes it her worst shot, and this in turn is stopping her getting that title.
So, she has lot more work to do, but here's another clue she gave as to what it can sometimes take to get to the top - when she lost there were tears, and no doubt she wanted to rush off court.
However, she was contractually obliged to stand and give a speech to the crowd of 15,000!
Wow.
With all that must have been in her head, she remembered to thank the sponsors by name.
That's impressive, and shows someone who has the necessary steel to gether through the downs, in the belief that she is powering towards the ups!
Not every goal is as tough as the one she is going for, but by jiminy there is much to be learnt by watching Dinara *not* get her goal!
Ok, that's it for now, I'm off to get my seat comfy for Wimbledon..!
'Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!
My book - Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com
(remember to click the picture of me at the bottom for the giveaway price!)
I hope today finds you well.
The title of this issue is 'Did Dinara Do It?' and no doubt many of you will be asking 'who, where and what now?'
Fair enough, so here goes...
Sat 6th June 2009 saw the final of the French Open tennis in Paris.
Not since 2001 has a womens final even gone to 3 sets, so the hope was that Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova could serve up a treat.
Er, no they couldn't, and in fact it was the serve that caused the problem, as Safina's serve was just appaling - it led to a fairly easy victory for Kuznetsova.
So here's the thing - Dinara Safina is the current world number 1 ranked player, but she has yet to win a Grand Slam title, and in tennis unless you pick up one of those babies, you're never considered to be the top.
Saturday was her 3rd Grand Slam final and she has played badly in all of them, so it may look like she never will win one, although it should be remembered that Chris Evert lost her first 3 finals.
So what has all this got to do with goal achievement and self improvement?
Well in Dinara's case I want to go to her chidhood.
Her mother was a top tennis coach, and she vowed that both Dinara and her older brother Marat Safin would be number 1 ranked Grand Slam winners.
That sounds familiar to when Richard Williams decided both his daughters Venus and Serena would get to the top.
Marat retires this year, as a former world number 1, and with 2 Slam titles under his belt, so the pressure is starting to pile up on Dinara.
Not easy, eh? And it shows just how hard some people will work towards their goal, and *keep* working.
Right from childhood, her life has been tennis. Hour after hour hitting balls, physical training, diet regimes, for year after year.
Defeats along the way, and back to the drawing board.
Now, even as world number 1 she has problems. She has had to work so hard at the mechanics of her swing that it now such a mental pressure, it makes it her worst shot, and this in turn is stopping her getting that title.
So, she has lot more work to do, but here's another clue she gave as to what it can sometimes take to get to the top - when she lost there were tears, and no doubt she wanted to rush off court.
However, she was contractually obliged to stand and give a speech to the crowd of 15,000!
Wow.
With all that must have been in her head, she remembered to thank the sponsors by name.
That's impressive, and shows someone who has the necessary steel to gether through the downs, in the belief that she is powering towards the ups!
Not every goal is as tough as the one she is going for, but by jiminy there is much to be learnt by watching Dinara *not* get her goal!
Ok, that's it for now, I'm off to get my seat comfy for Wimbledon..!
'Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. If you know anyone else who you think would enjoy the Great Gordino Newsletter, please pass it on to them!
My book - Transform Your Life In 21 Days:
http://www.transformyourlifenow.com
(remember to click the picture of me at the bottom for the giveaway price!)
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