One of the key elements in achieving your dreams and goals is the ability to enjoy yourself! Too often I've witnessed players experiencing anything but enjoyment as they move through their matches.

Successful people in any arena of life are successful because they thoroughly enjoy what they are doing. Even the person who appears to be a "workaholic" is enjoying themselves because they really LOVE doing their work and performing the tasks necessary to achieve success. Enjoyment breeds ENTHUSIASM. Enthusiasm is a driving force of energy that propels you to higher and higher levels of excellence. Vince Lombardi, famed coach of the Green Bay Packers once said "If you are not fired up with enthusiasm you will be fired with enthusiasm". Look at all the successful people you know. Chances are they are enjoying what they do or they wouldn't put so much time and effort into it. Enjoyment is a habit and it's a habit that can be developed over time.

Enjoyment also breeds passion. When you are passionate about your goals and your success you will bring more enjoyment to the process. It's amazing how many players…even when they are playing well do not enjoy them selves. It's as if some players have this unconscious rule that says "enjoying myself is not allowed" and "there's too much to worry about and think about to actually enjoy myself". Who said so? When you realize that the enjoyment factor is a crucial element to your overall mental, emotional and physical performance you can allow yourself to enjoy yourself more often.

Celebrate your good shots. Celebrate your points well played whether you won or lost them. Celebrate when you overcome adversity. Celebrate your effort knowing that you have no regrets when you walk off the court. Approach everything you do with enthusiasm and passion. This does not mean you have to jump up and down and scream. It means that it's important to at least acknowledge what you enjoy even if you do it within yourself. People are as different as their personalities. Tiger Woods is energetic, passionate and shows his enjoyment (and his disappointment). Other golfers are stoic and robot like in their performances. This does not alter the fact that they love and enjoy what they are doing with great intensity. Don't be fooled by personality differences. Here's another example. Former tennis players Jimmy Conners and Bjorn Borg were completely opposite personalities. Jimmy was fire and brimstone and Borg was the "iceman" showing no emotion in any situation. Do you think Borg was any less intense and enjoyed himself less than Conners? No way! They both had a deep love and enjoyment for the game.

Try this. Try enjoying yourself BEFORE you even have a reason. Most people wait until something has happened (great shot, hit an ace, get the lead, etc.) before they enjoy themselves. Too late! Go ahead and bring your enjoyment factor into the situation. Bring your passion and your enthusiasm with you and you may be surprised to see that you give yourself more things to feel good about. Don't wait to enjoy your self. Enjoy your self NOW and bring that feeling into your practice and competitive situations.

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David Breslow-- Performance Success Strategies 847.681.1698 urwiredtowin@aol.com David offers a unique "root cause" approach that teaches athletes to create new outcomes rather than coping with old ineffective patterns. He's worked with athletes locally, nationally and internationally using his Wired To Win program that players can take part no mater where they live or play. He also offers an on-line assessment in that measures your strengths and development areas in 10 key and critical performance traits. Contact David for more information .