I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday season so far.  I toyed with the idea of leaving town and going somewhere warm, but I am so glad I didn’t.  If I had, I would have missed out on all the time I spent with my family and close friends, all my relaxing “me” time, and all the great hockey I’ve watched.  That’s right - I spent some of my “time-off” in the rinks watching girls’ hockey.

There is honestly nothing better than watching the kids I’ve worked with for months (and in some cases, years) compete and excel.  Instead of having the stress of being behind the bench, I’ve been able to sit in the stands and just watch.    

I am really looking forward to getting back on the ice with my teams next week, making the push for the playoff run, and generally having
an amazing start to 2010.   So to help you have a great start to the new year and new decade, I wanted to pass along my “Top 3 Tips for 2010”.  I wanted to get “outside the box” on this, so instead of lecturing you about setting goals, training hard and eating well etc…

… I wanted to share 3 of my favorite motivational quotes with you.

Hopefully they give you a little bit of inspiration going into the second half of the season and the new year.

1)  “Most people fail in life not because they aim to high and miss. Most people fail in life because they aim too low and hit.”

Like most people, I’ve set myself some big goals for 2010.  But onceI wrote those goals down, I reminded myself to dream BIGGER.  Instead of worrying about “how” they are going to happen, I’m strictly focusing on believing they will happen for now.  The “how” will take of itself. 

So whatever your goals are for 2010, I want you to dramatically increase them, start believing in them and expect success.

2)  “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

As I’ve said time and time again, the “little” things that are going to separate you from the competition and get you to the next level, aren’t “sexy”.   No one gets excited about drinking more water, doing more push-ups or reviewing your goals. But remember why you do all these “little”  things.

::  You don’t do push-ups to get stronger.  You do them so that you can make varsity next year.

::  You don’t review your goals because it’s fun.  You do it because it keeps you on track to getting that college hockey scholarship you’ve dreamed about.

::  You don’t drink more water just to stay hydrated.  You take care of yourself because that’s what champions do.

I can guarantee you that none of the girls who were recently named to the US and Canadian Olympic teams made it because of any one of these “little” things.  They made it because they’ve made the choice to commit to doing ALL of these “little” things each and every day for years. 

3)  “To have what you’ve never had, do what you’ve never done.”

I have this quote sitting right on my desk and I look at it everyday.  It pushes me to get outside of my comfort zone, take action and risk the chance of failure. 

Let’s be honest.  If you want to be like everyone else, just do what everyone else does.  But most people aren’t going to achieve their full potential because most people are far too comfortable with their current level of success.

But I know that you want to be better than average.  You want to be the best you can be.

And that’s why I know you will make the choice to do whatever it takes to take your game to the next level in 2010.  Even if that means getting outside of your comfort zone and pushing yourself harder than you ever thought possible.  That’s how you will achieve the next level of success on and off the ice.

I hope you enjoyed these quotes and that they give you some of the inspiration you need to make 2010 the best year ever.

Please feel free to pass these along to any of your friends, family, or teammates that would also enjoy the information.

And stay tuned because I’ve got some great new programs, events and camps coming your way in the new year that I know will dramatically transform your performance and have your peaking in time for playoffs, year-end tournaments and even next year’s tryouts.  More on that on Thursday.

Keep Working Hard and Dreaming BIG.

Your friend and coach,

Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

?Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes