“To change your life, you have to change the way you think. Behind everything you do, is a thought. Every behavior is motivated by a belief. Every action is promoted by an attitude. Be careful of how you think. Your life is directed by your thoughts!”

- John Wright

John Wright Speaking Video

Becoming a Champion (part one)

bigstock-Cheering-Crowd-25662716Most people think that being a champion and becoming a champion are the same thing – and that it happens when you step on the victory stand to accept your medal. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Becoming a champion happens many months or years in advance of stepping up to accept the gold medal.

Whether in sports, business, or life, the process of becoming a champion begins with the right mindset. An unwavering belief in yourself can carry you through the challenges you will undoubtedly face as you go for your dreams.

Every year here at Greyfield, we hold Life Skills camps to help businesspeople and athletes understand this fundamental concept, and use it to propel themselves to the next level and beyond. The following is a letter we sent to the members of the high school girls volleyball team coming to our camp:

Twenty days from now, you and your team will be at Greyfield. The chairs you will sit in, the ropes course you will climb, and the grass you will walk (run) on have all been graced by some very special people: NFL and NBA Hall of Famers, SuperBowl and NBA Champions, world record holders, Olympic Gold Medalists, and CEO’s of Fortune 100 companies—just to name a few.

Why did those people come here?

Partially, they came to have fun… but the main reason they came here was to change the way they think.

Why are you coming here?

I have heard that your volleyball team could be State Champions, that you have the potential to win it all. Champions, by definition, win it all. But champions become champions not when they hit the winning spike in the 5th set of the State Finals. Champions become champions when they start to THINK and ACT like champions and that takes place long before that last match. Your volleyball season starts NOW…not when you come to Greyfield in a few weeks… but NOW. You have to SEE it to BE it. And once you see it, you have to start paying the price to BE IT. It doesn’t matter what your coaches think, what your parents think, or what your friends think. It only matters what you think, and your ability to see yourself and your team as champions. Then and only then can you start on the road of preparation, work, and grit to make you and your team all that you can be.

Our team is looking forward to meeting you and making this a most memorable experience, possibly one that you will relive, use, and reflect on the rest of your life. We are going to school and the subject is YOU. Our time together will be a balance between STRESS and RECOVERY. The stress will be learning and growing. The recovery will be play. My years of teaching and coaching have taught me that focus follows fun. We will do both FULL GO, with the attitude of being IN the game, not just AT the game.

Everyone attending our camps is in a leadership position. You may or may not consider yourself a leader on your team, but regardless of that, you do lead the most difficult person in the world and that is YOU.

Chances are you won’t be coming to Greyfield for a camp, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put the right thoughts and actions into your mind–the starting point of becoming a champion.

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich and Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, says: “Your progress toward success begins with a fundamental question: Where are you going? Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.” Conversely, its lack is the stumbling block for ninety-eight out of every hundred people. You simply cannot reach your goals if you’ve never clearly defined them. So if there is really something that you have a burning desire to achieve, if you REALLY want to become a champion, start thinking and acting like one. That’s not a simple or easy task, but it is POSSIBLE.

I’ll share more about this in a future blog, “Becoming a Champion – Part Two,” coming soon.

The 5 Ups Measured

Since I wrote the blog “Up! The 5 Ups That Go A Long Way Toward A Life of Success and Fulfillment,” I have been reminded over and over again just how vital these actions are, not only to a successful life but to a healthy life. I was watching The Doctors last week, and Dr. Travis was discussing obesity. He said that there is some compelling evidence that the lack of quality sleep could be a contributor to obesity. He compared the feelings and the stress on the body from jet lag, to the same with lack of sleep. So, just one more compelling reason to take the 5 Ups seriously, and Read More

What is 8760? – It’s about time

What is 8760? It is the most important number in MY life. It’s the most important number in YOUR life. Actually, it’s life itself.
8760 is the number of hours in a year and represents the most important asset we have…TIME.

Peter Drucker, one of the most highly regarded and well-known management consultants in modern history, had these things to say about time:

“Effective people, in my observation, do not start with their tasks. They start with their time. And they do not start out with planning. They start by finding out where their time actually goes.”

“The supply of time is totally inelastic. No matter how high the Read More

Unhook Your Trailer (Free Yourself from Emotional Burdens)

Last winter, my wife of 45 years and I departed for an 8-week western trip, staying the majority of time in the Scottsdale/ Phoenix area. Because this trip was a bit longer than our usual stay, we decided to take two of our horses. This adventure taught me a great deal about traveling long distances with horses. For starters, I didn’t know that there were such things as “horse motels” — places to stay with a room for you and a “room” (stable would probably be a better word) for your horses. Scattered all over this amazing country of ours are delightful people ready to serve your every need of traveling with your horses.

I have been blessed with a wonderful marriage, but my wife and I don’t share all of the same interests. Read More

Don’t Read a Great Book

So many people seem to have a burning desire to discover the “key” to personal significance, success or growth. As a speaker and consultant, I am often asked to recommend books that might be helpful or impactful to my audience. The books I am referring to are not novels or anything one might read for pure enjoyment, but rather books about personal growth, leadership, mental toughness, etc. With that said, here is my advice for those who want to read something that will quickly make an impact on their lives and help them climb the ladder to the personal significance, success, or growth mentioned above.

Before I make my Great Book recommendation, I have a question… To date, what is the most impactful book you have read on this subject? Read More

Up! (the 5 ups that go a long way toward a life of success and fulfillment)

If I ask audience members to choose their preference between two words, UP and DOWN, the vast majority choose UP. We like to be up. We like the stock market to be up. We like our energy to be up. So, with that thought, here are what I consider the 5 ups that go a long way toward a life of success and fulfillment.

#1. Get UP. Sleep is a critical component of a healthy and successful life. A good night’s sleep is similar to taking your automobile in for a tune up. And, isn’t the feeling of picking up your car following a tune up great? All those little running- rough edges have been smoothed out. That engine is purring again and you feel great driving your car. Read More

No Pain, No Gain?

As the son of a coach, and a former professional athlete, I learned early that accomplishing things usually required paying a price, and that price was painful. With that said, I’d like to comment on my recent experience with my wonderful dentist, Casey Dangle.

The words “root canal” are usually enough to inject immediate fear directly into the heart of the listener. It is one of those health stories we tell our friends that makes their faces turn ghostly white. Well, let me say that my recent experience with having a root canal procedure completed was about as painful as trimming your fingernails. Even the shots that they used to numb my mouth were relatively painless after my mouth after my gum was swabbed with some kind of surface pain killer. I actually fell asleep in the chair during the procedure. Read More

Start Close In

I don’t read a great deal of poetry, and yet my mother loved and knew so many wonderful verses. So, recently, my good friend and world class artist David LaMure Jr. sent me some inspirational poetry from David Whyte… The following is from one of his poems.

“Find your true inheritance…start close in…don’t take the second step or the third…start with the first thing…close in…the step you don’t want to take…don’t take the second step or the third..start with the first thing…close in…the step you don’t want to take..start with the ground you know…the pale ground beneath your feet…start with your own questions…give up on other people’s questions…don’t let them Read More