The Five L's

I'm really looking forward to celebrating a Bruins win tonight for Valentine's Day!  In the meantime, I was finishing up a book today for the 3rd time by Gary Mack called "Mind Gym" and I wanted to share some quotes from the closing chapters.  I thought it would be a good read for today about the "Five L's" to success.

The Five L's

Love 

"The most important thing is to love your sport.  Never compete just to please someone else." - Peggy Fleming

"You've got to love what you're doing.  If you love it, you can overcome any handicap or the soreness or all the aches and pains."  - Gordie Howe

"Now that I'm out of the game I know how lucky and blessed I was to play the game that I loved." - Ozzie Smith

"The first thing I did before the start of every spring training was to fall in love with the players and the game all over again." - Jimmy Piersall

Labor

"Success is built upon dedication and hard work.  Take Larry Bird, he doesn't have the speed.  He doesn't have the height.  But he works and works, shoots and shoots...He sets inner goals for everything - for the week, for the month, for the season." - Red Auerbach

Learn

"By the time you learn how to the play the game, you can't play it anymore." - Frank Howard

"The left side of the scales is piled full of talent and the right side is piled with brains.  When you begin your career, it's full of the physical and almost void of the mental.  Then as you get further along...the balance shifts to the mental side as your physical abilities deteriorate and your mental capabilities accelerate.  The frustrating thing is, you can see your body aging right before your eyes, but you know so much more about the game and how to play it.  That's really the way I always felt, especially as I got past the middle of my career.  I felt I can't play forever but I'm learning more every day." - Dan Fouts

"Remember your mistakes and then forget them." - Lou Piniella

Laughter

"What does it take to be a success in business?  A sense of humor and a good bullpen." - Whitey Herzog

"Life is too important to take too seriously.  If you learn to laugh at yourself you will enjoy a lifetime of entertainment." - Gary Mack

Leave, or let go

"I know that I'm never as good or bad as any single performance.  I've never believed my critics or my worshipers, and I've always been able to leave the game at the arena." - Charles Barkley

"The trick is to realize that after giving your best, there's nothing more to give.  Win or lose the game is finished.  It's over.  It's time to forget and prepare for the next one.  Love the game, or your work, but don't be married to it." - Sparky Anderson

You can purchase "Mind Gym" by Gary Mack here.

*The previous quotes were taken from the book, "Mind Gym" by Gary Mack.