Motivation, Desire And Intention in Tennis
A great number of tennis players have roughly the same level of talent and resources available to them. Yet, some of these players become successful stars and other fade into the night. Why is that? The number one reason is motivation.
Motivation (also read: Be like water and not like ice) for success pushes players out of their comfort zones and to greater heights. They are forced to go beyond themselves to gain whatever edge they can, and being highly motivated is the only way of accomplishing such difficult tasks.
Of course, this is all a mental challenge, not a physical one.
When motivation, desire and intention combine successfully in the mind, when these positive mental states complement each other, great things can be achieved both on and off the court.
It is important to remember that results are incremental: they are achieved through small, consistent steps in the right direction.
That is why motivation and intention are so important. It is easy to become discouraged when progress is so slow, but being motivated keeps negative thoughts at bay.
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Serena Williams is a great example. She grew up in conditions that would seem almost impossible for any aspiring professional tennis player. Not only did her environment hold a thousand dangers every day, there was no support system and almost no facilities to help her become a great player. The odds were hugely stacked against her.
It is true that her father played a large role in her success, but that is only part of the story. No matter how much he wanted her to be successful, she is ultimately the one who had to pick up the racket and play. Her father’s dreams for her would mean nothing if she was not supremely motivated to succeed. And supremely motivated she was! She wanted to become the best and pursued that goal with dogged determination and intention. She did not focus on any of the factors that were trying to hold her back, she saw the glass as half full! And everything around her responded to this positivity.
Many people believe that what comes back to us is determined by the thoughts and intentions we have manifested. In this case, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
Action always follows intention, but we must also believe that we can realize these intentions. It is necessary we are able to imagine them. But the starting point is concentration and focusing on a clear intention.
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2Gp5To3
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