It never fails. I sit down to write this newsletter, never knowing what the most important thing is to share with you this week, and something just hits me.  

Try this on... 

"What's the definition of luck?" Or at least my definition of luck...?

It's when preparation meets opportunity.

Hmm...meaning what exactly? 

Think about it. You prepare for a long time, you practice and practice. And you take advantage of opportunities that come along. Isn’t that life? Or any game you dare to play? 

I think it’s easy to do the preparation part. We can all control that. Remember CTC? “Control the controllables?” We can prepare and do the work. But sometimes we can’t control when the opportunities will come along. I have learned to always be prepared. You will be able to recognize those chances simply because you are ready and waiting.

Have you ever felt it was just "your time" to do something? Or have you ever looked at someone and said... "Wow... they are so lucky!" Envy is something that should never even happen.

You can be lucky too. You just need to be prepared.  

That person you see that's so lucky, most likely spent the time and energy getting to where they are. The opportunity was right, and they succeeded. "Luck" in that sense, was earned and worked for. Think about some times in your life where you felt lucky. There was a reason for that.  

As always, I am going to use a real-life story:

My phone rang this afternoon and I was too busy to answer it. Nothing too unusual for me. I finally had a chance to check my voicemail. It happened to be a producer from MTV's show MADE. They are working on an episode in DE with a girl from a local HS who wants to be MADE into a motocross racer. She is working with Val Whiting, a personal friend and fellow trainer in Wilmington. Val's experience is amazing, and as a former WNBA star, she brings instant credibility and knowledge to her training studio. She is not only a great athlete and trainer, but an awesome human being, and if you ever have a chance to meet and learn from Val, (which I hope you will soon at my Grand Opening) she is really something special. I look forward to bringing you some of her expertise as well! Anyway, back from my tangent... As Val is going to be working with the student on a physical level, I was called to be her mental skills/fear coach and work with her on the mental aspect of conquering her fears. I gladly accepted and know that my preparation has met opportunity. I have been waiting to take this to a larger scale, a higher level. See, I am a firm believer in persistence and patience. The two “P’s” you can’t succeed without. 

I am excited to be putting together my PPT(Peak Performance Training) program for teams this fall and will be delivering it to you at a very HIGH level. That is why I have put so much time and energy into it. This, to me, is my baby. It's what I have been working on for the better part of two years. And when I release it to the public, you won't believe what it will do for the athletes who utilize it. 

So, there... when preparation meets opportunity. Funny, it’s kind of what the whole MTV show is about. Turning dreams into reality. Being MADE into someone you want to be, and finding people around you to help you do that.

Luck.  

It’s not a bad four letter word if you have learned how to play your hand.

Enjoy the process!

--Coach Jen