Well, another soggy Sunday and Monday here in southern Ontario, but it is supposed to get colder over night tonight and some of this rain should turn to snow – so that is the good news.  Despite the rain making things look a little less than Christmas-y around here, Paul and I still put up our Christmas tree yesterday afternoon.  We always get a real tree because we always had an artificial tree when I was a kid and I was not to jazzed on that!

Since Paul and I have been living together/married – that is 17 years – we have had a perfect Christmas tree every year.  Nope – it never gets boring!  Here is the evidence for 2011 on the left – it is a beauty!

Okay for today’s post I am replying to an email I got from one of you asking for some sport psych or motivational books for goalies.  Here are 5  (actually 6) of my favourite PLUS if you watch the video you will see my new favourite app for the iPhone!

5 Motivational Books for Hockey Goalies

Don’t be fooled by the title of this post – the books I am suggesting were not written specifically for goalies.  They are written to help people (athletes or otherwise) who are ready to be motivated to achieve their goals.  If you are ready to take action – take control of your time and move toward your hockey, business or life goals then check out some of these books.

Motivational Books for Goalies

1. Essential Wooden – John Wooden.  This is a must read from one of the most accomplished coaches ever.  If you do not have rules or principles by which you live your life, borrow a few from Coach Wooden and you will be better for it.
2. The Saint, The Surfer & The CEO – Robin Sharma.  This is written as a story – I love it, I read it every year and it makes me want to wear nothing but flip flops and move to Rome (actually I would rather move to Paris).  Great for any age, but I wish I had this book to read when I was 22 years old – I think it would have helped my focus.  Probably my favourite book.
3. No BS Guide to Time Management for Entrepreneurs – Dan Kennedy.  If your over committed in everything, this book will help you by giving you some cut-throat strategies to help you focus on what is important.  As a result of reading this book – I pretty much never let someone just stroll into the gym for a chat.  If you want to chat, you can book an appointment.  Guarding your time is one of the most important things you can do – this book helps you do that – in a politically incorrect way.
4. The Power of Less – Leo Babauta.  A quick read with some specific strategies that help you manage your schedule and your clutter.  I hate clutter, but I find that I am pretty good at collecting it – the practical suggestions in this book have been a huge help.
5. What If & Why Not – Jen Groover.  To summarize in one sentence – – rather than thinking about all of the things that could go wrong, how about focusing on all the things that could go right!
6. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill.  This one is a classic – everyone should have to read it before they turn 25.  Even if you hate it, I bet it will still have a positive impact on your life.

I hope you pick up one or two of these books, all of which will show you how close you are to being the person you want to be on the ice, at school, at work and at home, you just need to set a positive chain of action in motion.  If improving your performance on the ice is a priority for you then you just need to take consistent action steps toward that goal.  Having a step-by-step blueprint like the Rapid Response Goalie Training System or Ultimate Goalie Training 2.0.

If your goal is to clean out your front hall closet, then write down the first 3 action steps that you need to take to make that happen.  Then commit just 20-minutes once or twice per week working on that task.  You will be amazed at how motivating it is to see the fruits of your labour.  It is never as tough as you think it will be.

Hope it helps.
Cheers,
Maria