Hey Gang,
Fountains at Bellagio with Paris in the background
I hope you are all settling into your Fall routines – back to school and all that jazz. I am writing this post from the middle seat of a very compressed Spirit Airlines flight. We are on our way home from my Mastermind group meeting in Vegas. Paul and I added two days to the trip for a little vacation time which was awesome!
For those of you who don’t remember, my Mastermind group is a group of about 40 top fitness pros from all over the world. We pay A LOT to be in this group (like 5-figures) and I have never regretted the investment in myself and my business.
We have two coaches who work with us – Bedros Keuilian and Craig Ballantyne, they teach us the latest techniques for creating the highest quality fitness information products possible. Just like you working with your goalie coach – someone who teaches you the proper movements to be more effective in net. Just like the players in my sold out Elite Goalie Strength & Conditioning group, I cut out the guess work and give them a blueprint for the strength, speed and stamina they need.
It took me a while to see that investing in myself was money well spent and not just a frivolous expenditure. But I am getting off track, this post is not about investing in yourself by hiring a trainer, getting a good sport physio to help you banish that ‘tweaky’ groin forever or even just joining the Goalie Workout Club for less than $20, it is about my experience in Vegas.
I love it when the meetings are in Vegas because it is fairly cheap to fly there and sometimes our meeting is hosted at the Bellagio (which means we get a deal on the room rate). This was one of those meetings so I was quick to book a room and let me tell you that if you ever have the opportunity to stay at the Bellagio, take it. Especially if you are obsessed with excellence.
A stay at the Bellagio is an exercise in excellence and it does not happen by chance, it is their system. For example, the halls are tile mosaic with beautiful inset carpets. When we were heading our for our run at 6:30am the first morning they were just cleaning up from shampooing all of those rugs along one hall. They were in the process of collecting about 12 huge blowers that they used to dry the fans so they would be ready for the day.
The Conservatory at Bellagio
On our way back from the run we watched as the garden staff painstakingly removed wilted flowers from the beautiful, awe-inspiring gardens in the Conservatory. Honestly, they probably could have left those flowers ’til the next day, they looked good to me, but that is the difference between ‘good’ and ‘excellent’.
The next morning when were heading to the gym at 6:23am for our workout they were just picking up the blowers from the huge inset carpets in the main lobby.
On our way back from the workout we saw staffers polishing the tile floors, cleaning the glass around the service bar of the coffee shop.
The next morning when we went for our run there was a cigarette butt in the ashtray near the elevator on the 20th floor, by the time we were back from the run, the cigartte butt was gone, the sand in the ashtray was evened out and imprinted with the Bellagio ensigna. So not just cleaned, but turned into something kind of cool. I actually thought of taking a picture of it.
Okay, so what does this have to do with hockey training. Well, quite a lot actually and I will tell you in a second.
My Mastermind group has some outstanding entrepreneurs, what they are accomplishing with their online businesses is amazing and there is a common thread…they have a system, like the Bellagio their excellence does not happen by chance.
They do the little things – they clean out the ashtrays – not just the big things that are fun. They prioritze their tasks for excellence and many of them are busy like me with a full time job running a studio, boot camp business or chiropractic practice. They won’t let themselves make excuses for less than excellence.
I won’t either – I don’t want to be a third liner in my group, I want to play on the top line, I want to be the starting goalie and I think that will take some extra work for me. I am willing to give it in pursuit of excellence.
I think sometimes I worry about ‘bugging’ you guys with my posts or emails, but my coach Craig Ballantyne, put it in perspective for me. He told me that somewhere, someone is feeling defeated, deflated and in despair because they are did not make the team they had hoped to or because they sit on the bench game after game waiting for their chance to contribute to the team.
Well, I have the solution for that despair and I do take my responsibility to help hockey players seriously, it is not a hobby for me. It is my business, it is my passion.
So get ready, because I am going to step up my game. After the meeting I have about three new products on the horizon – two for skaters and one for goalies. As always, there will never be a hard sell and I will continue to bombard you with tons of free training tips here at www.hockeytrainingpro.com – just giving you a head’s up.
Now it is your turn, what can you do to step up your game? Do you want to commit yourself to ‘good’ or to ‘great’. I have seen great, and I think it is worth the little bit extra effort. What excuses are you making that are holding you back, not just in hockey but in school, work or your relationships. Excuses are something YOU make and you are the one who can choose to stop.
Now go be excellent!
M
PS – if you want to take the first step consider investing in the Ultimate Goalie 2.0 program. It will be your perfect off-season program, but it also comes with an in-season training schedule so you can still make gains during the year without causing undue fatigue. Note – this program is for serious players only! If you are not serious about being as good as you can be, then this program is not for you.