North Star Mental Fitness

Griffin Wins the Heisman

Robert Griffin III won the Heisman!

He not only won the Heisman, he deserved to win the Heisman on the basis of his accomplishments.  The award was not taken away from him, because he was not the best athlete on the best team.  The Heisman voters elected Griffin on the basis of his achievements rather than affiliations.

From a mental fitness perspective, Robert Griffith III is a living example of a person who has been motivated to achieve and excel at all levels of competition.  He has maintained the ability to focus and achieve amazing feats.  He has not rested on his laurels and drifted into mediocrity.  He has overcome adversity.  He has justly received the Heisman.

The following information in regard to Robert Griffin is from the Boston Globe.com.

"He epitomizes everything you have to be to become a complete player on and off the field and that's why he's a finalist," Baylor coach Art Briles said.

Griffin, a fourth-year junior, holds or shares 46 school records.

By time Griffin played his first game for the Bears in 2008, when at 18 he was the nation's youngest FBS starting quarterback and weighed only about 190 pounds, he was already a Big 12 champion and NCAA All-American in the 400-meter hurdles. He graduated from high school near the top of his class before enrolling at Baylor for the spring semester.

"Coach Briles told me he's not a prophet, but he did say that in two or three years, I'd be a Heisman Trophy finalist," Griffin said. "And it's coming true."

Griffin set an FBS record by throwing 209 passes to start his career before his first interception.

Only three games into the 2009 season, Griffin tore the ACL in his right knee. He got a medical hardship redshirt and then in his comeback last year led the Bears to their first Top 25 ranking since 1993 and a bowl game.

"Robert has become for many football fans the face of Baylor University," athletic director Ian McCaw said. "He's a model student-athlete. ... He basically was a 17-year-old when he came here, and he's a man now."  This ends the quotations from the Boston Globe.com.

Remember, We Live within the Environment Created by Our Choices!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

Jobs on Choices

What made Stephen Jobs so successful?  One of Mr. Job's friends, Dr. Dean Ornish, shared the answer.  There is no doubt that Mr. Jobs knew the secret of mental fitness and success.  The secret of Mr. Job's success is

9/11 Hero

William Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican and an American citizen for 19 years. He was employed at the World Trade Center. In his position, he was the only person on site with the master key to unlock the floors in the North Tower.

William Rodriguez was in the North Tower on 911. He escaped with his life. Istead of being satisfied with escaping the attack, he re-entered the North Tower three times. He saved 15 people. H still was not through with his mission.

He led firefighters of the stairway of the North Tower. As they ascended, he continued to unlock the doors. Hundreds of trapped, frightened and hopeless individuals were released and rescued because of his efforts .

I believe that William Rodriguez is a living example of a man with great mental fitness and courage. To read more about William Rodriguez, I refer you to heavenlystrength to read more about William.

William risked his life to save many. Because of the attack, he lost his job and was homeless. In spite of all this adversity, he has remained focused on helping survivors of 9/11.

Let us think of William Rodriguezand and many like him at this time of the year. Let us realize that we too will have opportunities to express our mental fitness and courage. Our opportunities may not be as heroic and dramatic, but they will still be very important and life forming.

Remember We Live within the Environment Created by Our Choices!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

The Tea Party

The original Boston Tea Party was on December 16, 1773. A group of Massachusetts Patriots, protested the monopoly on American tea importation granted by Parliament to the East India Company. The members of the Boston tea party seized 342 chests of tea in a midnight raid on three tea ships and threw them into the harbor.

Once again, the Tea Party has become an important force in American politics. Today, I do not want to look at the Tea Party from a political perspective. Instead, let us look at the Tea Party from the perspective of mental fitness.

From this perspective, the tea party is an exciting group of individuals, who are working together to achieve their mutual goals. The essence of mental fitness is focusing and actively taking care of oneself in all areas of our lives.

The Tea Party is not depending on politicians or the President to make their lives better.

The Tea Part members are focused on taking care of themselves through becoming genuinely and actively committed to change the politics in our country.

Tea Party members are living in the present and not immobilized by the past .

Tea Party members remained focused in spite of the negativity of the press and the ridicule of the current American ruling class.

The Tea Party members are willing to accept the frustrations necessary to achieve their goals.

The Tea Party members know that happiness, freedom, piece of mind and control of their lives is dependent on their efforts and will be destroyed by being apathetic or dependent upon our current government and politicians.

The Tea Party members get It from a mental fitness perspective .

They sense the urgency and necessity of actively committing to changing our government so that people can self-actualize and pursue their dreams.

Remember, We Live within the Government Created by Our Choices or Our Failure to Make Choices!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

Resurrecting Anthony

Tracy G. Minsky emailed me regarding Linda and Tony Cole, whose son collapsed on a playground after having  a heart attack.  I thought my readers would be touched and uplifted by the Cole's mental fitness and coping strategies.

This is what Tracy wrote about Linda and Tony Cole, who are "co-authors of RESURRECTING ANTHONY: A True Story of Courage & Destination. www.resurrectinganthony.com.

 As you may know, Linda and Tony Cole wrote the book after their athletic, 12 year-old son, collapsed on the school playground. Only to learn he had a heart attack and lost oxygen to his brain.

Coach Beilein And Mental Fitness

Mental fitness can make us all winners just as it has the Michigan basketball team.

Martina Hingis on Mental Fitness

I didn't have the same fitness or ability as the other girls, so I had to beat them with my mind. 

This statement was made by Martina Hingis.  Who is Martina Hingis?

Thoreau or Mental Fitness

In three sentences, Henry David Thoreau explained the essence of mental fitness.  Here is the wisdom of Henry David Thoreau:

1. As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
2. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.
3. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

A mentally fit person thinks "over and over again the kind of thoughts" he or she wishes to dominate his or her life. 

Are you thinking thoughts that you want to "dominate your life"?  Or are you thinking thoughts determined by others, your wish to please others or by your past or current circumstances?

Repetition of thoughts creates mental fitness or mental dysfunction.  Repetition of thoughts for centering our lives creates inward joy and strength.  Repetition of anxious, fearful and depressed thoughts creates detours and dead ends.

Are you on the path of your choice?

Remember, We Live within the Identities and Environment Created by Our Thoughts!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

The Tiger Mindset

Tiger Woods has failed to maintain his elite status in the golfing world, since his return to the golfing circuit.  Mick Elliott at FANHOUSE called Tiger's current season his "winless season" in Mick's article "Tiger's Par-5 Game Still Isn't up to Par".

Tiger's golf game has been a disaster since his moral indiscretions and marital conflicts became big news. 

Mick showed how bad it has been for Tiger. "Ten times since 1997 Woods has finished in the top 10 on the PGA Tour on birdie-or-better conversions on par 5s. This year there are 53 players in front of his 43 percent conversion rate".

Tiger described his fall

Tarkenton Still Scrambling in His Senior Years

Fran Tarkenton is still known as the elite scrambling quarterback.  If he didn't beat his opponent with his passing, he did it with his running.  Now in his senior years,