At this point traffic has slowed to a crawl as I peered around looking for the cause. The next thing I see is this young black man dressed in blue jeans with a nice looking blue and white striped shirt, sitting on the bridge railing support, facing out. He looked over his shoulder at the cops. Obviously he was thinking about jumping.

I knew of someone who took his life jumping off the bridge. The moment really took me by surprise. I couldn’t know what he was thinking. I don’t know what lead him to that point in his life. But I do know the thoughts you think lead you to the place where you are in life at this very moment. It is so important to know and understand what kind of thoughts are going into your mind and swirling around, trying to gain the upper hand.

In consulting sessions I’ve said your thoughts are the steering wheel that takes you to where you’re going. It’s so essential to put positive thoughts into your head to help direct and reinforce a quality path in life. How do you create this mindset?

Get your hands on some inspirational books. Watch movies that are uplifting and encouraging. Stop hanging around the kind of people or places that pull you down. Trust your instincts to know who or what they are.

Get involved with altruistic groups and charitable organizations. Mingle with people who make you feel good. You need to make that change. Begin now – start putting new, positive thoughts into your mind.

Life is not always going to be hunky dory, happy all the time. The ABC Wide World of Sports tagline was “The thrill of victory … the agony of defeat.” This sums up what I’m talking about. You need to maintain the attitude that things happen for a reason – whether it’s tragic or glorious.

Defeat is the gate that opens the door for growth. Think of all the athletes at the Olympics in London. Do you think the road to the top came without defeat? No! That’s why they are there now. They took that loss and overcame their obstacles to push harder. As an Olympian I know this first hand. In life we have choices to make. Once made, you can’t go back and change the past. It’s what is in front of us that counts – that we need to focus on.

When I saw the young man on the bridge it was around 1:00pm in the afternoon. About 6:00pm on my way home, I rounded the top of the bridge and was surprised to see he was still sitting in the same spot, faced out, with the cops a car length away – still talking to him. Can you imagine what was going on in his mind to be there that long?

I took it as a good sign that the information he was hearing from the police had so far convinced him not to jump. After more than seven hours the positive reinforcement from the police and the help they likely promised to get for him created positive thoughts – he didn’t jump.

So don’t feel defeated when time are tough. Always know that the impossible is possible by changing the input that goes in to your mind – which results in actions that can change your life for the better.

Be your own Champion.

Live your dreams.

Scott Gregory

Once the free 3-day Olympics tribute promotion is over, Champion Mindset will be available for the month of August at only $5.95, after which it will settle in at its standard price of $6.95.

Hope you have a chance to take advantage of the specials. Let me know what you think!

Be your own champion. Live your dreams.

Scott

*In case you aren’t aware, regardless of the brand of your e-reader, you can purchase the ebook from Amazon — they have an app for that! (“Deliver to your Kindle or other device”)

Fear might rise in a slow thought that begins only as the size of a pin prick in the back of your mind. But left unchecked, it grows over time until it overwhelms you, and becomes a true threat to your personal success.

It can make you doubt yourself: What’s happening to my business? Am I going to be able to make ends meet? Or it could be fear of the unknown that lurks just around the corner or under the bed that scares the ba-G-Gs out of you.

The constant little worries that swim around in your head create detours taking you in the wrong direction toward depression, loneliness (often unfounded), self helplessness—and the other big “F” word—failure.

But you have the power to conquer your fears—in the same place from which they grow—your mind.

When we begin to worry about things and speculate on the negative side of the direction in which our mind tries to point us, it’s at that moment we need to take a deep breath (three or four even) and clear our minds.

Push away those thoughts like: What I’m working on won’t work; the challenge is too big; I’m losing self-drive; I’m just a loser; nobody believes in me; I’m an old horse sent out to pasture. Or a popular one: It’s too difficult why should I even try? Any of these sound familiar? Silence them!

Worries … Worries. With your deep breath remember where you came from—you didn’t just arrive at that spot yesterday. Then consider where you want to go. Some of us are naturally strong willed; but even if you are not, you have inner strength to call upon.

You must believe in yourself. Apply that belief and determination to the thought that in the long run you will survive.

I’m a strong believer in prayer. I find it helps relieve some of the stress that comes from worrying. But strength of mind, body and spirit can come from deliberate contemplation, too. The key is to stay focused on the positive. Set plans in action that will generate steps towards peace of mind.

When you relax through prayer or reflection, resolutions flow easier and you begin to think that things will work out. Fear will lose its control.

Make your false evidence appearing real fade away. Your thoughts are powerful. Use them.

Be your own Champion.

Live Your Dreams.

Scott

Following my talk, Tim Estiloz, a journalist and broadcast entertainer, approached me and enthusiastically commented that all the advice I offer, like setting goals, looking on the bright side of life, refusing to give up (10 Tips for Developing a Winning Mindset), apply to more than just sports—they’re affirmations for everyone.

We all have moments that open our minds to another dimension. I call them Aha! Moments―that’s when the lightbulb turns on in your head. Ideas pop into your mind about how you can better the situation you are in; or you get a great idea for something you’ve been working on. Or maybe a terrific idea for a new invention suddenly occurs.

It’s true, we all have them, but what do you do with them? Those are the moments opportunity is knocking at your door. It may be so gentle and quiet that you barely notice it, but it’s at that time you need to make a mental and if possible, physical, note to do something about it. Don’t let it just pass by and fade away.

Have you ever had an innovative idea for a product or service that you did not act upon, only to learn that someone else thought of it after you, and made millions on it? You probably did nothing when the idea nudged you; now someone else is reaping the rewards.

My eye opener from the PSA conference is the challenge to take my Champion Mindset techniques to that other dimension. Like Tim Estiloz suggested―I should step outside my comfort zone of skating, and help even more people through youth associations, corporations, sports organizations, and civic groups―to develop their Champion Mindset.

If you or someone you know may have an interest in this type of development, let’s talk. Contact me at s.gregory3 @ gmail.com. For those who had an Aha! Moment while reading this blog, what is or will be, your eye opener?

It is the challenge to understand our existence on this earth. We can go through life like a butterfly and flutter from one place to another, or we can charge after our destinations with the speed of a cheetah, chosen only by the immediate direction of our thoughts. But once a choice has been made there is always the fear of failure or incompleteness.

Most of the time to be successful or win at something comes with a price. Having been an Olympic competitor I’ve crossed roads of disappointments perhaps more often than most. The important message to remember is the effort that you put into your work which creates your journey through life.

Like the rippling effect of a rock skipped across the water, believe it or not your action and results will collide or coincide with another person, and so on. Set a good example that others can follow. You’ve heard it before, but it’s so true: It isn’t whether you win or lose. It’s how you play the game.

Through the words in my book, Champion Mindset, I tell my story. In the email below that I received from one of my readers, you will see how the rippling effect helped a mother understand her daughter more. That’s why I am here … what is your purpose? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mr. Gregory,

My name is Evelyn Calandra and I work at Goshen High School with Helen L., who recently reconnected with you through Facebook.

After reconnecting with you she shared the name of your book, and I purchased it. My daughter, Gabriella, is twelve years old and a competitive figure skater. I often tell Helen about Gabriella’s passion for this sport. She wants to constantly skate and is constantly seeking to do better.

My husband and I always try to understand this because neither of us have skated competitively like she has. She was introduced to it a few years back because her older brother is a hockey player and she wanted to take lessons. Next thing we knew we were approached by a coach who wanted to train her, and that was the beginning.

As we drive her to the rink around five times a week and she takes lessons with various coaches, we often ask ourselves—why are we doing this? However, each time we watch her practice and each time she competes, we see a smile, a spark in her eye and tremendous determination to acquire every new skill. Gabriella is always the first one on the ice and the last one off.

When I received your book I could not put it down. Your passion, determination, and the love of the sport shone through from the first page to the last. As I read each page I began to understand the love of a sport that can drive a person to want to do this. Gabriella, like you, is happiest and most “complete” on the ice. When people ask me why we do this for her, my husband and I respond that we look at this unique sport as something in which our daughter is happiest, and she is learning important life lessons each step of the way.

As each obstacle you faced made you a stronger person, I truly believe that each obstacle these young girls like my daughter, face, are stepping stones and lessons they can learn from. At this point in life, the discipline, attention to detail, focus, work ethic, and ability to accept loss, are lessons that skating has taught my daughter and instilled in her. They make my daughter who she is today.

After reading your book I hope these attributes will continue to be part of her and will equip her to deal with life in a unique way that only a sport like this can prepare you for.

Thank you for writing such a touching book. My daughter is going to read it next. As a parent, I am grateful for being given this opportunity to look into the “mind” of an athlete like you and be able to see “skating” through your eyes.

By doing this you have helped me understand my daughter a little better. Thanks again and good luck with this remarkable book. ~ Evelyn Calandra

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Center on your dreams and go after them like the mad dash of a cheetah, because you never know when and how your action and words will emotionally touch the next person. Hence our purpose in being born.

Be your own Champion.

Live your Dreams.

Scott Gregory

We dreamed a lot back then. Dreamed of many, many things. Things to do, things to be, places to go, places to have. We dreamed of brilliant ideas that could be the next generation’s craze.

Over time, the reality of life blurred the sight of our dreams; they seemed to fade away further, until they were out of sight or had fallen to the wayside.

And thoughts like, it’s not possible, I can’t do that, it won’t work, I don’t have the time … still swirl around and around in our heads.

STOP!!! Stop thinking those negative thoughts. It’s time to take a chance and take control of our thoughts. We have to be conscious of what kind of thoughts are buzzing around in our heads. Is the voice in your head finding every excuse in the book for why it can’t be done, why you can’t do it, or why you can’t have it, or be it?

STOP!!! We have a choice—think negatively, or think positively. Now that you are aware of the kind of thoughts you are thinking, it’s important to keep them positive. Tell that voice in your head, “Yes I can!”

Start your day with the choice to make positive steps. In the mornings before I even get the day going, I always make it a point to say to myself, “It’s going to be a great day.” So right off the bat my mind is put into positive motion.

Try it—take that chance and start thinking of some new, positive thoughts. When you think a brand new thought, something comes alive; and when you think this brand new thought, it will strive and strive to find its place in time and space to reach the light of day. So think this brand new, positive thought all the time, to help it make its way into your life.

What has been done by one can be done by all. All doing is done by simply thinking of what it is that you want to do and having the CONVICTION to move physically with those thoughts. This is what will accelerate the tiny inkling of your dream’s entry into your dream’s true beginning. So begin now to introduce the right thoughts into your mind―consciously.

Your thoughts become things. The life you are living right now is the result of the thoughts you have been thinking up to this point in time. Whether you like it or not, you are living in your dreams right now—positive, or negative.

So choose your thoughts wisely.

Change the results of your thoughts.

Change your life!

Scott Gregory

Here are some suggestions on how to prepare:

• Focus on the date for your event
• Train for your competition or event as soon as possible
• Give yourself plenty of time
• Research if necessary

Preparation takes time. Find extra time here and there throughout your days. If you feel that you don’t have extra time, make extra time getting geared up by doing things such as utilizing your workday breaks or even getting up a little earlier every day. You’ll be surprised that even 10, 15 or 20 minutes add up and help you prepare!

There are many notable people throughout the world who have achieved great success and every one of them went through a crucial preparation process. One person in particular that I find remarkable is Jamie Clark. He is one of few people who climbed to the top of Mount Everest; and I was fortunate to hear one of his inspiring speeches.

He  wrote a book about his journey called The Power of Passion. Chapter three, “Prepare to Climb,” relates the many years of training he endured and the preparation it all took. Some of his training included climbing twenty-nine stories and doing ten circuits (which is 290 stories or about 3,000 feet!). Everest is 29,028 feet! He noted all the equipment and food he and his team needed to make the grueling climb; and details of the particular team he chose. All of it was in preparation for his arduous climb to the top. I highly recommend his inspiring book.

Whatever mountain you’re planning to climb get geared up and prepared. You may think that successful people are blessed with luck—I disagree. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Confidence and success are the result of preparation.

For more opportunities to learn about my journey and how to develop a champion mindset, check out my presentation on ten tips to developing a winning mindset that you can download for free on my website, www.scottgregoryolympian.com.

Be your own champion.

Live your Dreams.

Scott Gregory
With Annalise Swanson-Fratta

The word “champion” has diverse significances for each of us. For me, the word has changed so many times over the years, and makes me realize that each time I felt passionately enough about something (to need to be a champion) was a time that contributed to my fundamental self.

That being said, here I sit: a father, husband, son, author, and skating coach. We all change and reinvent ourselves constantly. Change keeps us going! But I wasn’t always a skating coach, author, etc. My journey started on a lake where my passion grew each time my feet touched the ice. “I was addicted to the thrill of it all.” (Champion Mindset, p. 21)

My delight for the ice was satisfied on that lake until eventually my town built a new rink and formed a figure skating club. From that point on, ice skating dominated my thoughts, and I often doodled figure skating shapes in my notebook margins.

In one of my art classes, we were told to draw a life shield, which was supposed to have four interest points that represented the artist on the front. I’m still surprised by the way it connected together. My shield had an ice skate with the laces connecting to my stereo, a mountain, and a pond with me skating on it. Little did I know at the time that I would still have the drawing after I was married, grown, and blessed with a daughter of my own.  (CM, p. 24)

When I began private lessons my love for skating was able to blossom. I was ready to take on the world, and I did. The changes and challenges of my early years on the ice contributed to all my life’s accomplishments.

I understand that each step we take is as important as the next and we must strive to embrace change with courage, in order to transform into the champion we are all capable of becoming.

Be you your own Champion.

Live your Dreams.

Scott Gregory
With Annalise Swanson-Fratta

Everyone’s journey begins on their day of birth and though we grow and learn every day of our lives, we each have a major turning point somewhere. Champions must have a turning point where they realize they must be a champion every day. Champions make perfection habitual. The twists and turns that lead me to this realization happened like this:

…It was 1985, I just had a disappointing finish at the World Championships in Tokyo after a slight mistake. Then (and to make a long story short), I was given a surprise chance to redeem myself at a competition in Morzine, France.

I excelled to successfully winning the competition! I was on top of the world until twenty-four hours later when I skated in the exhibition following the competition in Morzine. Yet another slight fumble of feet created a major turning point … following the exhibition I was approached  by an official of the International Skating Union about my error.

This is how it went down:

“I can see you at the top someday, but you can’t go out there and make errors—not even a little mistake.” I felt like he’d hit me with a sledge hammer. I must have had a rather dumbfounded expression on my face because he continued. “If you want to be a champion, you cannot make mistakes at any time. Do you understand?”

I was floored, but he was right. I understood something then that I had been taking for granted. “Yes, sir,” I said quietly. “I . . . Thank you.” His words turned a light bulb on in my mind. Champions are always on their game because they’re always focused on perfection. For them, an exhibition is just as important as a competition. A lack of focus and the added pressure of performing open the door for potential mistakes. To avoid them, we (my skating partner and I) need to be as intense in our training as we are in competition.

We thought we were doing this already, but this experience just proved to us that there was more we could do. His words became my mental mantra. (Champion Mindset, Refusing to Give Up Your Dreams, p198-199.)

There are many turning points in everyone’s lives but this one stands out for me. It made me realize that being a champion must be my habit, not just my dream. From that point on, this mantra was my new habitual mental adjustment, leading me to become the champion I knew I was capable of.

You have the choice every day to be a champion… or not. Choose your attitude wisely and soon your Champion Mindset will become habit.

Feel the inspiration with your copy of Champion Mindset at  www.scottgregoryolympian.com

Be your own Champion.

Live your Dreams.

Scott Gregory
With, Annalise Swanson-Fratta

The reason I chose to open with this quote by Alex Noble is because, in my opinion, his words help define my journey to success. The most memorable, awe inspiring and difficult part of anyone’s life journey is coping with setbacks and how we overcome them.

We hear it all the time―without rain we couldn’t appreciate the sun, etc… and as my Dad told me years before one of my most challenging setbacks, “Injuries never come at a convenient time.” (Champion Mindset, p. 14.)

Injuries are perhaps one of the most trying setbacks an athlete can encounter and overcome. We require our bodies to perform at an unrivaled level every day. Achieving such a level is part of this remarkable journey. Elite Athletes work through pain and when our minds tell us to stop, we keep going and endure even more. This builds the physical prowess necessary for athletic prominence and personal character.

Throughout my journey I overcame many obstacles and injuries, and without them, I would not be who I am today nor would I have achieved prominence in my sport. Our setbacks build character and when you obligate your thoughts to a true “champion mindset” you will face them with confidence.

Looking back through my triumphs and disappointments, I wouldn’t change anything. Living through life defying obstacles and succeeding is the major component in a champion’s journey. Please feel free to share with me your obstacles, small and large, and how you conquered them.

Be your own Champion.

Live your Dreams.
Scott Gregory
With Annalise Swanson-Fratta