The Hard 90 Podcast With Zach Sorensen

CC Sabathia's definition of "compete" is rooted in intense, fearless preparation and a "give-me-the-ball" mentality, where the primary goal is to win for his team regardless of personal physical pain or circumstances. 

Showing up daily with relentless discipline, consistency, and mental toughness, refusing to quit when it's hard, and outworking everyone through preparation, not relying on natural talent alone to achieve peak performance and win over the long term, often prioritizing team success over individual stats

"Relentlessly destroying opponents mentally and physically through obsessive work, taking their will, and constantly striving to be better than yourself, viewing it as a constant process of improvement, not a destination, fueled by passion and fearlessness to fail" Kobe

Compete: Competition is the greatest thrill a person can experience because it forces them to overcome challenges en route to becoming the best version of themselves.

John Wooden considered enthusiasm a foundational, contagious passion that transforms hard work into exceptional performance. As a cornerstone of his Pyramid of Success, it fuels enjoyment in daily efforts, preventing tedium. He believed genuine love for the task inspires others and is necessary to reach one's full potential. 

With all levels of your co-workers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.

John Wooden defined loyalty as a core, central element of his Pyramid of Success, emphasizing it as a "cohesive force that forges individuals into a team". It consists of three key components: loyalty to oneself (acting on personal values), loyalty to those depending on you, and maintaining self-respect. It requires unwavering commitment, especially during tough times. 

Friendship, according to Coach Wooden, is the cornerstone upon which all success is built. It's about building strong, positive relationships with others.

John Wooden defined Industriousness as one of the foundational cornerstones of his Pyramid of Success, emphasizing that "there is no substitute for work". It represents, in his view, consistent, hard work combined with careful planning to achieve worthwhile results. 

John Wooden's principle of Intentness is defined as the ability to resist temptation, stay focused on your goals, and be determined and persistent to achieve them, even when facing setbacks, making it a crucial part of his Pyramid of Success. It's about unwavering focus, continuous effort, and refusing to quit, viewing obstacles as setups for comebacks, embodying "patience with action". 

John Wooden viewed initiative as the crucial ability to make decisions and act, even without being told, emphasizing that inaction is the greatest failure, requiring courage to try, fail, learn, and try again, all while building on solid preparation and teamwork.

John Wooden's concept of Alertness within his Pyramid of Success emphasizes being constantly observant, open-minded, and eager to learn and improve from everything and everyone, avoiding tunnel vision and self-absorption to find opportunities for growth, even from mistakes

John Wooden viewed self-control as fundamental, emphasizing discipline, emotional mastery, and focusing on what you can control, rather than reacting to external events, to achieve success and maintain peak performance, famously stating, "Discipline yourself and others won't need to" and that losing it causes everything to "fall."

"This block of the Pyramid addresses a most important characteristic: selflessness which is the opposite of selfishness. I mean by this that you are eager to sacrifice personal glory or gain for the greater good, namely, the welfare and success of your organization, your team, your group. This is a player who would make our team 'great' rather than a someone who was just a 'great player'."

In John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, Skill is a crucial level 4 block, defined as the knowledge and ability to execute fundamentals correctly and quickly, requiring preparation and attention to detail to master techniques, ultimately supporting the top blocks of Poise and Confidence for achieving Competitive Greatness. 

In John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, Condition is a crucial building block in the pyramid's center, alongside Skill and Team Spirit, emphasizing that true success requires holistic fitness: mental, moral, and physical. It's about being prepared and resilient, working through challenges to build inner strength, making the right choices daily, and aligning mind, body, and character to function at your best. 

John Wooden viewed confidence as "respect without fear" built primarily through thorough preparation, self-discipline, and focusing on the process, not just results, enabling poise and the right to be proud. He stressed that you can't expect others to trust you if you don't trust your own preparation, and that true confidence comes from knowing what you are capable of. Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" highlights confidence as a key trait, achieved by mastering fundamentals and consistently doing your best. 

Wooden on Poise: Just be yourself. Being at ease in any situation.  Never fight yourself.

Competitive Greatness. Be at your best when your best is needed. Love the battle.”

Faith is the strong belief in something unseen, while patience is the endurance to wait calmly for it to happen, with both working together in spiritual and personal growth to inherit promises or achieve goals, as faith provides the "why" and patience provides the "how long," preventing discouragement during delays. Faith is the confident expectation, and patience is the steadfast perseverance. All good things take time.

Top 12 Things All Successful Athletes Have In Common 1. Self-Confidence 2. Motivation 3. Self-Discipline 4. Optimism 5. Acceptance of Criticism 6. Poise Under Stress 7. Focus 8. Resiliency 9. Competitive Spirit 10. Natural Leadership 11. Humility 12. Passion

John Wooden defined success as "the peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming," focusing on maximum personal effort and character growth.  What is your definition of success?

Focused on the process, addicted to the result!

Your energy is contagious. Is yours worth catching?

Is it going to end up good? We Will See. Is it going to end up bad? We Will See. Stay judgement free, stay neutral, and We Will See what happens.

Non-judgement allows us to be more attuned to the present moment, instead of worrying about the future or ruminating on the past. When we remove the value-based judgments of our thoughts and remember that they are just thoughts, not facts – we remove their power.

What are you going to say to yourself each morning to remind yourself how amazing you are?

Instead of being in a Tug Of War with the ones that care about you, stand back to back, with arms locked.  Nothing will come in between you.

Spend time each morning writing down 3 things that you are grateful for and you will see a major transformation in your happiness and performance.  What are you grateful for?

Evidence suggests that teammates who touch each other liberally on the court -- high-fives, fist-bumps, hugs, pats and the like -- tend to do that better than players who don't.

“It is real simple. If you want to be a good teammate and if you want people to like you, you MUST be a fountain. Your team does not need drains. Drains only clog thing up.”

Perspective is reality. The attitude you take is a decision you make. What attitude will you bring to the team today?

Most people think that the only way to consider yourself successful, is when you are at the finish line. Gain new perspective on the definition of success so that you can feel successful even before you are at the goal.

What is your definition of Success? Make sure you are capable of reaching it daily.

A "compared to what" mentality will help you maintain a positive perspective on a tough situation.

When you see the hidden images in these logos, you will never see them the same again.  You will have a new perspective. I hope the same is true for your mental performance training. 

An awesome example of a player "taking leadership." You don't have to be at the top of your game to impact others. 

You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Who do you surround yourself with?

It's as much where you are at as where you see yourself in the future.  Vision is real.  See yourself doing the things you want to do.

You need to have vision. Learn how I implemented the concept of having vision to see myself playing at the elite level.

Jimmy Valvano had a vision of winning a National Championship at NC State and it all began with cutting down the nets. Don't Let the first time be the first time. 

There are two ways to do things.... The right way, and again. What is your right way?

Great advice from a great coach - You focus is to be at the Right Place at the Right Time Trying To Do The Right Thing.

3 things player need in a leader: Can I Trust Him, Does He Care About Me, Will He Make Me Better

Instead of focusing on being the best player on the team, focus on being the best player for the team. 

Character Counts. Courage Counts. Communication Counts. Consistency Counts. Connection Counts. Competence Counts.

1. We are always looking for RESULTS 2. When we don't get the results we want, we change our MECHANICS or TECHNIQUE 3. When that doesn't work, we start saying that we need more FOCUS 4. When you still aren't seeing the results you want, we realize that we need to manage our EMOTIONS 5. If you don't have a positive BELIEF SYSTEM, you will not get the results you want. DO CONFIDENCE, don't wait for it.

1. We are always looking for RESULTS 2. When we don't get the results we want, we change our MECHANICS or TECHNIQUE 3. When that doesn't work, we start saying that we need more FOCUS 4. When you still aren't seeing the results you want, we realize that we need to manage our EMOTIONS

The next level of the performance pyramid is focus. When you are getting the results you want after you make adjustments to your technique, often times we say that we need more focus. Results Mechanics and Technique Focus

1 - We focus on Results 2 - When we don't get the results we want, we Change Mechanics and Technique

At the top of the performance pyramid is results.  We all are looking for results.  Is this what we should be focusing on?