FORGET ABOUT TOMORROW, ENJOY TODAY

This is an excellent passage from the book "Coach Wooden" by Pat Williams.  I have often had conversations with players talking about the "short window" they have to compete in the athletic arena.  For a senior, their days of playing could be a few more months.  If they are lucky to play college it might mean four more years max.  And certainly for the professional athlete the clock is ticking from the very beginning.  So I tell them "Enjoy the ride and maximize your experience by soaking up and spending as much time as you possibly can mastering your skills."  Don't worry about days off and understand there are no off-seasons.  This of course doesn't mean there isn't a time for rest and reflection but those are scheduled just as well.  Here is Pat's story on Greg Maddux:

Greg Maddux is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win at least fifteen games for seventeen consecutive seasons.  He recalls some advice he one received from then Cubs manager Tom Trebelhorn.  "You know what they problem is with players these days?" Trebelhorn said.  "They are always looking forward to something.  They're never trying to something today.  They're always looking forward to the next off-day, the All-Star break, the end of the season.  They never stop and enjoy the day that's here."

Maddox says that he thought about that and saw that Trebelhorn had a point.  In fact, Maddux realized that he had that same mind-set of looking only to the future and never enjoying the present moment.  From that day forward, Maddox concluded, "I started enjoying each day...and really started loving the games from that day on."

From "Coach Wooden" by Pat Williams