A habit, as defined by Charles Duhigg in his book, “The Power of Habits” is made up of a cue, a routine and a reward. Duhigg goes on to say, “But once you understand how the habit operates – once you diagnose the cue, the routine and the reward – you gain power over it.”
The story of Betsy Purpura (née Somerville)
The year is 1984. Betsy Somerville is in the middle of the tenth grade when she decided to take charge of her tennis career and life. She moved to Bradendon, Florida and enrolled in the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Her parents being tennis pros made a decision like this easier.
A bold and “make or break” decision. She went to school from 7:30 to 12 noon each day. The rest of her day and week were filled with tennis. The workload and intensity was beyond extreme. During this time the tennis world shuddered at what seemed like a very harsh approach. For sure, at this point in the history of the Bollettieri Tennis Academy was filled with super-hot players that went in labeled as “can’t miss” and came home injured, burned out and disillusioned.
Betsy beat the odds. She thrived in this environment. She developed a mindset that allowed her to be grateful for the never-ending challenges of hard work and competition. Her mindset allowed her to build confidence, to generate fire (intensity), passion (heart) and have the discipline to get better.
For her senior year Betsy came back to Hawaii to attend a small girl’s school that helped her to continue to travel to compete and to be prepared for college. After graduation she attended The University of Arizona on a full scholarship.
Betsy was an All-American in college and played professionally before becoming the Head Coach at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
As a kid she took charge of her life and embraced the challenges of being on her own, working and performing at maximum capacity and learning how to battle in competition. She was both driven to win and able to accept setbacks. She maintained her quest to become the best, the excitement for the grind and never stopped learning and working on improving her game.
Betsy is a happy story. No drama. No burn out. No disabling injuries. In Betsy’s words, ”I learned to respect the sport and people who joined me on the journey. I also learned that I performed best when I was present and totally engaged in the moment.”
Betsy was team. “I loved being a part of a family that embraced the game whole heartedly and motivated each other along the way. My parents and siblings supported me completely and this allowed me to explore my potential and develop a growth mindset.”
Betsy experienced the power of her habit. “I lived the life of a competitive junior tennis player, collegiate player, and professional player. I loved my experience and am grateful to have had the opportunity. Hard work on and off of the court was always expected. The key for me was that whenever I felt challenged, I could find a way to make it fun and get better.”
Betsy’s Habit:
The Cue
When I feel challenged
The Routine
Make it fun and find the learning
The Reward
Improve and be more competitive.
HiLevel Habits
HiLevel Habits will allow you to be more competitive:
Develop your Mindset, Follow the Rules and Master the Tools.
Today we’ll discuss Mindset. We’ll cover the second two in future blog entries.
HiLevel Habit Number 1
Develop Your Mindset
Cultivating Gratitude: Yes, I can!
Gratitude is Power. Gratitude results from your ability to be aware of the “why” for what you want to have happen. The “why” is your purpose, the power that allows you to align your mind and spirit and push to the other side of the challenge.
The Cue
The “why”
The Routine
Align your mind and spirit
The Reward
Push to the other side of the challenge
Cultivating Excitement: Yes, I am!
Excitement is Energy. Excitement results from the ability to accept the work required by the challenge and settle down when needed. To maintain the right amount of energy, you must be grateful and excited throughout your performance.
The Cue
The challenge
The Routine
Maintain the right amount of energy
The Reward
Being Grateful and Excited
Cultivating Devotion: Yes, I will!
Devotion is Discipline. Devotion results from the ability to complete the process and make the right choices each moment. You complete the plan and experience satisfaction and success.
The Cue
The process
The Routine
Make the right choices
The Reward
Feeling satisfied and successful
Reflection: The GED Mindset allows you to want to be present in the face of challenges. GED as a process builds confidence, a way to generate fire (intensity), passion (heart) and the discipline to get better.
That’s Hilevel!