As a young athlete growing up, I was involved with a variety of sports that included; soccer, baseball, volleyball, track and field, basketball, hockey and golf. Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to compete in some prestigious competitions. Some of my accomplishments include; Provincial 100 and 200 meter Champion, Ontario Champion AAA hockey for the Central Ontario Wolves, and most recently playing in the National University/College Championships for golf. What I realized quickly during these experiences was that winners were mentally tough and others, specifically runners up needed to be more mentally tough. So I started reading specialized books on how to think like a world class athlete so I could be as mentally tough and achieve desired success.

For me it was about copying successful people. By adopting their philosophies, thought processes and habits we can all duplicate their success. Think of it as a math formula, if we all plug the same numbers into the same formula, we will all get the same answers! It’s not just about raw intelligence and formal education, but more so about maximizing your potential and manifesting your ultimate life vision. The difference between middle class and world class thinking has proven to be minimal. We all have what it takes to succeed in life; it’s just a matter of finding our formula and capitalizing on it. Quitting is not considered to be tough, but weaker so never quit and never give up.

I consider my parents to be instrumental people in my life, always encouraging me to do whatever I wanted to do growing up because they are convinced that people are meant to make mistakes. Individuals that are tough are the ones that learn from their mistakes. I used to dislike when my Dad used to say “the perfect practice makes perfect”, but the more I matured the more I realized that he was right. Practicing is the only way to perfect your skills!

Mental toughness is certainly correlated with successful people. Believing in your skill sets and abilities coupled with mental toughness will help you achieve desired results. Remember this applies in all aspects of life not just in sports!

If you are interested in reading on mental toughness, particularly in sports I recommend this book. It’s called The New Toughness Training for Sports; Mental, Emotional and Physical Conditioning from one of the World’s Premier Sports Psychologists James E. Loehr.

I’m sure I can speak for most people when I say “Yes we get it Tiger Woods public image has taken a turn for the worse in recent days”. We all have our opinions about the actions of Mr. Woods however; I think this story is being blown way out of proportion.

I find it funny how quickly individuals get persuaded into thinking what the media wants everyone to think. We must remember that it is the media’s job to influence the thoughts and beliefs of its listeners, readers and whatever else there may be. The fact is that Tiger Woods is still the best golfer in the world who gives back to many communities across the U.S. Tiger helps kids achieve their goals through character development programs, scholarships, grants and the Tiger Woods Learning Centre. Since its creation, the Tiger Woods Foundation has touched more than ten million young people and inspired millions more.

Either way it is important for individuals no matter what their status in society to manage their brand, the brand called you. Tiger Woods in this case faces an uphill battle, but he also has plenty of resources available to leverage in order to bring his brand back to where it was a few weeks ago…and this is something I am confident he will do. I also think that we need to give this story more time to unfold before drawing any concrete conclusions.

One needs to realize that all actions have consequences, however increasing the positive consequences and decreasing the negative consequences is the name of the game. Your brand needs to be authentic, not just for show. Accepting feedback and constructive criticism is a must in order to achieve your desired brand image. One should realize it takes years to develop an authentic prosperous brand image and each person will travel a different path to achieve this. Remember take it one step at a time, capitalize on the positive consequences and use them as leverage into your future brand building strategies.

Networking is a common synonym for developing and maintaining contacts and personal connections with a variety of individuals who may be of assistance to you and your career. To get the most out of networking, you must build relationships with the people you want to have contact with. It’s not about the quantity of business cards you are able to collect at networking function, but more so about the quality of relationships formed with those individuals who could be a catalyst towards your personal success. You need to realize that not all individuals will be able to help you, nor will you be able to help them. Unfortunately, most individuals choose to network for immediate gains. If this is what you are trying to achieve, you are networking for the wrong reasons and will stick out like a sore thumb.

Recently I attended the Eastern Ontario Economic Showcase in Ottawa, where I had the privilege to hear Terry Matthews, Don Drummond, Dr. Linda Duxbury, Brett Wilson and Donald J. Trump speak. Interestingly enough all of these prestigious business figures at one point or another in their speeches made reference to networking. Specifically Mr. Trump spoke about one networking function that changed his career. At one point in his career Mr. Trump owed millions of dollars to creditors, which consisted of mainly banks. However, Mr. Trump chose to attend a black tie networking function where he ended up speaking with one of the creditors to whom he owed most of his money to. At the time Mr. Trump had no idea who this individual was and just developed a typical business conversation with him. It wasn’t until the end of their discussion when they identified their relationship. The following week they sat down and put forth an action plan to help resolve their financial issues. This enabled Mr. Trump to continue his path of success.

This illustrates the opportunities one can gain from networking. It is important to portray a positive and confident figure no matter what your situation may be as demonstrated by Mr. Trump’s actions. If you remain true to yourself and have the desire and ability to develop and maintain quality relationships with individuals met through networking events, the opportunities can prove to be endless.

When attending networking functions it is important that you demonstrate the proper etiquette. It’s like anything in life “if you fail to prepare, then you are prepared to fail”. Even though you may already know individuals attending the event, in most cases you will not know them all so you must prepare as if you know no one. The following are some points that should be considered before attending a networking function:

·         Make sure you are well groomed

·         Make sure you are dressed appropriately “Dress for Success”

·         Know how to introduce yourself

·         Always be ready to shake hands

·         Know proper table etiquette

First impressions mean everything, and a good employer is always watching your actions, especially when you least expect them to be. It is important to always be yourself no matter what the situation, and remember to maintain your primary goals and objectives at networking functions, which is to build quality relationships.

As a graduating BCom student from the Sprott School of Business I recommend that you attend as many networking functions or conferences as possible in the future. You never know when your opportunity will present itself. I leave you thinking about this last quote from Wayne Gretzky, who said “you miss 100% of the shots you never take”.