Book is available for pre-order now, comes out on June 1st.

Recently, a client asked my opinion on the following quote from basketball coach Pat Summitt: “Attitude is a choice. Think positive thoughts daily. Believe in yourself.” With all due respect to this highly successful leader, this type of mantra, which is common in the world of sports, will not help an athlete or anyone become more successful. In truth, attitude is not a choice. Trying to think positive thoughts only fortifies negative ones, and sometimes even the most accomplished individuals do not believe in themselves. This quote, however, provides an opportunity for me to discuss the differences between my coaching perspective and what many performance experts, coaches, and therapists often attempt to instill in their athletes or clients.

Attitude, positive thinking, and belief are not attributes we can choose to feel.

Let’s start with attitude being a choice. The other day, a professional hockey player came to see me for what he described was as an “attitude adjustment.” His team was out of the playoff picture with six games remaining in the regular season, and he was having a hard time finding the incentive to give his best effort. His mood and attitude (toward playing games that had “no meaning”) were awful—and he knew it. He was also certain that he could control these errant thoughts. Problem was, the more he tried to do so, the worse he felt. I wondered if this athlete understood the principle of thought. I asked, “Do you know that your thoughts—and not the hockey standings (your circumstances)—are creating your reality? Do you know that when your mood is low, your attitude will follow suit—no matter what you try to do?”

Next, let’s look at the common self-help strategy of positive thinking. From my viewpoint, it is unfeasible to override temporary negative thought patterns with affirmations. I have never worked with a person who, deep down, believed he could convince himself that something was true when his thoughts were telling him otherwise. Again, if our hockey player really understood the principle of thought, he would realize that there is no reason to fear short-lived negativity that originates solely from his current low mood or attitude. For example, do you fear flying? If yes, just try to think positively about an upcoming flight.

Finally, does the mantra, “Believe in yourself,” really work? Unfortunately not. When one’s attitude is wayward, it is virtually impossible to believe in anything—let alone yourself. Belief and state of mind work in tandem. A high mind-set leads to faith; a low mind-set makes us question. It’s as simple as that.

Understanding always works better than controlling.

So, then, what can we do when we our attitude is bleak, our thoughts are negative, and we lack hope? First, understand that transient low thoughts and moods are part of the human experience. Second, realize that your thoughts, and not the outside world, are creating your current outlook. The only reason that bad attitudes stick with us is because we are convinced that we do, in fact, have control over them. As a result, we either try to alter our circumstances or seek an external coping mechanism to provide relief. Just reflect for a second, have you ever made a successful decision when your attitude was low?

I admire Pat Summitt as a coach and leader, but the above quote is just way off the mark. Understanding the human experience is far more effective than willing belief. Remember, keep your foot off the accelerator when your state of mind hits a snag; if you allow it, your level of well-being will ascend—all on its own. And when it does, attitude, positivity, and faith will simply take care of themselves.

A high level of well-being is not the result of something you do or something that happens to you. Well-being is at the core of who you are.

Regrettably, most of us are not aware of this truth. We are pushing and searching for that magic bullet that will provide the happiness we crave. In sports, it may be winning a championship, setting a scoring record, or making an all-star team. In terms of life situations, it may come in the guise of a relationship, a new job, or having a child. Either way, those of us who allow our level of contentment to exist at the mercy of external events will rarely flourish. Those who understand that the possibility for growth and achievement exists regardless of what occurs, always will.

The more I believed that my “life” depended on my performances, the worse I performed.

In my own athletic career, I learned this lesson the hard way. After my college hockey days were behind me, I took up the game of golf. Fortunately, I improved quickly—soon qualifying for and finishing well in state and regional competitions. I then qualified for the U.S. Amateur in my second try. Yes, I practiced enthusiastically, but to be honest, I was just winging it. I didn’t even realize how “big” the U.S. Amateur really was. I was swinging and playing free and easy. I was absorbed in the experience—and if I didn’t perform well, there was always the next event.

Somewhere along the line, however, things changed. I began to make golf my life. If I didn’t prosper, I felt compelled to spend hours toiling away on the practice tee. I was certain that the harder I worked—or pushed—the better my results would be. If my scores were low and I was hitting the ball solid, I was okay; if my scores skyrocketed and I spent more time in the rough than the fairway, I was miserable. The freedom, simplicity, and love for what I was doing slowly withered away. As a result, of course, so did my success.

We grow from our failures only when we understand that they have no ability to define us.

Likewise, this predicament is extremely common among the athletes with whom I work today. In fact, many high-level athletes are actually taught that their self-worth should rest on external achievements. They often hear, “You have to commit to your sport like it’s your life.” And as they begin to believe and adopt this philosophy, contentment and accomplishments become more and more elusive. Again, the more a person believes his life is regulated by external circumstances, the more his consciousness will lower and the narrower his perceptual field (awareness and freedom) becomes. Just imagine, for instance, that my happiness or self-image was conditional on the success of this article—it would be impossible for me to write or even think clearly.

The bottom line is this: Individuals (athletes included) who think that the quality of their lives rests on the outcome of the events of the outside world will act from compulsion or desperation—and fail. Individuals who know that their level of well-being remains intact, in spite of these events, will act from inspiration or determination—and thrive.

So, if contentment is something you’re looking for, realize that this intrinsic ability has nothing to do with the result of a game or event. Remember, too, that this change in perspective won’t necessarily make it easier if you happen to lose; what it will do is create the opportunity for growth and future achievement—no matter what happens.

About ten days ago, former Holy Family University basketball coach, John O’Connor, was captured on video attacking one of his players (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8N-UThBYto). The incident has received its fair share of attention—mainly focused on judgment of, and condemnation for, O’Connor’s actions. While I certainly do not condone this type of behavior, let’s take a closer look at this incident and see we can truly learn from it.

First, O’Connor has not responded contritely for his behavior. He has said it was an accident—“A mistake that should never have occurred.” I’m not sure about you, but I would not describe these events as accidental. His resistance, however, is consistent with what almost always occurs when an individual’s behavior is judged, and then he or she is disciplined for it. Second, as just about all coaches would attest, at times coaches have wayward thoughts about their players—including the thought of, literally, ringing their necks. To me, there is nothing abnormal about O’Connor entertaining this type of thinking. Trouble ensues, however, when one acts on such thoughts.

How, then, can coaches (parents, teachers, employers, etc.) avoid O’Connor’s mistake? Merely take the time to recognize what your thoughts are trying to tell you. When you are in a low, anxious, angry, or insecure mood, what you think and feel is not real. If a coach is riled up and has the thought to “teach the player a lesson”—and he tries to do so—disaster will always strike. Keep in mind, regardless of the player’s actions, a coach (O’Connor included) would never have the thought to strike a player if his state of mind was elevated.

Because disagreements are created by low states of mind, not facts—mediations usually make matters worse.

An interesting twist in the O’Connor situation was an attempt at public mediation. The coach and player were given an opportunity to come together on national television (with Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos directing the meeting) and make amends. Well, like virtually all mediations, this get-together only resulted in further tension between the parties. This might surprise you, but the most effective mediations occur when the third party (the mediator) works with those involved, individually. The old axiom of getting in a room and hashing out differences—simply does not work.

Why? Because, like most drawn-out disagreements, this conflict between coach and player was 100 percent the result of low levels of well-being. Thus trying to hash things out, or reason, from this errant psychological perspective, will always exasperate the tension.

Instead, the answer is to individually show the participants that the divide between them has nothing to do with the “facts.” Trust me, when the player’s mood rises (while not agreeing or liking his actions), he will feel compassion and understanding for his coach. When the coach’s mood rises, he will realize exactly why his volatile thoughts got the best of him, and contrition for his actions, concern for the future of the player, and possibly helping other coaches to avoid similar predicaments—will become his main focus.

Our thoughts, and resulting moods, are what direct us through life—not external circumstances.

So, like Coach O’Connor, next time you are tempted to make a bold statement with your actions, just ask yourself the following question: How do my thoughts make me feel? If the answer is tense, volatile, or apprehensive—take a big step back. If the answer is empowering, affirmative, or freeing—go for it. Again, it’s not our behavior that will determine our success or failure—it’s the state of mind from which our behavior originates. Plus, it is a waste of time to ever try to hash out an issue that was merely created from an errant state of mind in the first place.

Albert Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” In other words, as this coach and player should have done, if you are struggling with a supposed dilemma, simply allow your state of mind or level of consciousness to rise before you try to solve it. Odds are, however, once your mind-set ascends, you won’t have to try very hard at all.

Unknowingly, I sent Dave Duerson an email on the day he took his own life. My friend and Dave’s teammate on the 1985 Chicago Bears, Tyrone Keys, had just connected us. Tyrone sensed something was not right with his buddy.

As many of you now know, Dave donated his brain to concussion research with the hope that some good could spawn from his suffering. A courageous gesture. In this article, however, I want to talk about a totally overlooked topic in today’s raging debate about concussions in contact sports—the human mind.

In dealing with post-concussion syndrome, we must learn to recognize the difference between the brain and the mind.

This might surprise you, but when I use the word mind, I am not talking about the brain. The brain is biological; the mind is spiritual. The brain is like a computer; the mind is the energy that powers the computer. The brain is synonymous with the intellect; the mind, intuition. Simply put, the mind cannot be touched by any external factor, not even a concussion. Yet too many ex-athletes are like Dave; imprisoned in the ravages of post-concussive confusion. They fail to understand the above principle—and so, suffer needlessly.

To be clear, I am not discounting the relevance of the examination of brain injuries and their long-lasting effects. I am simply saying that we should not neglect the principle of mind as we do so. For example, consider a player who is experiencing post-concussion syndrome—he has frequent headaches, some memory loss, and mood swings. Perhaps, this player also has wayward thoughts and tells himself, “I’m better off gone.” If the player doesn’t understand how this reality is truly formed—when his mood has swung in a dysfunctional direction, he will not see life clearly—he will be prone to buying into whatever his brain conjures up at that particular moment. On the other hand, if the player realizes that even during the lows, his mind and spirit remain untouched, then (no matter how many hits he took during his career) faith will not escape him. Remember, the mind is the source of the computer’s (the brain’s) power. When a computer malfunctions, the power source remains intact.

Hits to the head during an athlete’s playing career do not, on their own, portend a bleak future.

Of equal concern is the innocent tendency of concussion programs and counseling to spell doom for players who have suffered head injuries. Far too many athletes have adopted the notion that if they have symptoms of post-concussion syndrome, or if they have had several concussions during their career, their future will be unpromising. This is simply not the case. Just this morning, I listened to a radio interview (with Tyrone) conducted by Dave Duerson exactly one month ago. Dave was astute, understanding, and extremely articulate. Even if his brain functioning was diminished, at that moment his inner wisdom and natural resiliency were guiding him along assuredly. Again, a concussion can only affect one’s biology; it cannot affect one’s spirit, heart, or faith. I believe that, as science and the pro leagues continue to study the effects of head injuries, it is imperative that this message be instilled as well.

Dave Duerson was a brilliant football player, a once-successful businessman, and, in offering his brain to research, a courageous person who has not died in vein. When he thought he had run out of hope last Thursday, he needed to be pointed inward—to the principle of mind.

I am deeply sorry that I was a day too late to do so.

One of the most important aspects of my work is to explain and demonstrate—to athletes, coaches, and organizations—the almost always overlooked relevance of well-being. Without question, a person’s level of well-being, or state of mind, is the number one determinant of his success or failure. While most individuals place credit or blame on external circumstances (i.e., teammates, home field advantage, big game “pressure,” etc.), all successes, at their root, start with a high level of well-being; all failures, just the opposite. Regrettably, in the sports world today, many teams consider the well-being of players and coaches to be a luxury, not an integral element to achievement.

Most organizations take the state of mind of the athlete, or employee, as a given.

To illustrate, about a year back I visited the front office staff of a talented, but struggling team. After I explained the above perspective, a principal of the organization insisted, “We are in the winning business, not the happiness business!”

My immediate response was: “Well, why then are you not winning?” Indeed, this organization was guilty of making two common player personnel errors: It was taking the state of mind of the players as a given, and it was confusing state of mind with the players’ happiness. In particular, these executives had become frustrated by several players’ inconsistency—one night, they responded productively to the coach’s motivational tactics, and the next night, they sulked (and underperformed) even though the same coaching tactics were being employed. The answer, I said, was straightforward: “Stop overlooking the state of mind of your players as you analyze their performance.”

Now, it should be mentioned that some teams do try to address this crucial issue. From time to time, I hear the following statement from general managers: “We treat our players first-class—like family.” But these general managers are, once again, making the unproductive error of confusing outer circumstances with inner well-being. They are convinced that well-appointed locker rooms, charter flights, and five-star hotel rooms are the key to elevated states of mind and, thus, a player’s performance. Nothing could be further from the truth. All individuals create their reality from inside out, not vice versa. So, while I’m not saying that these amenities are good or bad, if a player’s level of well-being is low, believe me, he will find something wrong—no matter how plush his accommodations or insightful his coach’s tactics.

A low level of well-being narrows an athlete’s awareness; it shrinks his or her perceptual field.

To grasp the strategic significance of a person’s well-being, it’s essential to understand how the mind operates. That is, every human being exists in the exact same continuum of mental functioning. When our well-being is elevated, we see life clearly. We are compassionate, spirited, and resilient. We are in “the zone.” When our well-being is low (even though the same circumstances exist), life is unclear; our path is uncertain. Insights and competitive juices cease to flow. Clearly, then, an elevated state of mind is paramount for an athlete, coach, or any performer. The higher one’s state of mind, the more expanded his perceptual field, and the freer he is to perform.

Lastly, you might now be wondering what a person is supposed to do if he finds himself at a low level of well-being, or not “in the zone.” Believe it or not, once you understand that your well-being exists independent of your external circumstances, you have the answer. Don’t try to fix anything. The solution is in awareness—not repair. As long as you blame external circumstances for your troubles, you are not aware. The trick for sports teams (or any organization) is to ask players to look within themselves for motivation or answers—not to the world around them. First and foremost, however, the leaders of these organizations have to appreciate just how important a player’s inner mind-set actually is.

I feel privileged to write the foreword for this book. I first met Garret Kramer in September 2008, and in that first meeting, I realized right away that I was being introduced to an entirely new, yet simple, approach to looking at my performance as a professional athlete. More importantly, however, I immediately saw the connection between the thoughts in my head and how I was feeling in my life away from the game. Then, as I became more aware of the principles that Garret teaches, I began to feel a greater sense of calm in everything that I did. This peacefulness didn’t hit me right away, but day by day, as I learned more, it seemed to grow. Garret insists this “understanding,” as he often calls it, has been inside me all along. While that may or may not be true, I just know that my highs tend now to happen more often, and when the lows do occur, they don’t seem to last so long.

Throughout my life as a hockey player, I have been introduced to a lot of mental approaches—different tools, techniques, or even exercises. To be honest, none of them worked for me with any regularity. For example, I often wondered why visualizing success on the ice would work one day, but not another. Why before one game I could easily calm my nerves, but the next night my thoughts just wouldn’t settle. I now completely understand why this is the case. Garret has helped me to see that my performance is dependent on my own thoughts and feelings, not on anything that is happening outside of me. So, come game time (or during any situation), I now realize I am capable of playing well or feeling good, no matter what is going on at home, in the dressing room, or in the arena. It is no accident that I have had the best two years of my career since I started working with Garret, and I feel fortunate to call him a friend.

One word of advice as you read this book—do not attempt to memorize the information by heart. During our first meeting together, I arrived with a pen and a notepad. A friend had told me about all the cool stuff that we were going to talk about so I didn’t want to miss a thing. Well, right off, Garret told me to put the pen down. He said I should draw my own conclusions and listen to the feeling of what he was saying, and to not think so much. That is what you should do as you read along here. You will see that Garret is extremely consistent in what he says. He uses many examples, and makes interesting connections between them, to reinforce the message in different ways. You won’t even realize, but before you know it, you will be applying his lessons to your own athletic career or to your life in general. You will understand how your mind works and how successful and happy people steer easily through their lives.

I believe the principles introduced in this book are the future of athletic mental performance; actually, performance of any kind. Garret helped me to recognize that in grinding so hard, I was reducing my chances to perform up to my capabilities. Now I see why the game wasn’t always as enjoyable as I wanted it to be. Today, my effort is certainly present like before, but for some reason, it rarely feels like work, and I am simply more successful in everything that I do.

In Stillpower, Garret offers hope for discovering our potential to perform freely, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. I hope, like me, you find this perspective to be extremely valuable.

Zach Parise

September 2010

Newark, New Jersey

During the NHL All-Star break, I had an interesting meeting with a young hockey player, who was trying to cope with negative thoughts about his teammates, coaches, and even his future. Sitting in my office, he said, “I need a strategy for getting rid of my dreadful thoughts; I must find a way to think more positively.” Indeed, this player was really feeling the impact of his errant thinking, and the more he tried to rid of himself of these thoughts, or think positively, the worse his outlook and performance were becoming.

The practice of positive thinking implies that negative thoughts are real.

Unfortunately, like this athlete, many of us think that affirmations are a key to happiness and success. If a pessimistic thought occurs, most coaches and psychologists suggest changing it into a positive. We often hear, “Try to find the bright side,” or “Why not turn lemons into lemonade?” The problem with this common methodology, however, is that “positive thinking” actually fortifies and multiplies negative thoughts. Why? Because it fools us into believing that negative thoughts are something that must be avoided or rectified. It makes them real. It gives them power.

Like all types of thoughts, negative thoughts cannot be controlled. All human beings, from time to time, will think this way. The trick, believe it or not, is not to “do something” when the quality of our thinking goes astray—it’s to recognize the inherent value in negativity in the first place. In other words, negative thinking is actually an instinctive guide that tells us we are not seeing life clearly. While the content is insignificant, downbeat thoughts and feelings are warning messages that we are temporarily operating from a wayward mind-set. To me, the last thing an athlete, or anyone, wants to do is avoid, fear, or exchange them.

Thoughts and feelings that create positivity are true; those that create negativity are not.

To illustrate, let’s say our hockey player has the following pessimistic thought: “I’m just not as good as some of my teammates; I hope I don’t make a mistake,” and he tries to turn it into, “I’m the best player on the team; I want the puck.” The truth, of course, is that he is merely kidding himself. In the moment, he doesn’t believe it. And as the conflict between what he thinks is true and what he is telling himself is true escalates, the more clouded his point of view and his performance becomes. On the other hand, if he simply understands that the content of thoughts—which produce negative feelings—has no merit, he knows there is little sense in trying to deal with an issue that doesn’t really exist. Again, the only reason that negative thoughts linger is because we accept their substance as real and thereby try to do something (i.e., think positively) to escape them.

Now, this is not to say that (for this athlete) the idea of wanting to improve, or be as proficient as some of his teammates, is not true and suggestive of the right course of action. What I am saying is that truth and negativity never go hand-in-hand. There is a big difference, for instance, between the insight (born from clarity) of wanting to get better and the judgment (born from insecurity) that he stinks compared to the others. In fact, following our meeting, this player said to me, “Come to think of it, there have been many times when my thoughts were positive, but at those moments I never tried to think that way.”

Yes, positive thinking is certainly a desirable attribute and quite productive. Just remember, however, that trying to force it will not work; if allowed, it will appear all on its own. And as for negative thinking, it is not something to be feared, shunned, or replaced; the ironic truth is—it has its positives, too.

I have to admit it; I think Rex Ryan of the New York Jets is a heck of a football coach. His players love him, his team is extremely unified, his defensive schemes are insightful, he takes responsibility for his actions, and he (unlike most coaches) understands that “bulletin board material” only serves to hinder the performance of players. Why, then, did his team just lose in the AFC championship game for the second straight year?

Simply put, Rex Ryan believes it is productive to set the “goal” of winning the Super Bowl. He often states, “My team is good enough to win it all; why be afraid to say it?” Well, there is certainly nothing wrong with standing up for what you believe in. And if it feels right to him, it’s not for me to determine whether it’s right or wrong to proclaim it. His mistake, I think, is stringently setting the goal in the first place.

Goal setting restricts opportunities.

Now, I realize that 99 percent of you are convinced that setting goals is essential for success. Indeed, this is a common mantra in just about every self-help or coaching manual out there today. Popular books such as The Secret tell us that if we want something (a championship, a mate, a million dollars), we need to focus on it—put it out there—and it will come. The problem with this paradigm, however, is that goal setting actually hinders our awareness and, thus, restricts our opportunities. Why? Because single-mindedness limits our creative potential.

In other words, when we narrowly set our sights on a specific goal, we thwart our ability to adjust, imagine, and think outside the box. Conversely, Jeff Skinner, one of the leading rookies in the NHL this season, was willing to think openly and is now reaping the rewards. Skinner started his athletic career as a figure skater. In fact, he was the third-ranked junior skater in Canada when he responded freely to the notion of giving hockey a try. Unlike Skinner, in setting his sights solely on the championship this year, Ryan helped reduce the consciousness and perceptual field of his players. He made the journey about achieving one objective, not about the experience or limitless possibilities along the way.

To perform freely, an athlete must be open to the imaginative possibilities of the journey.

To me, the real “secret” or solution for Ryan, as he continues his coaching career, is not to discount the value in winning the title; it’s to ask himself, “What do I want to create on my way to the title?” Last season, the New Orleans Saints clearly relished the quest of winning the Super Bowl, but rebuilding the hopes of the people of their city was the true driving force behind it.

The bottom line for the New York Jets moving forward is this: Athletes and coaches who understand the restrictive nature of goal setting are simply freer to perform. Like the Saints, Ryan needs to recognize that achieving a goal will not elevate his, or his players’, self-worth or level of contentment. By focusing solely on the prize, Ryan has hampered his own intrinsic ability to consider its real purpose. Remember, Rex, there is nothing wrong with processing the desire to win it all; it just won’t become a reality until you open yourself up to all the opportunities present—no matter the outcome.

I am amazed at how often I hear the following phrase: “Today’s athletes need to be more accountable.” Each time, I ask myself, “Accountable to what?” Winning? Giving maximum effort? Being a pro? Following a code of conduct? All of these behaviors? Sure, the actions of many athletes, both on and off the field, have become quite unruly these days, but the real questions are: why and what can be done about it?

In spite of what most coaches think, it is not effective to hold athletes accountable to their behavior.

Insanity, as defined by Albert Einstein, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Indeed, when it comes to holding players accountable to any type of behavior, this is exactly what coaches, organizations, schools, self-help gurus, and parents continue to do every day. In fact, the more we continue to set standards based on behavior, the worse the behavioral issues will actually become. Why, then, do leaders in the sports world (and outside of the sports world) continue to look in this direction when it’s clearly not working? 

Several weeks back, I met with the baseball coach at one of the nation’s most prestigious universities. The plan was to discuss performance. However, as we talked, I could see there was another, more pressing, concern on his mind: In spite of the school’s substance abuse programs, warnings from the town police chief, and threats of suspension and expulsion, incidents of alcohol poisoning among athletes on his campus had risen every year for the past eight years. Last season, one of his freshman players almost died as a result. The exasperated coach said, “I can’t try any harder to make these kids understand what the consequences of their behavior will be; I am out of answers.” Well, at least this coach was wise enough to recognize that his “standard” behavioral counseling program was not working.

It may sound strange, but the principle of separate realities provides the answer to productive behaviors.

To discover what will work, believe it or not, we must first understand the following fundamental principle: Every individual sees, and responds to, the outside world in his or her own personal way. As a parent, I will view the same external situation differently than my children. Therefore, if we are faced with the identical situation, it is ridiculous to expect my children to act in a manner that I deem to be appropriate. Likewise, because a college freshman and a college baseball coach live in their own separate realities, it is impossible (without asking the student to relinquish his own free will) for the student to grasp or even trust the standards that a coach hands down. One of the reasons that so many athletes are in hot water these days: the internal conflict or bound-up thinking that results when a leader forces his belief system on someone else.

The solution, thankfully, is much simpler than most people think: Rather than hold athletes, students, or children accountable for their actions, require that their actions originate, solely, from clear states of mind. Teach them that all individuals, at times, find themselves at low levels of psychological functioning or moods. Since we don’t see life clearly when we are in this low place, if we act we are certain to find trouble.  In other words, if the above baseball coach were to stop judging the behavior of his players and, instead, instruct them to distrust and not react to their thoughts, feelings, and temptations when their mind-set is low—the rate of “behavioral” episodes among his players would drop dramatically.

Without the free will to act as you see fit, it is impossible to behave productively.

Now, I am not suggesting that this inherent solution will cure all types of errant antics. I am simply saying that clarity and free will are paramount if we want to avoid them. Plus, if you are a leader who wants to promote productive choices, it is imperative that you stop forcing your personal belief system—and reality—on others.

Yes, today’s athletes (and all of us) should be held accountable. But let’s ask these athletes to look within, to the quality of their thoughts and moods, and to be guided accordingly. It’s time to stop judging behavior. What more proof do we need that it just doesn’t work? I am sorry to say it, but Einstein was right, after all.