Chapter 4

Turning Negatives into Positives

Have you ever watched the individual players during a basketball game so closely that you could see their eyes? And what do you see in their eyes? Do you see confidence, or doubt? Does it look like they believe they will make the shot? Or do they look like they hope they don’t look foolish taking the shot? Sports competitions provide a great mirror for viewing the ebb and flow of confidence.

Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees has been able to make a career out of one pitch: the cutter fastball. The batters know it is coming; they know it will be around 92 to 94 mph, and they know he will throw it 90% of the time. They still have trouble hitting it! Rivera is one of the best relief pitchers of all ...

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