Never half-ass two things.

I have been caught by both myself and others doing just this. Doing something really badly by thinking about something else and letting that affect me and my actions.

Ron Swanson said it best.

I always end the goalie interviews by asking goalies to share their best advice with us other goalkeepers and I thought I would share this, one of my best advice with you. Whatever you are doing or whatever you are about to do, stay in the moment. Your mind needs to be in the same place as your body, otherwise everything else will get much harder.

Have you ever been at work, at school or at a boring dinner where a minute feels like an eternity, so you let your mind drift to a point where you stop listening to those around you, then after another eternity has passed you look at your watch and notice that it has only gone three minutes since you last looked? I know I have.

You can compare this if you like, to the saying "time flies when you are having fun". Why does time fly when you are having fun? Well, basically because you are so caught up in the moment that your mind can't think of anything else, not even about what time it is. You can actually get the same effect regardless if you are having fun or not, simply by dedicating yourself completely to whatever is going on. Be it practice, work, school or at dinner.

For example - practice.

Ever had a very tough day at school or at work, at the end of which you have to hurry home to eat something so you can get to practice on time? The practice is two hours long and you're not getting as many shots as you would have wanted so your mind starts to wander off, you start thinking about all the annoying stuff that happened to you today and you can feel how you get more and more annoyed by thinking about it. A classic case of half-assing one two things and the negative effect it can have. When you start to feel this this happening in your head, fight it off. Make it into a learning opportunity, a chance to grow as a player by staying focused when your mind wants to leave your body in the net.

Scared of flying?

I was very scared of flying when I was younger, until I had this conversation:

"Are you nervous about the trip?"

"Yeah, I'm worried that we're going to crash!"

"Hey, either you crash or you don't. No matter what happens, there is no point in worrying about it today. Regardless if you crash or not, the only thing you will have changed is the fact that you were miserable an entire day before the flight. If it happens, it happens. Be happy until then!"

I have carried that conversation with me for a lot of years now and it has really helped me, and it takes me to my actual point. 

Whatever is going on outside of the court, outside of the arena - leave it there. Do not bring it with you to practice, because it will do you no good. Is there something bothering you at work or at home? Then use the practice as your chance to relax, whatever you left outside the arena will probably still be there after the practice and since you can't fix it before you get home (or to work), don't let it have a negative effect on you By doing yourself this favor, you will perform better, you will give your teammates and coaches a positive energy and the outcome of your practice can change completely.

Practice is important and we need to make the most of every single one. 

You are in charge of what energy you bring to the court and to the team. You are responsible for your performance at practice and you can choose to be focused. 

Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.