Dear PB Readers,

Hollywood often makes movies about nothing but, this past weekend I saw a great movie about a very important topic. The movie called COACH CARTER debuted this past weekend and is one of the most powerful movies I have seen in years. Ken Carter, played by Samuel L. Jackson, grew up in the tough northern California town of Richmond. With poverty and drugs a normal way of life, Ken Carter found basketball as a way of staying clear of trouble. A former star player for the local Oilers High School, the movie opens with Ken being recruited to come back to his old high school to take over the coaching reigns.

Coach Carter immediately shows the boys respect by calling them "sir" and demanding they pay appropriate respect to him and their fellow team-mates. The year before Ken took over the team, they won only 4 games out of 30 and were a team lacking discipline, fitness and direction. Before the boys could play for Coach Carter, he demanded each student AND their parents sign a contract of expectations. Each athlete had to agree to maintain an academic grade point average of 2.3 (the state only required 2.0), sit in the front seat of their classrooms, wear a tie on game days, and be in the gymnasium five minutes before practices began. The real Coach Carter was more interested in providing an opportunity for the boys to go onto college, and more productive lives, than winning basketball games.

Discipline and a talented basketball playbook helped the boys to start the season with 16 consecutive victories. When the interim school marks came back to the coach it was apparent the players were more focused on basketball then their academics. Amazingly, Coach Ken Carter padlocked the gymnasium and refused to allow the players back into the gym until their marks and commitment to school improved. Coach Carter's actions attracted national visibility and many of the local parents and community were opposed to Carter's strategies. Unfazed by the negative publicity he was getting, Carter held out until his students changed their focus. The movie emotionally captures the importance of a coach in the lives of young people and the incredible opportunity we have in society. The boys improved their marks and the padlock on the gymnasium was lifted. The previously undisciplined kids from Richmond High School went to the State Championships for the first time ever and lost to the best team in the country by just one point. Six of Coach Carter's boys won college scholarships and all of the community witnessed the importance of goal setting and planning for the future.

Two years later Coach Carter spent three days using a kick-scooter (you see teenagers using these around parks) to travel from Richmond, California to the state capital in Sacramento. Carter's goal was to raise awareness of the deteriorating standards in his local Richmond Hill School. His effort raised much needed government money and won him recognition of one of the ten most influential people in the state. Whether you are a coach, a parent or just someone who wants to be inspired by the small guy who does the right thing, COACH CARTER is a great viewing. See more about the real COACH CARTER at www.coachcarter.com

Our goal each week is to be a positive source of information, knowledge and attitude. Personal Best is fully aware of the number of negative sources you are exposed to each week. Our world has an equal number of positive people and stories and I would much rather hear about the greatness being done by coach Ken Carter then a drug dealer who is selling a negative, dead-end life. Please consider signing up family, friends and co-workers for our free weekly newsletter at www.personalbest.ca or emailing me directly at barrie@personalbest.ca. Have a great week.

JAN 17th, PB HIGHLIGHTS

* DR. MAXWELL MALTZ QUOTE ON SUCCESS
* NEVER ASSUME (HUMOUROUS TRUE STORY)
* BARRIE HEADED TO GERMANY (FOLLOW HIS TEAM)
* KEEPING YOUR RESOLUTIONS ALIVE - BY SHELDON PERSAD
* REMEMBER IT'S ALL UP TO YOU!
* DON'T MISS THE FEB 4TH AQUAFINA TALK WITH LEITH DRURY
* PERSONAL BEST OPPORTUNITIES

DR. MAXWELL MALTZ QUOTE ON SUCCESS

"Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not the one that has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act."

NEVER ASSUME!

The following is a true story…

A man was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane stopped in Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes. Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. The man had noticed him as he walked by and could tell the gentleman was blind because his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire flight. He could also tell he had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him, and calling him by name, said, "Keith, we're in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?" The blind man replied, "No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch his legs."

Then picture this: All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Seeing Eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines! Remember... things aren't always as they appear.

LOOKOUT GERMANY, HERE WE COME!

Two years ago I did a talk and told people I could prepare virtually any of them to successfully complete an Ironman Triathlon Race (2.4 mile swim - 112 mile bike - 26.2 mile run) in less than 8 months. Twenty-four athletes signed up (ten of them absolute novices) and everyone hit the finishing line in Austria. Last year two dozen more people signed up, and everyone hit the finishing line in Sweden.

A few months ago, we put a call out for a new crop of people to try Ironman Germany. Currently three dozen people are registered and training for Ironman Germany in Frankfurt July 10th, 2005. Virtually everyone of the three dozen participants work full time, have to balance family, kids and their own personal goal of hitting the finishing line of one of the world's toughest endurance events. Over the next few months we will follow the strategies that some of these busy (but absolutely normal) people employ on their way to Ironman Germany.

SHELDON PERSAD SAYS

Recently a client of mine came in for his training session and his first remark was, "You would not believe how many people were at my gym on the weekend." Yes, an all too familiar occurrence, a fitness facility the weeks following new years is a crowded place. In this situation I tend to think of people in two categories, 1) never exercised before but willing to start and 2) those just getting back into it. In both situations, I tip my hat. Awesome! Starting a new program, modifying a behaviour, changing a time schedule to fit exercise into a day are not easy things to do at the best of times. My concern however is the timing of when the goals are set and how they are set.

Personally I have never believed in, nor set a new years resolution. I usually encourage beginners to start a new plan weeks before the Christmas holidays to start developing good habits (before the feasting beings). Next, we try to break the year into smaller manageable time frames. What tends to happen is the newly found diligence to exercise begins to wane after about 4 - 6 weeks. Several studies have shown that 30% of new exercisers will stop after about 3 months. After 6 months this number increases to 50%.

Right now we are in the first month of the year. Did you set a resolution to exercise and get healthier in 2005? Wonderful if you did, however why not break things up into manageable segments. Was your goal to exercise 3 times per week? Don't wait until new years to modify your objectives. What will your objective be for February, March? Perhaps to exercise 4 times per week? As Dr. Marvin told Bob (Bill Murray) "baby steps." Short term goals help us achieve long term objectives.

Sheldon Persad is a Senior Partner in Personal Best, a high performance Consultant to many Olympic athletes and teams and a proud husband and father. You can direct questions to sheldon@personalbest.ca

REMEMBER - It's All Up To You!!!

* Your success depends upon you.
* Your happiness depends on you.
* You have to steer your own course.
* You have to shape your own future.
* You have to educate yourself/
* You have to do your own thinking.
* You come into this world alone.
* You go the grave alone.
* You are alone with your inner thoughts during the journey between.
* You must make your own decisions.
* Are you doing all you can to be a success?

UPCOMING MOTIVATIONAL DAYS

The next Aquafina Speaker Series is Friday, Feb. 4th at 7pm at Robert F. Hall High School. Last year's most popular speaker Leith Drury (PhD candidate) will share her research in EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (an Essential Asset for High Performance). Put Fri., Feb 4th in your daytimer for a free, motivational evening at our next Aquafina Talk. More details at the C3 website at www.c3online.ca

PB OPPORTUNITIES

1. If you are looking for a keynote speaker for your company or awards celebration consider hiring Barrie for your special event. From 30 minutes to a full day presentation, Barrie's thousands of pictures and stories are guaranteed to entertain and motivate. If you are interested email barrie@personalbest.ca

2. Florida Warm Weather Camps. One week, March 12-19th, and two weeks, April 16-23rd and 23rd-30th. Join Barrie and international coaches for a week of instruction and motivation in Clermont, Florida. Details at www.personalbest.ca

HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON'S LIFE!