Centerfielder Johnny Damon exemplifies this. Prior to this game, he was hitting a dismal .108 for series. Then he hit two home runs including a grand slam.

Will anyone in all of New England remember his batting average for first 6 games?

The Red Sox players prepared for this game in an unusual way.

They did not take batting practice.

Instead, they watched “Miracle on Ice,” movie about amazing gold medal performance of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, still considered one of most stunning upsets in sports history.

At some point, you are ready. You know what to do.

The rest is focus and inspiration.

And that’s more important than batting practice.

Copyright 2004 by Tony Papajohn Tony writes and speaks on success. Subscribe to his free SuccessMotivator e-zine at http://www.successmotivator.com

* Contribution: This refers to contributions we make to our jobs, to our families, to our customers, to our friends, to our environment, and ultimately to our world. Peter Drucker says in his book, The Effective Executive, that a focus of contribution is hallmark of personal and professional effectiveness. The great turn-on, great motivator, for self-made millionaires, comes from knowing that what they are doing for others is valuable, and that it is enriching, ennobling, and enhancing lives of others. All self-made millionaires concentrate continually on increasing value of what they are doing for others.

* Responsibility: This means taking 100% acceptance for your life, for everything that happens to you. Losers make excuses; winners make progress. Losers blame others; winners accept total responsibility for their lives. Everything that will ever happen to you is up to you. Everything that you are today is your responsibility. It is not your family's; it's not your spouse's or children's. It is not government's; it is not your boss'. It is yours.

* Effort: Every single study has revealed that there are no shortcuts to success, no substitute for hard work, and that sooner you get your shoulder to wheel, and put in those extra hours and develop those talents, skills, and abilities, sooner you will become successful.

* Time Management: You never get time; you always have to make time for things that are most important. Manage your time effectively by doing it NOW, setting priorities, concentrating on one thing at a time, and keeping your life in balance.

* Stay with it: In everything you do, stay with it, apply your drive. A quality that ties in closely with persistence is courage, willingness to take risks. Persistence and courage are functions of your belief in yourself. Thomas J. Watson, founder of IBM, said it very well many years ago when he stated, "Do you want to be successful? Then double your failure rate." The more times you fail and learn from those failures, faster you achieve success.

So, secrets of success suggest that we never stop learning; that we read, listen to audiocassettes; view DVD’s; attend seminars. Do all you can to become a perpetual learning machine. You are most valuable and precious asset you will ever have. Invest in yourself by working on yourself, every day.

Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.