Last week I asked a select group of my readers to answer the following question:

If there was ONE thing that I could improve about my tennis game,

it would be:____________________________________________

I spent the weekend going over the emails and the response was enormous! Most of the people who responded had one particular thing in their game that they wanted to improve. Here are the results of the answers that 69 of them gave to the following question:

If there was ONE thing that I could improve about my tennis game,

it would be:____________________________________________

1. My Serve 23 (33%)

2. My Backhand 11 (16%)

3. My Mental Game / My Mental Toughness (10) 14%

4. My Volleys / My Net Game / My Overheads (9) 13%

5. My Strategy (8) 12%

6. My Footwork / My Level of Fitness / My Forehand / All Others 8 (12%)

These are some interesting statistics! I also asked respondents to list the benefits they would gain from improving these areas of their game. Here’s the breakdown:

What’s the benefit you’ll gain from it?

1. I would gain confidence. 54%

2. I would be more consistent. 18%

3. I would win more matches. 14%

4. I would have more fun / enjoy the game more. 12%

5. I would be more competitive / all others. 2%

No surprise to me that their Serve came in as the number one response. Being that it’s the most important shot in tennis (and rightfully so), the serve is the one shot that over 1/3 of my readers want to improve.

I applaud them for being open and honest enough to share their tennis goals and challenges with me. I honor them. A lot of people are never willing to step up to the plate and seek out what it is that just may put that extra oomph in their game, and take it to the next level.

One interesting statistic that is missing from the above list (it didn’t appear anywhere) was My Return of Serve. The return of serve is the second most important shot in the game of tennis, and yet it didn’t make the list. The absence of the return of serve in this poll is interesting from a logical point of view – it should be there – but totally understandable by Yours Truly, because the return of serve is not a ‘cool’ shot for most players. Most players (time to be honest) will attribute a poor return of serve to something magical that their opponent did with their serve; or perhaps brush it off as a fluke. Often times when a player misses a return of serve, they either

1) Congratulate their opponent on a great serve, or

2) Berate themselves loudly on the court for missing a return that they can’t pass off as a great serve by their opponent.

Oh, how the ego rears it’s ugly head on the tennis court!

Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not here to put anyone down, but rather to clarify and enlighten you on the best way to get the results you want. That’s what it all really boils down to, right? Results. Results matter. Results are what we want. So let’s take a closer look at how to get them.

In order to get the results you want on the tennis court, you’ve got to figure out why you want them. There were some fine answers listed above: Confidence, Consistency, Winning More Matches, Having Fun, Enjoying the Game of Tennis, Being Competitive…outstanding responses. These are all benefits of gained by the improvement in one single area.

Let’s peel away the layers here for a minute and see what those benefits might lead to in a personal way.

If, for example, you want a better serve because it would allow you to win more matches, then stop and think about the benefit of winning more matches. What does that mean to you personally? Does it mean respect and admiration from your friends, parents, fellow tennis players, teammates, coach, etc?

That’s where you want to go in your mind. Go to the place where you see the personal benefits of improving your tennis game – not just the ‘on-court’ benefits. When you focus on the personal benefits of improving your game, you have left the realm of wishful thinking and entered the world of Possibility Thinking. This gives you the mental fuel to focus on doing the work necessary to get the results you want on the tennis court.

So how would you feel if I told you that you could possibly get the great feeling of __________ (fill in the blank) if you were able to fix the parts of your tennis game that are broken? Great or really great? This is where the rubber meets the road. The personal benefits you get are what you really desire. You can do this! The key is to improve in the areas of your game that you need to fix, and focus on the personal benefit you will gain from it.

Now I know it’s easier said than done, but you really can get to where you want to be in your game. One big step you can take is to open up a dialog with yourself that might go something like this:

Okay, I know I need to improve my ___________. If I improve my __________, I will win more matches, feel more confident and play more consistently. This will personally benefit me in the following ways: _____________________________.

Now, what’s the one thing I can start doing today that I really don’t want to do, but if I do it, I know that I will move one step closer to my tennis goal of ___________?

Ask yourself these questions. This is the stuff that takes you to the next level. Show me a person who is frustrated with why their game is not where they want it to be, and I’ll show you a person who is not asking themselves the right questions. I don’t want that to sound harsh – I just want you to really think about it.

When it comes right down to it, you know and I know that you have a great tennis player inside of you just waiting to burst out! So many of you are just one inch away from your tennis goals. The more time you spend focusing on all the possibilities exist for your game – and taking the steps you need to get there – the quicker things will happen for you.

You may not read a lot of tennis articles like this – and there’s a reason for that. A lot of people that teach tennis (tennis pros, coaches, etc) are uncomfortable talking about subjects like these. They tell you:

Just keep practicing and coming to the clinics / lessons / camps, you’ll get the hang of it…

A lot of them are giving you what they think you want – and making you pay a lot of money to get it.

Does that mean I’m against working with your local pro? Absolutely not. A good coach or pro is worth more than you can imagine. The point I am trying to drive home is this: I’ve been down the teaching tennis road, and I know where it leads a lot of the time – to that little town called Frustration, and sometimes it’s hard to get a ticket out of that place. I am not trying to sell you anything in this article other than an idea. That idea is that YOU need to take responsibility for seeking out and improving the parts of your game that you know, in your heart of hearts, you need to improve. Are you stuck in Frustrationville? Can’t find a ticket out? Then grab your racket, clothes and shoes and start walking. Move out of there. Start moving to where you want to be. One step at a time. There are new places and experiences just around the corner. I won’t give you the promise of a free first-class ticket on an airline that doesn’t exist. But I do promise to point the way, so to speak, and give you what you need – so that YOU can go out onto the court and get what you want.

I encourage you to take it to the next level – whatever that next level is for you. Seek out the possibilities for your tennis game. Don’t settle for less than your best. Make yourself a little uncomfortable and stretch yourself – that’s where the growth comes. There’s an old saying:

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

Find your weak areas and improve them. Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Press on. I’m watching you, and I can’t wait to see the tennis player you’ll become! I’m with you all the way!

To Your Massive Tennis Success,

Coach Kyril

Kyril Popoff is a former NCAA Div1 All-Conference Tennis Player, Instructor, Coach and Author.

His books include THE TEN LAWS OF TENNIS SUCCESS and FOCUS & WIN: WHY YOUR TENNIS GAME ISN’T WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE, & WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!

You can sign up for Coach Kyril’s Tennis Lessons, Tips & Tricks newsletter at: http://www.coachkyriltennis.com

Choosing your paragliding helmet is worth spending some time over. After all, it’s pretty important to protect your head! There’s a bit more to it than choosing a color, popping it on for a couple of seconds and then plunking down your cash.

Just like other flying accessories these days, a paragliding helmet is likely to be designed specifically as an air sports helmet. There is quite some variety, mainly from European companies since the sport has been going strong there for a couple of decades.

Helmet Construction

A few words about the construction of paragliding helmets. They have some interesting features actually, when compared to other types of helmets. First the basics. An aviation helmet, like most other types, has a twin shell construction.

A hard outer shell resists penetration if your head bangs against something sharp. And a crushable inner shell absorbs energy which helps to prevent or reduce injuries in a collision.

The outer shell is usually made from thermoplastic or a composite fibre material. Kevlar is often used, and in the pricier models carbon fibre helps to keep weight down.
The inner shell is usually expanded polystyrene. It has great energy absorbing properties, but this also means it is easily damaged by quite minor bumps. If you find the inner shell looks deformed or dented, the helmet is not nearly as safe as it used to be, and should not be used.

It’s really a personal choice as to how well you protect your lower face. For the best protection, a full face helmet is the way to go. Since they use more material in manufacturing, they cost quite a bit more. The other type is called an open face helmet, since it has nothing covering your mouth and chin.

A good paragliding helmet should not restrict your vision too much. Hence, some manufacturers advertise that their helmet has wide vision or some similar term. They have taken the trouble to design-in a generous field of view, without affecting the helmet’s safety.

Something quite new is ear-cutouts which don’t disturb the airflow around the helmet. Some designs achieve this with mesh material that sits flush with the surface of the helmet. This gets rid of ‘wind whistle’, making it easier for the pilot to judge airspeed by the sound of the airflow.

Anybody who wants to make high-quality helmets these days can’t ignore the latest standards set down for sports aviation helmets. A European standard, CEN EN966, is often quoted. This standard has tests for absorbing shock, resisting penetration, and also specifies levels of visibility and head mobility.

The Right Helmet?

A paragliding helmet should fit snugly. It should not slip around your head easily. But at the same time, you should not be able to feel continuous pressure. Here’s a tip. Leaning your head forward, grab the rear edge of the helmet and try to pull it off. If you manage to slip the helmet off, it is not suitable for the shape of your head. Keep looking!

Helmets come in quite a range of colors, across all the manufacturers. Many are just shades of gray or silver, and some of the more spectacular colors actually cost a bit more. Incidentally, the cheapest helmets from any particular manufacturer are often offered in just the White color.

A visor is a see-through plate of thermoplastic material attached to the helmet that can be pulled down to protect your eyes. If your visor eventually gets a lot of small surface scratches, it should be replaced.

An issue for some people is whether they can add a headset inside the helmet. Some helmets are designed for it, some aren’t.

Finally…

In common with many other pieces of safety equipment, it is not recommended to get a used paragliding helmet. You just don’t know what it has been subjected to. Also, it’s a good idea to replace your paragliding helmet after 5 years of normal use.

Tim Parish is a motorless flight enthusiast, the webmaster of Paragliding Tales and Reviews. This site, and its paragliding newsletter will introduce you to many aspects of paragliding, with a sprinkling of humor. Tim has had the pleasure of soaring in sailplanes, hang-gliders and paragliders in the past, both real and simulated. His enthusiasm for these activities is evident in his writing, which he hopes will inspire others.

The current real estate market is an utter mess, which is leading to a situation where many borrowers are in financial trouble. This brings us to the secret to dealing with banks when you are having mortgage problems.

Foreclosure. It is an ugly word. It used to be reserved for people that ran into major financial difficulties, which occurred fairly rarely. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Millions have or are about to be forced into foreclosure in the current real estate market.

The reason is a combination of a variety of factors including price, valuations, resetting interest rates on loans and so on. We aren’t so much interested in what is causing the problem in this article as we are interested in what to do if you face this situation. Life can get very stressful when the lender starts calling, so what can you do?

The first thing to realize is your mortgage lender is in the business of lending money. It is not in the business of owning homes. Regardless of what you’ve heard, your bank does not want to foreclose on you. They don’t want to own the property. They don’t want a bad loan on their books. They just want to sit back and collect payments. Understanding this is the key to dealing with your potential foreclosure situation.

When confronted with a potential foreclosure, most people panic and freeze up. They can’t see any obvious way out of the problem so they do nothing. This is a huge mistake. The problem is not going to go away. If you get proactive, you may be able to find a way out of the problem. In fact, you usually can.

The first step is to contact the lender. Don’t treat them like an enemy. You need to tell them you are having problems. If you’ve missed payments, the lender already understands this. Discuss the possibility of going with a forbearance of payments for three to six months or a reduced payment schedule for a few years. The market is going to bounce back at some point, so you can try to ride it out. Alternatively, you can try to sell the home during the period you are granted relief.

What if the bank is unwilling to give you a break? Well, ask for approval to do a short sale. A short sale is simply the sale of the home for a price that is lower than what you owe on the home. The bank will usually agree to this because it receives a majority of its funds back and doesn’t have to deal with the cost and aggravation of foreclosure.

If you are facing foreclosure, do not stick your head in the sand. Get proactive and deal with the problem. Lenders do not want to own homes, so you have some leverage. Get creative and you’ll be able to get out from under the burden of your mortgage loan.

Raynor James writes about issues surrounding mortgage loans for FSBOAmerica.org where you can list your land for sale by owner for free for 1 month.

For “an ugly child who lived in an ugly age,” the quest for beauty was a lifetime objective for this pioneering famous interior designer. This child was none other than Elsie de Wolfe, who was born in 1865, and grew up to be a professional much ahead of her own time. Described as the first lady of interior design, Elsie de Wolfe was by no means traditionally beautiful. However, defining beauty in her own terms, she held that a person could be attractive by staying healthy, dressing tastefully and keeping fit.

De Wolfe began her professional career in theatre as an actress, making her debut on the stage in 1890 as a member of the Empire Stock Company. Later, she also formed her own stock company. Developing a passion towards interior decoration, in 1903 she decided to retire from the stage and launch a career as a professional interior designer.

Elsie lived in an age, the high Victorian styles and trends which did not appeal to her aesthetic sense. Averse to the gloomy decors induced by densely patterned wallpapers, heavy velvet draperies, and dark woodworks of the period, Elsie de Wolfe introduced her unique style which featured light and fresh colours and wallpapers with delicate Chinoiserie prints. Fascinated with the eighteenth century furnishings of France and England, Elsie introduced comfortable chairs with soft upholstery to America, in place of the ornate, uncomfortable Victorian era chairs. Her trips to Europe made her absorb French lifestyle and fashion. Mastering the arts of food, fashion and entertaining, she brought many unique elements of European lifestyle to America.

In 1905, Stanford White, the architect for The Colony Club and a long-time friend, helped de Wolfe secure the commission for its interior design. The building located at 120 Madison Avenue in New York City, became the premier women’s social club and is now occupied by the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Elsie’s success in this project was a turning point in her career, which secured for her a number of esteemed clients. As well as being a successful interior designer she also was a successful author on the subject. ‘A House in Good Taste’ is one of her most famous books on interior design and her autobiography published in 1935 outlines many interesting aspects of her private life.

In 1926 she married a diplomat, Sir Charles Mendl and until her death in 1950, was called Lady Mendl. As a self proclaimed “rebel in an ugly world”, she was named ‘the best dressed woman in the world’ by Paris experts in 1935. Coming from the fashion capital of the world, it was the highest praise one could receive at that time.

Elsie’s distinctive philosophy of interior design is evident from her words “I opened the doors and windows of America and let the air and sunshine come in”. Apart from interior design, it is claimed she introduced innovative ideas such as cocktail parties and small intimate dinner parties to American society.

If you live in Scotland in the Glasgow or Edinburgh regions and are considering hiring an interior designer and you will find the following resources to be very helpful. For independently written reviews of Edinburgh Interior Designers and a comprehensive list of Glasgow Interior Designers please visit the respective sites. Both sites may be of interest if you are considering hiring an interior designer.

What does a head wrap mean to you?

To Kelly, it meant more than Ben Affleck and Jennifer Gardner’s newly purchased property for $16 million dollars. In fact, when Craig gave her a head wrap, she cried uncontrollably for quite some time. What was so special about this pink head wrap, which cost only $10.80?

Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer and soon after starting chemotherapy treatments, her hair started to fall out. Losing her hair was really no big deal at first; she knew she could handle being compared to Britney Spears for a while, but in the back of her mind, she silently acknowledged the fact that it was only a brave front she was putting up before family and friends. Each night, when the solitude of her room engulfed her, she crumbled like an ordinary child, scared and in panic.

Cancer. The Big C. She started to ask the common question “why me?”

Life-changing Effects of Cancer

Cancer strikes like a thief, often without warning. It carries with it not just the uncertainty of the future, but the difficulty of how to continue living a life as you’ve known it. To discover that you have cancer and your life hangs on the balance can only have devastating effects on you – if you CHOOSE it to be so.

A doctor’s pronouncement echoes past the patient to affect all those who love and depend on her. Cancer is not a personal disease; seldom can you find a person stricken with cancer who suffers all by herself. Instead, she rubs it on her spouse, kids, extended family members, friends and practically everyone she comes in contact with. Who can blame her?

For a mother, the prospect of not having the same vigor to chase her kids around the yard can be painful. For a young woman who has barely enjoyed parties and met new friends, it would seem as if she’s like a torch with its flame snuffed out before its oil runs dry. To sum it up, cancer is the ugly reminder of how unpredictable life is, how uncertain are our tomorrows, but it does not totally conclude life for a person. Partly, she decides it for herself.

What a Head Wrap Can Do

The ravages of chemotherapy strips a cancer patient not just of her hair but shards of her self-esteem as well. When left unattended, this can lead to severe depression, which may worsen the patient’s condition. Nothing can be more devastating to a woman’s self-confidence than to see herself in the mirror, just a faint reminder of who she was, not necessarily because of cancer, but because she lost her hair. Women dread cancer partly because it could mean losing their hair, a part of themselves, with it.

A head wrap conceals hair loss – in style. Unlike wigs that are expensive and may cause irritation on the scalp, head wraps can color-coordinate with a shirt and few accessories giving anyone who wears them a total look of confidence. When you feel good about yourself, any burden seems light. Feeling good about yourself has a lasting impact on your mood, which also affects your ability to cope with stress, relating to illness.

The “Can Do” Attitude

Kelly was devastated when she learned she had cancer. She felt weak in the knees and was thankful to have Craig by her side on that fateful afternoon and throughout her bumpy road to recovery. She was particularly thankful for all the head wraps she had gathered through the long days while enduring her treatment and now growing her hair back. She vowed to help chemo patients discover the therapeutic effects of looking good and feeling better with a colorful head wrap on their heads and coordinating shirts and earrings to complete their ensemble.

As a Breast Cancer Survivor, Kelly believes that she triumphed over cancer, partly because of her “can do” attitude – her refusal to just surrender to defeat too easily.

She was declared “survivor” by medical terms, when chemotherapy and other treatments halted her breast cancer. She now knows to be more vigilant towards her health more than ever before. Kelly CHOSE to commit to wellness and is optimistic she will remain healthy and cancer-free. She will choose to eat the right foods, get enough sleep, cultivate a healthy mental attitude and always remember to give thanks and praise.

She will renew this vow every day as soon as she wakes up in the morning and before she sleeps at night. One day soon, cancer research will deliver a cure, and Kelly is confident she will still be around to witness that day.

Christiene S. C. Villanueva invites you to check on iwearitwell, a one-of-a-kind online store that sells head wraps, comfort wear and coordinates for cancer-patients and those suffering from hair loss or alopecia. You may also register to iwearitwell’s newsletter for updates on cancer research, latest news and issues.