SQUIRREL MASTER's LESSON #1

In the following weeks, as a contributing author for the DCMSG, I squirrelmaster plan to do what DC simply can not. I plan to tell you readers, one post at a time, the secrets that the professionals hope you never find out. Follow the squirrelmaster, and you may one day find yourself in the columns of my colleague.

Lesson #1

I've learned some awesome life lessons through my years of training in the sport wrestling – The following is both first and foremost

I used to live, breathe, and eat wrestling. I would wake up in the morning at 5AM to train while my opponent slept. During my senior year of high school – if you had offered me $1 million, or 1^st place in the Suffolk County tournament (comprised of 50 high schools), I would've taken 1 ^st place over the $1 million any day. My ritual was basic yet effective: I had developed a ritual of listening to Rocky music and U2's "Beautiful Day" before each match – I thought I had the perfect recipe for winning because I was quick, mentally tough, and determined….. But I learned something new one day while training with one of the top coaches in New York State – a short, dark-skinned, Italian man by the name of Chris Messina. He had a thick Long Island accent and you could tell he had been through a lot in his life.

Coach Messina had just taken us through 2 hours of grueling practice. Moreover, this training session included the top 50 wrestlers from 10 high schools – so it was as intense as it could get; NOBODY in the practice room wanted to show any weakness, and as far as the success of their wrestling careers was concerned, nor could they! All of 50 of us were drenched in sweat and Coach Messina was trying to push us even harder. (As a sidenote, I lost 6 lbs of sweat in those 2 hours.) Coach Messina then stopped everyone, and gave a quick speech in his thick Italian Long Island accent. He said the following, and as soon as he said it, I knew he was 100% right:

"I don't wanna see all you guys pretending you're tired… you gotta' separate the mind from da' body. I know you all have injuries, but fuggetaboudit. No Olympic Gold medalist ever won gold without an injury… And hear me now… remember 'dis…. When da' scoreboard shows that you're losing to your opponent, you may get down on yourself because you're tired and frustrated and perhaps also hopeless. But when you look at the scoreboard, and it shows that you're winning – regardless of how tired you are – you automatically regain your energy and composure… so keep a good state of mind, stay positive and show dem pansies on da other side of da mat that you aint no momma's boy… Now lets go!!!"

So lesson #1, as told straight from the mouth of Messina. When you’re losing: Pretend that you’re winning.

- Squirrelmaster