"Good," said Martin, "because this injury has gotten me feeling mentally weak and emotionally drained. I've never been injured like this and it's driving me crazy."

"Well, that's just the point I'm making," Coach countered. "Being mentally strong means you are able to overcome these kinds of situations. It means you stay positive through adversity. It means you are resilient when facing pressure, challenges, and change."

Martin knew this all to well. After all, he grew up with a mother whose name was Joy and who always talked about having a positive attitude and sharing positive energy. She would tell Martin not to let "energy vampires" get him down. She had driven a bus for years until her heart problems forced her to take a leave of absence. She had to deal with all sorts of negative people and situations, yet she always seemed to turn people and their situations around. She was an inspiration to Martin, and thinking about her made him feel guilty for being so negative about an ankle injury when his mother was dealing with far worse problems and yet she was far more positive and optimistic than he.

"You know, all that you are saying about being mentally tough reminds me of my mother," he said. "She always talked to me about playing with positive energy and staying positive."

"Well, your mother is a smart woman," Coach said. "Becoming the best is a process. It's a long and difficult process and it takes loads and loads of positive energy. First and foremost, you'll need to stay positive and focused during all those hours of practice that greatness requires. There will be days you don't want to practice. There will be times when you just don't feel it. That's when your mental strength kicks in and you do what it takes and you pay the price. You do so because you are more committed and mentally stronger.

"You'll also need to be mentally tough because as you strive to be the best you'll face many distractions and pressure from the outside world and negative noise from your own self-doubt. It's a process that will test who you are and what you truly want. Mental toughness is a big part of the answer.

"Today's world is no longer a sprint or a marathon. It's a series of sprints combined with a boxing match. You're not just running, you are getting hit along the way. You're getting hit by life. You're getting hit on the field. You're getting hit by the critics and doubters and even at times by the people closest to you. And the best are able to respond and overcome all of this with mental and emotional toughness. You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you, Martin."

Martin nodded. He felt like an expert in dealing with adversity. Every time the naysayers would come out of the woodwork, his mother would always tell him to let them talk while he did his talking on the field. And she would say that if you were right with God, all the negativity in the world couldn't penetrate your spiritual armor. She told him that this was his foundation and if he had it, he had the strength to take on anything. And as he thought about his mother he realized his foundation wasn't very strong now. It had been cracked by all the hits he and his mother were taking lately. He knew all too well what it was like to get hit on and off the field. He just hoped he had the strength to fight through it.

"It's no secret," Coach continued. "You have to be mentally and emotionally stronger than your challenges, your detractors, and your situation. You have to be able to tune out the negative noise from the outside and turn off the negative thoughts on the inside. You have to stay calm, focused, and energized on game day and learn how to tune out the distractions during the week. When everyone tells you that you are great, you don't let it go to your head; when they say you stink, you don't let it go to your head."

"So true," Martin said as he laughed.

"But here's the thing. Mental toughness doesn't happen by osmosis. Like everything, it is a process, and as I said earlier, it can be developed. And to help you do this I created a technique called weed and feed."

"Isn't that for yards and grass?" Martin asked.

"Yes, it is. And it's also for our minds, because our minds are like a garden. Each day you need to weed out the negativity and feed it positivity. You need to weed the self-doubt and negative talk and feed it positive thoughts, memories, visuals, and prayer."

"How do I do this?" Martin asked, knowing his mind needed a lot of weeding lately.

"Simple," Coach answered. "Each day you think of your mind as a garden and you pay attention to your thoughts. You know that if you don't weed out the negative thoughts, then they will take over your mind. You also know that if you continuously plant positive thoughts, eventually the weeds of negativity will have nowhere to breed and grow. It's a process and it works. Just as you practice running, blocking, and catching, you must practice thinking positive thoughts and eliminating negative thoughts. You realize that being positive or negative is a habit, and you choose the positive."

"I know what I'm going to choose from now on," Martin said as he walked over to the window and looked at the telescope and the microscope. He felt different. He wasn't sure how. He just felt different. He realized Gus was right. Sometimes an injury is a good thing. It was as if time had slowed down, and with Coach Ken's advice he was able to approach everything a little differently. He felt more aware, more clear, and more mentally prepared. Coach Ken's words gave him a much needed boost. He was eager to learn more, so it was a good thing that before he left their meeting Coach Ken encouraged him to read the playbook that night. Coach Ken told him to focus on the "Twenty Ways to Get Mentally Tough" section.