Nick Bollettieri

Nick Bollettieri, the famous American tennis coach who pioneered the concept of a tennis boarding school, died earlier this month at 91 years old.

His track record was incredible – just think of Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Serena and Venus Williams, and many more in whose development he was pivotal.

His private life was no less remarkable with 8 marriages and 7 children.

I read a Matthew Syed article in the Times, where he referred to Bollettieri as a powerful life force – a man who wasn’t the best technical coach, but he really focused on understanding people, their hopes and aspirations. He connected his charges “dreams to a target and a journey”. Bollettieri himself said “you only get one go; the question is what you do with your time”.

It seems to me that here is a terrific recipe for retirement (your Future Life) – definitely not the only one, but certainly one which would guarantee a fantastic time:

·         A deep understanding of people

·         A mindset that brings out the best in others and yourself

·         A recognition that this is a one-time gig and how you use it determines everything

·         Having strong values and a clear, known purpose

·         Not needing all the technical details to be right, because there is far more to life than that

·         Believing in limitless potential

What would happen if you translated those aspects into your future life?

How would others around you feel?

Zing!!

And here’s a final thought.

If you haven’t got anywhere near retirement yet, what would happen if you translated even some of those aspects into your working life?

It might be worth a few thoughts!