explained and combined with Todd’s life lessons and experiences. Todd’s journey from childhood through professional baseball and business success can be divided into 5 stages.
Stage 1 – Growing up in a loving environment created by outstanding parents and brothers that was filled with learning experiences.
Stage 2 – The heartbreaking illness and death of his brother, Jason. The effect transformed Todd into a prolonged period of sadness, anger and guilt.
Stage 3 – These negative qualities impacted every aspect of his life, especially his athletic efforts. He competed with a reckless abandon with his anger barely in check. In the midst of a game he would often self -destruct if any spark ignited him.
Stage 4 – The road to regaining a positive and productive mental approach towards all parts of his life. The importance of mentors with an excellent example of Harvey Dorfman and his challenge to control his mind.
Stage 5 – Attaining a championship mentality, actions and sustained success in his personal and professional lives. Todd’s decision to share his action plan with you and others.
My credentials for recommending Relentless Success are the coincidence of getting to know Todd during the last 3 stages of his journey. At first, as an opponent, then as a teammate. As a member of the Oakland A’s, we competed against Todd’s Toronto Blue Jays from 1988 to 1994. Every time Todd pitched against us, we were aware how hard he was coming after us and how close to the edge he was in terms of maintaining his mental edge. His last year with the Blue Jays (1994), we noticed a more composed pitcher that we felt was explained by more maturity.
Then in 1995 into the 1997 seasons, we benefitted from the pitcher and person in Stage 4 that was regaining control of his mind. He completely became a respectful teammate and leader on and off the field. During this time together I learned a part of how and from whom he was pulling it together.
Once he finished his career with other teams and went into business, I was aware of how well he was succeeding. Stage 5 is well underway. Until I read Relentless Success, I did not know all the specifics of the process. I do now and so can you!
Tony LaRussa
INTRODUCTION TO LIVING WORLD CLASS
I WAS BORN the son of a Major League Baseball player. I was not born a major leaguer; that part was up to me. Growing up in Yankee Stadium where my father, Mel Stottlemyre, was a three-time, 20 game winner and a five-time All-Star for the New York Yankees, inspired me to dream big. I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps and play Major League Baseball. My dream became a goal and turned into an obsession. I believed 100% that I was going to live out my dream. I fought against everything that tried to derail me. I never relented to the external pressures or opinions of others. I found that in every small and big success, the process was the same; get in the zone, reach my peak performance and live world-class. These terms became a part of who I am so let me define them for you:
In the Zone
The term “In the Zone” gets thrown around a lot, but for me it is a wholehearted pursuit toward a single, clear goal / task. All distractions are ignored in the zone. Every ounce of mental, physical, emotional, and intellectual strength and energy is 100% dedicated to the task at hand. Any distraction threatening any of these areas must be removed. When you are fully In The Zone, the world is completely silent. Every sense is heightened and tuned towards the task. The Zone is a place of extreme focus.
Peak Performance
Peak Performance is when you are as close to human potential as possible. You are performing at the top of your craft, setting the standards, exceeding expectations, and going beyond what you had believed was possible. My Peak Performance method, covered in this book, is a 9-step process of discipline, principles, and action that will get you to your Peak Performance. When you are at Peak Performance, you experience the immeasurable thrill of feeling and believing that anything you dream of can and will be accomplished.
Living World Class
Living World Class is the light at the end of the tunnel in your life’s pursuits. It is living to the highest standard of life that you have set and desired for yourself. It is living at the top of YOUR game, not somebody else’s. We each have unique dreams and levels of success we want to achieve to be living OUR personal world-class lives. Living World Class might look different for each person.
Here’s how those three concepts interacted in my successes: First, I learned how to be fully in the zone. When I was in the zone, the relentless focus and wholehearted pursuit of my clear vision would allow me to push aside all distractions. With the world around me silenced, I had the discipline and determination needed to work the 9 steps I had developed which empowered me to reach the peak performance of my craft. When I was performing at my peak and dedicated to my success, I began living world class. I was able to accomplish all that I had set before me and began to make new goals and craft new dreams that would take me even further.
The vision of becoming a Major League Baseball player was so clear that even during the toughest of times, I could “smell the hot dogs in the ballpark”. In 1985 my goal became a reality when I was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round! People who make big goals live big lives. You have to first envision what you want and then make it a goal. Actually write it down! You have one life to live; if you want to live it world class, you HAVE to start by getting in the zone.
It’s amazing how life-changing a short amount of time can be when you are fully in the zone. For me, it was 12 consecutive hours of being in the zone with a trusted mentor who permanently changed the trajectory of my life. At the end of our 12 hours I was issued a challenge: For seven days, my mentor challenged me to be aware of my emotions and recognize the challenges that each day brought. I needed to stay in control of my mind and emotions for each challenge I faced. Previously, I had a bad habit of allowing my emotions to control me, but for that one week, to be in my zone I purposed to pay attention to my emotions and reestablish my control over them.
The ultimate test of this life-changing challenge came on a night that began as a celebratory evening with my friend Dave Stewart. His mentorship was so invaluable in both my personal life and my career. Dave was my role-model, mentor, teammate, and friend. We both arrived at the 1994 spring training at the same time, a few days earlier than the start date. Since we had been in contact throughout the off-season and he had quickly become my good friend, I invited him to dinner to celebrate his 37th birthday. I hired a limousine and booked a dinner at a five-star restaurant in Tampa Florida. I wanted to show Dave how much I appreciated him. We got off to a late start that night, not getting to dinner until after 9 p.m. One of my buddies who owned a law firm was also in Tampa that night, so we agreed to meet up after dinner and have a drink. It was a great night; we had a great dinner, and I was spending time with my mentor. We laughed, told stories, and talked a lot about our goals for the upcoming season. We were excited for spring training to start. After Dave and I met my friends for a drink, we jumped back into the limo to head home.
We decided to make one more stop on our way home. A nice bar to have a nightcap and Dave insisted on covering the charge to get in since I had covered the rest of the night to celebrate his birthday. I agreed and said I would go in and get a table while he was getting out arranging to cover the door charge for our group. Right as I was grabbing a table, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Dave’s friend who informed me that they wouldn’t let Dave inside. I headed for the door to see what was going on and Dave was nowhere in sight. As I walked outside, I saw Dave about thirty yards away standing on the sidewalk with three guys standing around him.
“Is everything ok?” I yelled over to Dave as I headed in his direction. He didn’t respond. At this point, I knew something wasn’t right. As I was walking towards Dave, there were police officers arriving on the scene, it seemed by the