play – Derrick Kwa

Friday Flip-Through: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball

Dec 7, 2007

I mentioned Kevin Carroll a few months ago, and he was nice enough to send me an autographed copy of his book (completely unexpectedly). He’s an awesome guy, doing amazing things, and spreading a great message in his blog.

But back to his book, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. It’s a short, simple book. And small, so you can carry it everywhere (and it’s probably a good idea to, so you can share it with others). But it carries an important message. The Red Rubber Ball symbolizes “play”. To quote the book, “It’s any activity, topic or purpose that makes you excited about the day.”

His book is all about finding that purpose. He shares his personal story, which is an inspiring and amazing one. With his story, he inspires us to discover our own passion, and pursue it. And he gives us 7 simple rules of doing so.

I highly recommend it for everyone. It’s a really simple book. But with a really powerful and inspiring message, that I think we all need to hear.

You can buy it from here, for only just over $10. Definitely worth the money.

If you like this book, check out my other recommendations at my aStore.

Daryl Peach: 2007 World Pool Champion

Nov 11, 2007

Congratulations to Daryl Peach, the 2007 World Pool Champion. He beat Roberto Gomez 17-15 in an amazing final. I know I posted in general about the World Pool Championships earlier, but today I just want to discuss the final.

I’ll start with Gomez, the losing finalist. He had played brilliantly throughout the tournament, but just seemed to choke in the end. He was playing much more conservatively than normal. It just wasn’t his own game. If you ask me, that’s one of the main reasons he lost. He didn’t stick to what he was good at. Ultimately, he just wasn’t himself. And he payed the price for that.

Peach, on the other hand, more or less stuck to his game. He didn’t really try anything too fancy. He just stuck to his calm, calculated game. And it paid off. That’s what his game has been all about throughout the week. It wasn’t about making the great, unbelievable, highlight-reel shots. It was just about making the best decisions consistently, doing the simple things well. That’s what got him to the final. Yes, he can do the highlight-reel shots (like the bank in the final rack), but his main game was always about percentages and decisions.

Above all, though, it was the mental strength that won the championship for him. I think the perfect example was the second last rack, with Peach leading 16-15. Gomez came to the table on the 9, and missed what would normally have been a simple shot. Daryl Peach came back and potted it, and went on to win the championship. That summed up the difference in composure and mental strength perfectly. Both players had their ups and downs over the matches, but Daryl Peach managed to maintain focus more than his opponent, and didn’t let it get to him. And that’s why he won.

There’s so much all of us can learn from that. You’ll have a higher chance of success if you stick to your game, and just be yourself, as Gomez’s loss shows us. And Peach showed us the value of good decision making, focusing on what we have and the power of mental strength.

Daryl himself summed it up perfectly after the game, “I haven’t got the most ability and there are lots of players with more talent than me but I just used my head and tried to focus on what I’ve got.”

How do you maintain your focus on your ability, and not get thrown off by circumstance?

NASA Parties

Nov 10, 2007

Apparently NASA spends loads of cash on parties.

These happen with every launch, and are meant to honor the people who contributed to the launch. I do understand the arguments against it, but I’m on NASA’s side on this. It’s good to see an organization dedicating such resources to recreation. Too often we underestimate the value of play and enjoyment.

It must do wonders for morale of the workers, and I would say it’s definitely worth it.

Link via Slashdot: NASA Knows How to Party