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Winning
Every Day - April 2003
The
Courage to Succeed - Part 2 of 2
There are two parts of courage that lead to success. The first part is the
willingness to begin, to act in faith, to step out boldly in the direction of
your goals with no guarantee of success. The second part of courage is the
willingness to endure, to persist, to refuse to give up, and to keep on
working harder than anyone else.
Most people talk themselves out of even going for their dream. And most of the
ones who make the attempt quit as soon as the going get tough. It’s so sad.
Because everyone has the ability to make their dreams come true. It’s sad
that so few people have the willingness to do what it takes.
That’s why as a boy I admired the Olympians. That’s why we root for the
underdog. That’s why we love movies like Rocky and Rudy. Because all of us
have felt like the underdog at one time or another. Because seeing the
underdog win gives us hope that we can win too.
That’s why we admire people like speed skater Dan Jansen.
Once you get started on the road to making your dreams a reality, you must
make the decision to never quit. The decision to never give up gives you a
huge advantage. The person who is most determined usually wins. A study on
goals and perseverance found that 95% of the goals that people set are
ultimately achieved, as long as the person didn’t give up.
Ninety five percent! That’s almost a guarantee. A guarantee that if you
refuse to quit you will eventually win. The main reason people fail is not
because of lack of ability or opportunities. They fail because they lack the
inner strength to persist in the face of obstacles and difficulties. That’s
why trying something almost always leads to failure. By definition, trying
something means you will quit if you are not successful.
Don’t worry about failing. Failing is how you learn. You can fail over and
over again, but all it takes is one big success to wipe out all your previous
failures. Just like Dan Jansen in the Lillehammer Olympics. The only time you
can’t afford to fail is the last time you try.
You need to be bold. Once you have made the decision to never quit, it’s
easy to be bold. Remember, if you don’t quit you’re almost guaranteed to
succeed. So just assume that success is inevitable. It’s only a matter of
time. Act as if your ultimate success is guaranteed. No matter how bad it is
or how bad it gets, learn from your failures and keep moving on.
Your goal should be to reach the point where you believe in yourself so much
that nothing can stop you or hold you back for very long. You want to become
unbeatable. This is where persistence is so important. The more you persist,
the more you will believe in yourself. And the more you believe in yourself,
the more you persist. Your persistence is a measure of how much you believe in
yourself and how much you believe in your ability to succeed. If you act as if
you are guaranteed to succeed, your belief will grow. Because emotion follows
motion. What you do determines how we will feel. Act in spite of your fears
and commit to not quit, and I’ll promise you that the winner inside you will
burst forth to propel you to victory.
When you develop your courage and perseverance, you will experience life in
ways you never thought were possible. The more you practice courage and
perseverance, the more confident you will become. Don’t quit. Refuse to quit
and you will succeed. Dan Jansen refused to quit and look at what happened…
Dan Jansen was supposed to win gold in the Sarajevo 84 Olympics. He didn’t.
Disappointed, he knew he should bring home a medal in the 88 Calgary games.
But only moments before the start of the race he was told his sister, Jane had
died of leukemia. With this weighing on his mind, he raced poorly and walked
home empty handed. Dan had another chance in Nagano 92, but his hopes were
crushed again when he slipped on the ice. The 94 Lillehammer would be his last
chance. With the world holding its breath as he raced in the 500 meters, he
fell again to the horror of the crowd, and finished eighth. With only one race
left in his career, the 1000, Dan Jansen was racing for his life. Incredibly
he slipped on the last turn…but didn’t fall. As he raced past the finish
line, he read the official time. A new world record. At long last Dan
Jansen’s perseverance paid off. Finally he had won the Olympic Gold Medal.
On his victory lap, he carried his baby daughter on his shoulders. Her name is
Jane… after his sister.
Dan’s story is so inspirational. It makes us feel like we can’t fail. It
teaches us lessons in courage and perseverance. It has been said, "The
Honor should not go to those who have not fallen; rather, all Honor should go
to those who fall and rise again." That’s why we love Rocky, and Rudy,
and the Olympics.
The Olympics are not really about sport. The Olympics are about the power of
the human spirit. They are a place that showcases to the world a group of
people that were willing to go after their dreams no matter what.
The Olympic flame represents the fire in the heart of someone who is in
pursuit of their dream. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics Opening
Ceremonies, Mitt Romney, the CEO of the Olympic Organizing Committee faced all
of the athletes and said to us, "Athletes, you are proof to the world
that when you have a dream, and you pursue it, and you refuse to quit, dreams
do come true. After the Olympics it is your responsibility to teach that
philosophy to others. Teach them how to make their dreams come true. And
let’s make this world a better place."
So have the courage to go after your dream. Give it all you’ve got. Have the
courage to get started and have the courage to never quit. I guarantee you,
when you do, your life will become great!
Book
of the Month
There's something unusual in the air in Orlando, Florida. Pat Williams sensed
it even before he moved there to become general manager of one of the NBA's
newest and hottest basketball teams, the Orlando Magic. The feeling in Orlando
is that anything is possible, that anyone is capable of turning his or her
wildest dreams into glorious reality.
In "Go for the Magic", this month's Book of the Month, Williams
shows you how this magic can work for you--and how it can help you realize the
most important goals in your life.
Williams now knows that Orlando's singular brand of magic is due in large part
to the efforts of one exceptional man: the late Walt Disney. Disney's
unfettered imagination and unbending determination brought the magic of Disney
World to Orlando. In turn, Pat Williams used Disney's principles of success to
shape the Orlando Magic into a dream team for the 90s and beyond--a team
that's racking up high scores on the court and high returns at the box office.
"Go for the Magic" introduces you to Disney's straightforward,
five-fold strategy for success, and it offers hundreds of inspiring examples
from the lives of those who have followed these principles to astounding
success. Wielding extraordinary storytelling skills, Williams offers glimpses
into his own life, Disney's life, and the lives of celebrities from Shaquille
O`Neal to Larry King and Dr. Seuss. There are also unforgettable stories drawn
from the experiences of scores of others who are less well known, but no less
noteworthy.
Throughout the book, Williams shows you how a foundation in faith,
imagination, and personal excellence can effect positive change in your life.
"Go for the Magic" gives you the means and inspiration to transform
your dreams into tomorrow's success story. As Pat Williams will show you,
magic isn't exclusive to Orlando, it's found anywhere you look--as long as you
make it happen.
Thoughts
to Ponder
228 years ago to the month, these famous and words were uttered. They are just
as applicable today as they were then...
"Is life so dear, is peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God! - I know not what course others
may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Patrick Henry - March 23, 1775
When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the
Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire
building by George Bush.
He answered by saying that, "Over the years, the United States has sent
many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom
beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return
is enough to bury those that did not return."
It became very quiet in the room
Family
Matters
In this issue, I will continue to share with you some basic principles of
parenting that come from McDowell and Day's "How to be a Hero to your
Kids". Last month's principle was availability. This month, you'll learn
about accountability.
To be accountable means to submit yourself to someone else who lets you know
when you are falling short of your duties. By making our kids accountable,
they gain knowledge of what it means to be responsible.
The best way to model accountability is by becoming accountable to your kids.
By giving them the green light to let us know when we are falling short of our
responsibilities. By asking them to help us be the best parents we can be and
by having them point out to us how we can improve. It’s tough to do. To give
your children the right to respectfully point out to us when we say or do
things that are contrary to what we teach is very tough. It means setting
pride aside.
Becoming accountable to your children is tough. Giving them permission to tell
us when we are acting in an unloving, irresponsible way takes a lot of
humility. But only by having it modeled to them will they understand
accountability.
Accountability teaches obedience, which develops self-discipline. The only way
to learn self discipline is to first be disciplined. If you don’t have
enough willpower to submit to somebody else, you’ll never have enough
willpower to submit to yourself.
One of the best things I got from sports was self-discipline. After years of
being disciplined by my soccer coaches, I developed the enough self-discipline
to train myself. It was up to me to keep fit during the 9 months of luge off
season. Today, I use that same discipline in running my own business.
Without a good sense of accountability, a child will never develop the self
discipline to deal with authority and to lead a productive life.
The
Dream
When my imagination
Takes me by the mind,
It leads me off so far, so fast,
My body’s left behind.
Yet that’s when I am most myself,
Lost in wish and dream,
And coming back, I smile and think,
“I’m more than I might seem.”
Seven
Ways to Becoming a Better Listener
Would
you like to become smarter, be better liked, and become a better
conversationalist? Then become a better listener.
Here are five ways to do so...
1- Lean towards the speaker and appear like you don't want to miss a single
word.
2- Keep your eyes locked on the speaker. Don't let your eyes wander.
3- Ask questions. Thinking of questions will force you to concentrate.
4- Stick to the speaker's subject. Don't change the subject until you are
absolutely sure the speaker is finished.
5- Keep the focus on the speaker by using words like "you" and
"your". Don't use the words "I, me, or mine." Those words
switch the focus back to you.
6- Occasionally say "tell me more."
7- Don't interrupt!
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