I’m in my office Sunday afternoon, listening to motivational speaker Earl Nightengale – he’s talking about success – and finishing cliff notes for a future Pep Talk about connecting wonderful memories with current events, when the phone rings. It’s my buddy Scott Berger.
“Hey man, what are you doing? He asked. “Waiting for Rachel to tell me what she wants for dinner,” I respond. He proudly shoots back, “I’m walking out of Whole Foods with lots of groceries to take home to Jamie, my wonderful and pregnant wife.”
This will be their first child and he can’t wait for fatherhood – does he really know what he’s getting into? - and its responsibilities. He can’t wait to love, mentor and discipline the next generation of his family and our nation.
I think he’ll be quite successful. He’s the type of guy former Colorado Buffaloes’ head coach Bill McCartney calls “fox hole kinda guys.” You can trust their word, effort and commitment. Good things.
When presenting Run to Daylight much time is spent talking about “teamwork being the key to success.” The Comeback Coach loves to talk about the 1989 CU “One Heart Beat” team. That unit kept a “healthy attitude toward change, worked well together and had the courage to put fear aside and went for it – ran to daylight and played like a champion.”
This expectant father, caring for his growing family, would have been welcomed on that Buffs’ team which ran the regular season table before losing to Notre Dame in the national-championship-matchup 1990 Orange Bowl Game.
Berger characterizes the “fox-hole” kinda person necessary to build great teams. And you know what, those “fox hole” attributes apply to sports and other important teams at home, work and community. Trust me, it’s far more productive to work united not divided.
This Centennial State transplant hails from Baltimore, is walking his talk and excited about fatherhood. He’s excited about a new challenge and phase of life that is unlike any other. Whether you’ve had children or not, most would agree, raising kids is not easy. It will test him. He’s saying, “I’m ready to serve.”
This week, are you ready to serve? In ways that honor you, nurture those dependent upon you and add value to the communities you serve? It worked for the Buffs, is working for this expectant father and will work for us. Unity is not easy, there are no shortcuts, but the reward is worth the effort.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
"Allow Wonderment to Win"
I was recently speaking to a real estate Mastermind group. The discussion turned to what I feel is the biggest challenge we face on a daily basis: allowing courage and wonderment to win the battle with fear and self-doubt. Everyone in the crowd admitted, as we grow older and life continues to surprise and bruise us, how difficult it becomes to carry that mantra forward.
Real estate professionals face brutal market conditions right now. But they’re not alone. Our nation’s economic challenges have most Americans feeling battered and fearful. So what can we do about it?
In each and every Run to Daylight presentation the Comeback Coach encourages others to be limited only by imagination, not fear, in creating productive choices to the challenges we face. I love to quote Shakespeare, who 400 years ago said: “Our doubts are traitors that make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”
Fear of job loss, foreclosure and bankruptcy are real and present dangers given the current economic woes. What to do?
I have an idea. We can take a cue from a fifth-grade girl who recently reminded me of an effective way of dealing with change, challenge and adversity. This young lady was on our Good Shepherd Grizzlies volleyball team. She was also struggling with her serve. Determined to improve she called the coach – me – and asked if I would open the gym on a weekend afternoon so she could practice. She also, with her own allowance money, purchased a volleyball to practice serving at home.
She was determined to become superior to her former self. That determination paid off later in the season. The Grizzlies, just two points from elimination in the post-season tournament, turned to this young woman to serve. She executed perfectly, running off nine straight points in a come-from-behind victory. The Grizzlies would go on to win the consolation championship. It would have never happened without this young lady’s courage to transform adversity into her – and our – ally.
There’s a lesson in this for each of us. We all face challenges. It might be the economy, a relationship or our health. The venues change, but the strategy to deal with the challenge does not: take a cue from a fifth-grader and promise yourself this: refuse to become a victim of your circumstance, instead become of student of the experience.
It takes putting fear and self doubt aside and allowing wonderment to win!
Real estate professionals face brutal market conditions right now. But they’re not alone. Our nation’s economic challenges have most Americans feeling battered and fearful. So what can we do about it?
In each and every Run to Daylight presentation the Comeback Coach encourages others to be limited only by imagination, not fear, in creating productive choices to the challenges we face. I love to quote Shakespeare, who 400 years ago said: “Our doubts are traitors that make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”
Fear of job loss, foreclosure and bankruptcy are real and present dangers given the current economic woes. What to do?
I have an idea. We can take a cue from a fifth-grade girl who recently reminded me of an effective way of dealing with change, challenge and adversity. This young lady was on our Good Shepherd Grizzlies volleyball team. She was also struggling with her serve. Determined to improve she called the coach – me – and asked if I would open the gym on a weekend afternoon so she could practice. She also, with her own allowance money, purchased a volleyball to practice serving at home.
She was determined to become superior to her former self. That determination paid off later in the season. The Grizzlies, just two points from elimination in the post-season tournament, turned to this young woman to serve. She executed perfectly, running off nine straight points in a come-from-behind victory. The Grizzlies would go on to win the consolation championship. It would have never happened without this young lady’s courage to transform adversity into her – and our – ally.
There’s a lesson in this for each of us. We all face challenges. It might be the economy, a relationship or our health. The venues change, but the strategy to deal with the challenge does not: take a cue from a fifth-grader and promise yourself this: refuse to become a victim of your circumstance, instead become of student of the experience.
It takes putting fear and self doubt aside and allowing wonderment to win!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
"The Terrific Trio"
I really enjoy Saturday afternoons for a nap, catching up with my neighbor and writing Pep Talks. Anyway, in the “watch some sports and have a beer with my buddy” portion of the day, conversation sparked by an early-season Rockies and Dodgers game at sunny Chavez Ravine from Spring-storm-buried Denver, jumps to football. It jumps to something I witnessed long ago during my sportscasting days.
I was in Lake Tahoe, Nevada covering the annual celebrity golf tournament held beside that incredible body of water. I was there that year, the mid’ 90’s, because local stars like Broncos quarterback John Elway, head coach Mike Shanahan and then University of Colorado head football coach Rick Neuheisel were playing, and trust me, knowing the trio pretty well, competing.
But this Pep Talk’s not about Elway, Shanahan and Neuheisel. It’s about Jerry Rice.
What I’ll never forget from the weekend was a Saturday evening. I had finished writing a piece that would air on KCNC-TV’s late evening newscast. So, I’m killing time while my photojournalist partner put the final editing touches on the story. I’m on the deck of a beautiful resort hotel, gazing at the natural beauty around me and listening to the fun inside. Suddenly my attention diverts to the golf practice range. In the fading light there’s a solo figure out there pounding golf balls. It was Jerry Rice and I witnessed the future Hall of Fame wide receiver hit at least 200 shots – while all his buddies were inside having a good time.
He was just learning the game and is, as the Comeback Coach loves to talk about, “determined to become superior to his former self” in the game of golf. Perhaps the greatest receiver in NFL history, Rice is someone who I believe has three traits that power his success, on and off the field: He believes in his talent, works well with others and has refused to allow fear and self doubt hijack his dreams of running to daylight and playing like a champion in whatever endeavor he chooses.
We obviously don’t, or didn’t, have Jerry Rice’s physical talents, but we can match his mental approach. What has made him a great success in life – faith, unity and sacrifice - is available for us too.
It’s Memorial Day weekend. Faith, unity and sacrifice certainly would describe, and honor, the men and women who have done just that for our freedoms. Living a life based upon that terrific trio of traits ain’t easy. It might cost you a little but gosh, I sure like your chances of it meaning a lot in living the life you imagine, everywhere. Just ask Jerry Rice.
I was in Lake Tahoe, Nevada covering the annual celebrity golf tournament held beside that incredible body of water. I was there that year, the mid’ 90’s, because local stars like Broncos quarterback John Elway, head coach Mike Shanahan and then University of Colorado head football coach Rick Neuheisel were playing, and trust me, knowing the trio pretty well, competing.
But this Pep Talk’s not about Elway, Shanahan and Neuheisel. It’s about Jerry Rice.
What I’ll never forget from the weekend was a Saturday evening. I had finished writing a piece that would air on KCNC-TV’s late evening newscast. So, I’m killing time while my photojournalist partner put the final editing touches on the story. I’m on the deck of a beautiful resort hotel, gazing at the natural beauty around me and listening to the fun inside. Suddenly my attention diverts to the golf practice range. In the fading light there’s a solo figure out there pounding golf balls. It was Jerry Rice and I witnessed the future Hall of Fame wide receiver hit at least 200 shots – while all his buddies were inside having a good time.
He was just learning the game and is, as the Comeback Coach loves to talk about, “determined to become superior to his former self” in the game of golf. Perhaps the greatest receiver in NFL history, Rice is someone who I believe has three traits that power his success, on and off the field: He believes in his talent, works well with others and has refused to allow fear and self doubt hijack his dreams of running to daylight and playing like a champion in whatever endeavor he chooses.
We obviously don’t, or didn’t, have Jerry Rice’s physical talents, but we can match his mental approach. What has made him a great success in life – faith, unity and sacrifice - is available for us too.
It’s Memorial Day weekend. Faith, unity and sacrifice certainly would describe, and honor, the men and women who have done just that for our freedoms. Living a life based upon that terrific trio of traits ain’t easy. It might cost you a little but gosh, I sure like your chances of it meaning a lot in living the life you imagine, everywhere. Just ask Jerry Rice.
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