Wednesday; January 10

Growing up when and where I did, I was never a big Vince Lombardi fan – and I think I can trace it back to one day – December 31, 1967. On that day Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers beat my beloved Dallas Cowboys in what has become known as the “Ice Bowl”. I know it’s probably not nice to hold grudges – but when it comes to football, well … let’s just say I have a permanent blind spot.

In all honesty, Vince Lombardi was such an effective coach that they have named the Super Bowl trophy in his honor, so as we begin the NFL playoffs, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit one of his quotes. Decades ago, the coach observed, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”. Interestingly, as I think about this quote, I can only speculate if it was made after a game or after a practice! Lombardi was known to be tough – not just on his opponents, but on his own players as well. I wonder if he was that way prepare his teams for the upcoming game or if it was to test their character to be a part of his team.

I realize that football is a game and sometimes quips that revolve around sports aren’t all that important, but I see this adage in life as well as on the gridiron. No one is promised an easy life, so the thing that can be relied on is resiliency. Are we willing to respond each time we fall (and especially those times we are pushed by others)? Not all of us will be able to conquer our issues, but we can all rise to the challenges they present.

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more