Never Ever, Ever Give Up

This philosophical strategy towards our pursuit of life while we’re experiencing our brief stay here on this earth has been advocated by numerous individuals, ranging from basketball coach Jim Valvano to Sir Winston Churchill.

I vividly recall the time in my life when I quit, gave up.  During my Freshman and Sophomore years at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, I played intercollegiate golf.  During a four-day individual tournament one summer, I had made it through the first three days quite nicely, and positioned myself for a decent finish on the final day.

Day four turned cold, rainy, windy and miserable.  I found myself approaching the eighth hole, shooting a terrible score, frustrated, hating the elements, feeling chilled and ultimately quitting after that front-nine, withdrawing from the tournament.

To say it differently, I QUIT after completing 63 of 72 holes in the event. That felt okay at the time. As it turned out, many of the competitors struggled that day!  Had I persevered and completed the event, I would have actually finished in a top-ten position.

That triggered a passion inside to never ever give up or quit again. And, driven by this painful memory, to the best of my knowledge, I believe I’ve remained true to that commitment???

It has been noted that it seems to be human nature for most people to quit or “take a break” right at the moment when we are about to achieve that breakthrough or achievement we’ve been pursuing. What a shame…

Having personally felt the pain of giving up when not realizing how close I was to achievement cemented (in my mind) the importance of staying relentless in our pursuits.

As we continue to move forward in this fast-paced, ever-changing world, let’s challenge ourselves to conquer, rise to the occasion, stay optimistic and realize our true potential every single day of our lives…remaining persistent and never, ever, ever giving up.

 

Leadership Lessons from New York

While reading the June 2014 edition of Men’s Health magazine, I came across an article by CNN New Day anchor Chris Cuomo, son of former New York governor Mario Cuomo.

My followers know that I typically focus on leadership in business, and as I read the insights from Chris in “What My Pop Taught Me”, it dawned on me that the “life lessons” that Chris had learned from his father had an amazing correlation to ideals that can easily be applied toward great leadership.

Here’s a recap of those 5 ideals, and their key foundations.

• It’s okay to ask for help.
  • Find someone with knowledge and help that you can benefit from.
• Work hard at everything.
  • Hard work is a requirement, not an extra.
• Listen to that voice inside.
  • Follow your gut, even if it means being unpopular.
• Don’t wallow in self-pity.
  • Trouble will come, you will have failures. You can’t control that, but what you can control is how you handle it!
• Always show compassion.
  • Dedicate your energies to something bigger than yourself.