“Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that’s what you have here tonight, boys. That’s what you’ve earned here, tonight. One game. If we played ’em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with ’em. Tonight, we stay with ’em, and we shut them down because we can! Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players — every one of ya. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time — is done. It’s over. I’m sick and tired of hearin’ about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw ’em! This is your time!! Now go out there and take it!” – Herb Brooks
Believe in yourself and your goals and amazing things will happen, but you have to believe in yourself, in your team, or in your company first if you want to reach those goals. If you haven’t seen the movie “Miracle on Ice” it is worth seeing!
ANYWAY by Mother Teresa
The verses below reportedly were written on the wall of Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta, India, and are widely attributed to her. Some sources say that the words below were written on the wall in Mother Teresa’s own room. In any case, their association with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity has made them popular worldwide, expressing as they do, the spirit in which they lived their lives. They seem to be based on a composition originally by Kent Keith, re-written in a more spiritual way.
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
Bill Marriott talked about his 12 rules for success, which he crafted in 1964 but are still as relevant as ever today.
- Challenge your team to do better and do it often.
- Take good care of your associates, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and they’ll come back.
- Celebrate your peoples’ success, not your own.
- Know what you’re good at and keep improving.
- Do it and do it now. Err on the side of taking action.
- Communicate by listening to your customers, associates and competitors.
- See and be seen. Get out of your office, walk the talk, make yourself visible and accessible.
- Success is always in the details.
- It’s more important to hire people with the right qualities than with specific experience.
- Customer needs may vary, but their bias for quality never does.
- Always hire people who are smarter than you are.
- View every problem as an opportunity to grow.
“If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Wyman’s thought: I don’t think I could say it any better than these great leaders did. The bottom line is each and every day we should get up and do the best that we can at whatever it is that we do and then let the cards fall where they will. Always have a plan and be working hard toward your goals, persevere through setbacks and you will get there, one step at a time.
