David J. Pollay's Blog

Monday Morning Momentum™: Stay In the Game Long Enough to Succeed ©

                                     

Welcome to Monday Morning Momentum!  Each Monday I lay out a simple momentum plan for you to follow: I help you focus on one thing each week that will increase your momentum in your career, business, and life.  Thanks for being here!  Best to you, David

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Stay in the Game Long Enough to Succeed Ó

Your dreams

Many people give up on their dreams.  They face a challenge, or a series of setbacks, and then they question their ability to succeed.  The payoff for their effort seems too far away to justify the frustration and disappointment they are experiencing today.  But what if they hung in there just a little bit longer?  Could the success they are striving for be just around the corner?

27 years ago

A high school friend of mine, Big John, recently reminded me of an event that took place twenty-seven years ago in our high school gym.  He wrote about it in our high school anniversary alumni program.  Big John said it was one of his best high school memories.  It’s a simple story about what can happen when you stay in the game.

I was a sophomore in high school when I joined the Saturday morning basketball league.  I played on my friend Sal’s team.  And we had a good enough season to play for the championship against Johnny Malo’s (all names are changed for this story) team – the team that taunted us all week before the game that they had a big plan to shut us down.

Well, championship Saturday came and their “big plan” was working…on me!  I was having my worst game of the season; I couldn’t make a basket.  It was the rest of the team that kept us in the game.

So, it came down to the last ten seconds of the game and we were tied.   And who had the ball?  Johnny Malo.

Johnny Malo took the ball down court, passed it to Frank, who dribbled around two of our guys, put up a jump shot, and with one second remaining, he made it!  We were down by two, and Johnny Malo was jumping up and down like he was a contestant on the “The Price Is Right!”

Our last chance

So with one second left on the clock, we took our last timeout and huddled around Sal to hear his plan.  And this was what he said, “Throw it to the open guy.”  “What?!,” I said.  “What kind of plan is that?!  Throw it down to Big John.”  See Big John was the only one of us over six feet tall and he was a good ballplayer.  But, then Sal said, “Nahh, throw it to the open guy.”

So we ran back on the court and Earl stood on the side trying to pass the ball in bounds.  I ran to the far corner of the court to give Big John as much room as possible; I still wanted him to get the pass.  And what do you think Frank did?  Correct.  He threw the ball to me:  the guy farthest from the basket, and the one who only made two baskets all game long.

The shot

So I jumped high to catch the pass, grabbed it with two hands, swung the ball in front of me, and let it fly!

The gym was quiet as we all watched the ball arc high and toward the hoop.  And then as the ball started descending in the direction of the basket the silence of the crowd was replaced with a rising chorus of “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeaaaaahhh!  The ball went in!

We couldn’t believe it – a three pointer to win the game and the championship!  The place went nuts!

And twenty-seven years later Big John wrote about this moment in our alumni program.  We both knew that I had wanted to take myself out of that game.  I had lost my confidence; I thought I had already taken enough shots.  But I stayed in the game and I was given one more opportunity to make one of the most memorable shots of my life.

I learned that you have to stay in the game long enough to succeed.

What game are you playing in?  Your shot may be just around the corner.

This week

Look at all of your most important projects.  Which ones matter the most to you?  Which ones do you consider critical to your success and happiness?

All of us have given up on something at some time in our lives.  The question this week is whether or not you are going to stick it out with what means the most to you in your life?

This week identify one dream you will not give up on.  What is it?  Write it down.  Carry it in your wallet, or put it in your purse.  Keep it in your planner.  And tell the people you love.

Decide to stay in this important game long enough to succeed.

Invite Your Family and Friends to Join You

And if you want your family, colleagues and friends to join you on your momentum journey, send this post along to them.  Have a great week, and let me know how it goes!

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And remember you can sign up for my newsletter, Monthly Momentum Minutesä, right here.

Gratitude Friday: Bloggers!

The Beware of Garbage Trucks!™ - The Law of the Garbage Truck™ mission is only possible with the help of active members of the No Garbage Trucks!™ community.  Together we are making the world a more beautiful place!

A Special Thanks This Week

I want to say a special “thank you!” this week to some of the bloggers who are helping spread the Beware of Garbage Trucks!™ - The Law of the Garbage Truck™ message.  They understand the importance of letting Garbage Trucks pass us by.

Erin Davis is a TV and radio personality in the Toronto area, as well as a keynote speaker.  You can hear her on 98.1 CFHI in Toronto.  Her site is www.erindavis.com.

Johan Jonck is the author of the Road Safety and Arrive Alive Blog.  You can find it here: http://roadsafety.wordpress.com/.  Johan describes the purpose of his blog this way: “I lost my mom in a car accident at the age of 2 years - and believe that even though we might not all have the money to provide funding for road safety initiatives  - we can all contribute by way of intellectual capital and the sharing of ideas, recommendations etc.”

Jim King at www.hermitjim.blogspot.com is one of the good folks who links to our blog.  He participates in our Monday Morning Momentum mission each week, and posts insightful comments on a regular basis.  We appreciate his support.

Join the Team!

I will continue to highlight the work of an active member of our No Garbage Trucks! community each week. I want to recognize all the good folks who are helping spread the Beware of Garbage Trucks!™ - The Law of the Garbage Truck™ message.  Email me at david@themomentumproject.com or Chris at chris@bewareofgarbagetrucks.com if you know of more good folks sharing our message. 

And if you are interested in re-printing one of my columns, let us know.  Thanks for your continued support and involvement!

Have A Wonderful Weekend!

Enjoy your friends and family this weekend! 

See you back here in a couple days for Monday Morning Momentum™!

Best to you,

David

Monday Morning Momentum™: Ask for Help and Keep Going to Achieve Your Dreams

Welcome to Monday Morning Momentum!  Each Monday I lay out a simple momentum plan for you to follow: I help you focus on one thing each week that will increase your momentum in your career, business, and life.  Thanks for being here!  Best to you, David

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Ask for Help and Keep Going to Achieve Your DreamsÓ

My 20th college reunion

Last year I returned to Yale for my twentieth college reunion. And like what happens to most people who attend reunions, I thought about my life then, and now. 

See, I am grateful for my life.  I love my wife.  I adore my girls.  I cherish my parents.  I have great friends.  My health is good.  I enjoy where I live.  I love what I do for a living.  My life is not perfect, but it is good. 

And so, as I stood on the Yale campus with my family, I thought about the lesson I had learned when I was a first-semester freshman:  When things don’t go your way, ask for help and keep going.

A very disappointing week

I learned that lesson after one of the most disappointing weeks of my life.  I was a young kid from Wisconsin – away from home for the first time – and I was trying to make it through my first semester at Yale.  And I wanted to pack my bags and head home. 

I remember the beginning of that week:  I was sitting in the front row of a large auditorium with about four hundred students sitting on the main floor, and another hundred sitting in the balcony.  As I got up to hand in my economics mid-term exam, I heard a “Whoaaaaa.”  Hundreds of students were looking up at me in awe.  I had just completed a four-hour exam in less than forty minutes.  People were blown away at how smart I must have been to have finished so fast.  And little did they know that two days later my Economics professor handed back my exam and said, “David, you scored a six out of a hundred.  That’s not very good.” 

And that was just the beginning of my week.  The next day I received my grade on my first astronomy paper.  I had better news to report.  I upped my performance from an “F” in Economics to a “D+” in Astronomy. 

And then my bad week continued on the football field.  My parents and little brother were coming from Milwaukee/city> to to watch me play football.  And during practice the day before they arrived, I made one wrong turn and tore my hamstring.  My family came to the game, but only to see me standing on the sidelines with crutches, instead of running with a football.

Finally, the week came to an end with my new girlfriend telling me, “David, I’m ‘pre-engaged’ to be married.”  Now I didn’t know what “pre-engaged” meant, but I knew it couldn’t be good.  And it wasn’t.

All this happened in one week.  And all I wanted to do was quit and head back to Wisconsin.  But I didn’t.

I needed help

I reached out for help.  I talked to my parents.  I called my friends.  I asked for their support, and they gave it to me.  When I felt like a failure, they helped me regain my confidence. 

I then paid visits to my professors.  I asked for their help, and they gave it to me.  I followed their advice: I moved up a few rows in class, and I did my homework.

And while it didn’t work out with my girlfriend, and I never became a football star in college, I did turn my grades around.  I eventually majored in Economics.  And I even graduated with the honor of carrying our college banner at graduation.

And now it’s twenty-one years later and I am grateful that I learned to ask for help when I just wanted to quit and go home. 

Ask for help

Live your best life possible:  Ask for help when you need it, and keep going to achieve your dreams.   

This Week

Think about your biggest dreams.  What are you hoping to achieve? 

Then, look hard at your progress?  How are you doing?  Where are you struggling?  What is frustrating you?  What do you need to learn?

Now, think about everyone you know.  Who could help you?

This week identify in what area you need the most help.  And choose one or two people who could assist you.  Then call or email them this week.

Remember to ask for help when you need it, and keep going to achieve your dreams.

Invite Your Family and Friends to Join You

And if you want your family, colleagues and friends to join you on your momentum journey, send this post along to them.  Have a great week, and let me know how it goes!

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And remember you can sign up for my newsletter, Monthly Momentum Minutesä, right here.