What It Takes To Be #1 - Vince Lombardi

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

"There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

"Every time a football player goes to play his trade he's got to play from the ground up - from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

"Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization - an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win - to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

"It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there - to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules - but to win.

"And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

"I don't say these things because I believe in the 'brute' nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he's exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."

--Vince Lombardi

How To Recognize A Negative Attitude

How To Recognize A Negative Attitude

How you feel and how you react is in direct relation to how you think. Some people let random circumstances predict their day.

For example, they go to make coffee and find there is none left. They start the day by sarcastically thinking, "Oh great, this going to be a good day". Then, for the remainder of the day, they allow minor inconveniences, unexplained challenges, or other less than ideal events to reinforce their original negative thought.

You can recognize their negative attitude just by listening to how they talk.

If you allow your mind to dwell on unhappy situations, you can expect your day to unfold in the same manner.

Look forward to your day and don't let negative thoughts control it. Change how you interpret or react to life's events, and you actually change your attitude from a negative one to a positive one.

If you run out of coffee, change your thought to: "if this is the worse thing that could happen to me today the rest of my day will be great."

If you continually think negative thoughts then you are setting yourself up to allow only negative events to be your companion for the rest of the day. When something good does occur, you won't even recognize it.

--- Written in 2008 by Catherine Pulsifer

Positive Thought- A Strong Tool Of Succcess

Once upon a time there was bunch of tiny frogs that arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The race began. Honestly, no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of tower. You heard statements such as, "They will NEVER make it to the top. Or: Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one, except for those, who in fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher.

The crowd continued to yell, "Its too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up, but one continued higher and higher and higher. This one wouldn't give up!

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower, except for one tiny frog. After a big effort, he was the only one who reached the top! THEN all the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal. It turned out.... that the winner was deaf!!!!

Never listen to other people tendencies to be negative or pessimistic.... because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you- the ones you have in your heart!

--- Author Unknown ---Ravinder Singh --- India

A Million Dollar Lesson - By Petey Parker

A cab driver taught me a million dollar lesson in customer satisfaction and expectation. Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars to impart his kind of training to corporate executives and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.

I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up.

The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy.

Well! I looked around for a "Candid Camera!" Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, "Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell."

"You bet," he replied, "I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be.

I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day's work and done it well. I evaluate my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver.

One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer's expectations! I like both the sound and the return of being 'great' better than just getting by on 'average'"

Did I tip him big time? You bet! Corporate America's loss is the traveling folk's friend!

Hudson River Plane Crash

What an inspiring story this was. A few minutes after take off, the captain calls in and says, "This is cactus 1549, hit birds, we lost thrust in both engines," he then goes on to say they are going to turn around and head back towards the airport. Quickly he realizes the plane doesn't have enough engine power to do so. The last words that were heard from the pilot were, "We're gonna be in the Hudson." With 155 passengers on board, Pilot C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger landed the plane perfectly on top of the water. Rescue crews arrived at the scene shortly and pulled everyone off the plane. Some of the passengers described what they thought were their last few seconds of life, as "complete silence, like a library." Can you imagine the feelings of gratitude that all 155 passengers must have felt as their plane came to a stop in the Hudson? What is remarkable is how well prepared this pilot must have been. He didn't panic, the years of experience and dedication to his job saved a lot of lives. What we can take from this miraculous story is that it doesn't matter where we are in life, what our status is, what type of job we have, as long as everyday we strive to be the best we can, wherever we are. The day may come when we need to land a plane in the Hudson.