START YOUR WEEK WITH THE COACH
“Great leaders create victories while poor leaders are waiting for better opportunities.”
John Wooden, the greatest college basketball coach of all time said, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” Great leaders create new conditions; good leaders make the best of current conditions; and poor leaders wait for the weather to change.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison
Poor leaders stand on the dock waiting for their ship to come in, for their dreams to come true, or the right opportunity to appear. They are waiting for the next bus and discover when it comes along, that it’s always driven by a great leader creating the journey.
Great leaders are like the snail who started up the tree while snow was still on the ground. A worm stuck his head out of a crevice and said, “There are no apples up there.” The snail replied, “There will be when I get there.”
Great leaders keep moving regardless of the obstacles or opposition. Resources seem to find the leaders who refuse to stop pursuing the mission and vision. Someone once said, “Effort only releases its reward after you refuse to quit.”
Great leaders succeed because they see the invisible. They are willing to do what others say can’t be done and keep working while others complain about the challenges. They maintain forward momentum when others stop because they never have sight of the goal. However, most of all, they keep creating small victories while others are waiting for the big win.
Thomas Edison experimented a thousand times before he perfected the incandescent lightbulb. What were you waiting for in 2019 that never came? Have you given up? If you have, it’s gone forever. If you haven’t, 2020 could be your year.
Some goals have taken me fifteen to twenty years of blood, sweat and tears before I saw victory! The limits of your leadership are determined by what it takes to stop you. If a goal is worth pursuing a day, it’s worth pursuing a lifetime.
What small victory can you create in these last few days of 2019 that will set the stage for a great win in 2020?