August 7, 2007
May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller
Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com
WORKPLACE WISDOM NEWSLETTER
LESSONS FROM A WINNER
On Saturday, August 4, 2007, Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys
was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Michael Irvin played for the Cowboys at the beginnning of this
decade and for ten years was
known as "The Playmaker". Then personal troubles set in
for Michael, as his life careened out of
control in a wild and decadent ride -- for him and for his loved
ones. As the media tracked his
court appearances, his illicit escapades, his gold-and-diamonds,
and his fascination with drugs, I
was one of many, many fans that was heart-sick. He was our
superstar and a real hero to our
kids. What has he done? What will happen to him?
Michael
paid his dues.
But....he
was not chosen to enter The Hall of Fame in 2006.
His
two best friends of that famous football three-some were chosen.
He
was not.
The
general feeling of the fans was that Michael had ruined his chances.
His
personal life - and individual blow-ups - had kept him from the "the
win".
His
downward spiral, off the field, had killed his glorious career.
Then the call came in 2007!
"Michael, you've been voted into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame!"
Some
people doubted he should have received the honor.
Other
fans looked past his off-the-field mistakes.
There
were mixed emotions about Michael deserving the honor.
But
there was no wavering by his coach, his owner, and his teammates!
THEY
PRAISED HIS CHARACTER!
CAN
YOU BELIEVE IT?
I thought of many lessons as I listened to the speech that Michael
gave on Saturday afternoon.
And what a speech it was! It was unscripted. As a speaker, I know
a little bit about speechmaking.
The only time you can speak without notes (unscripted) is when you
are delivering a
message straight from your heart. You're in a "zone".
The platform is yours. Time stands still.
You don't notice yourself, your surroundings, or the time. You
speak to your audience freely
about something that is coming straight from your beliefs.
Michael thanked many individuals. Then he apologized to his
family, friends, teammates, and
fans for his misdeeds.
August 7, 2007
May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller
Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com
AND
THEN FOR ME....THE MAGIC HAPPENED.
Toward
the end of his speech, Michael said:
"Look up. Get up. And never give up!"
And here is what he meant:
1.
Look up. Ask God to inspire you and give you the strength you'll need to
start over.
2.
Get up. Physically, psychologically, emotionally start putting one foot in
front of the
other.
Create a pattern of steps. As the steps increase, start moving
faster and faster.
Your goal is to hit your old stride and to find your strength
again.
3.
Never give up. Your self-talk needs to be saying "Move on now! Fly! You can
do it!
Don't quit!"
Sue, most of us mess up at some point.
Look closely at Michael's advice to make a comeback.
This Dallas Cowboy "playmaker" gave straight-from-the-heart
advice to his audience last
Saturday.
• Seek a second, third, or more attempts to get on the right track.
• Pay the price it takes to set things right with people near you.
• Humble yourself when you ask for their forgiveness (that's a word
we don't hear in the
workplace too often!).
• Begin to fix a damaged relationship, a messed up project, a
painful problem or an unkept
promise.
• Pick up your speed, and feel the exhilaration of a restored
relationship or the relief of
a problem resolved.
• Vow to never quit. Believe that your very best day will be
"TOMORROW", so don't quit!
The opposite behavior when we make a mess of things would be to:
• Become depressed and remain motionless.
• Blame someone or something for your problem.
• Be belligerent to anyone that tries to help.
• Carry a grudge for many years.
• Stagnate. Do nothing.
• Quit. Drop out.
WE
NEVER KNOW WHAT INFLUENCE WE HAVE!
Others
are watching to see how we rebuild.
If
we rebuild well, we can inspire many, many people.
"Look up. Get up. And never give up!"