How BAD do you want it? A champion's drive to succeed.
How bad do you want it?
That's a basic question that often determines whether or not a team or an individual succeeds. I'm reading a book about Jackie Robinson, the first African American major league baseball player. The book is entitled How to Be Like Jackie Robinson by Pat Williams. One man said about Robinson "He was not the greatest baseball player I ever saw but, he was the greatest competitor I ever saw."
Simply put, Jackie Robinson HATED to lose and would do whatever necessary to win. That same trait has marked most successful athletes and business people; they HATE to lose and will out-work, out-hustle their opponent in order to win.
This trait is what led NBA greats Michael Jordan & Larry Bird, to be on the floor before practice and stay on the floor after practice taking additional shots. They had an intense desire to be better.
This trait is what led Cal Ripken Jr. to take additional swings in batting practice and to hit off a batting t in his own batting cage.
Anson Dorrance, University of North Carolina women's soccer coach said "The winning mentality is partly optimism, but, mostly, it's a combination of focus, pride, competitive anger, relentlessness, hardness, fitness and courage. This type of mentality is not about your skill and tactics. What it comes down to is intense desire."
Motivational speaker John Maxwell tells of a time when a relative of his had just gotten a job. Maxwell said he gave the young man advice on how to succeed in his new job and get a promotion before everyone else.
He asked, "What time are you supposed to be at work?" The young man replied, "8:00 A.M.." Maxwell said, "Not you; You be there by 7:45."
He asked "How long do you get for lunch?" The young man replied, "1 hour." Maxwell said, "Not you; you take 45 minutes for lunch."
He asked, "What time can you leave?" The young man replied, "5:00 P.M." Maxwell said, "Not you; you stay to 5:15 or 5:30."
In other words, Maxwell was challenging him to out-work everyone.
Former NFL great Joe Montana once said "I'm convinced the only thing that separates champions is the individuals competitive drive. The people who survive and then flourish are the ones who love to compete... maybe even live to compete."
So, again, how bad do you want it?
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