Below is an inspiring story from one of my mentors, Jeff Mulligan. I found great encouragement in it. Hope you like it, too.
My son Ryan has a perfect build for a football lineman. He’s a big, solid kid. So when he went out for football this year, that’s exactly where the coaches put him – especially since it was his first year playing.
Of course, like almost every kid in New England, he idolizes Tom Brady and dreamed of playing quarterback.
One fall weekend, his dream came true. Ryan’s team was way ahead of the other team in the 4th quarter when his coach turned to him and said, “Mulligan, want to go in at quarterback?”
Can you imagine the thrill? And the nervousness? This wasn’t just playing catch with Dad. The other team was trying to clobber him. His entire team was screaming. After all, it was the only time all season a lineman had gone in at QB.
Some middle-aged guy on the sidelines was going nuts and making a fool of himself.
After a couple of missed snaps, Ryan gained his composure and marched his team 30 yards to the 1 yard line.
It was first and goal, with 90 seconds left on the clock. Plenty of time for Ryan to try a QB sneak and score his first career touchdown.
But, give credit to his coaches, they let the clock run out. Ryan didn’t score his touchdown, but the entire team learned a lesson about sportsmanship. They didn’t need to score another touchdown and humiliate the other team.
Ryan understood perfectly, and never complained. And his team was great. They hoisted him up on their shoulders (no small feat of strength) and carried him back to the sidelines to the cheering of everyone in the stands.
The entire team celebrated their victory and Ryan’s dream coming true.
I’m sure you can imagine how proud I was of my son. We celebrated with a special family dinner as we went over every one of his plays in detail, including his 8 yard scramble for a first down.
That night, as I went to bed, I reflected on what a great day this was in our lives. I was glad we had rearranged our evening’s plans to take the time to celebrate Ryan’s special day.
Here’s where I get to the business part of this story: I think celebrating your victories is very important. In life and in business.
If you think celebrating victories is important, then why not make it a “rule” in your life?
In fact, it’s #30 of Yanik Silver’s 34 Rules for Maverick Entrepreneurs. You can see these 34 rules here:
http://CBmall.com/detail/rules
They are about 1/4 of the way down the page.
My other favorites are #7 and #19. These rules are thought-provoking and inspiring. So take a look. On the same page, Yanik also shares his “$15,000 Sheet of Paper” which is full of ideas to grow any business.
http://CBmall.com/detail/rules
Sadly, football season is over. Ryan may or may not get a chance to play QB again. But because he went to every practice, learned as much as he could and gave 100% whenever he hit the field, he got his chance.
Personally, this entire story reinforced two lessons for me:
1. Always keep learning and practicing. (It certainly worked for Ryan.)
2. Celebrate your victories.
Yours in success,
Jeff Mulligan
