Dear John,
Basketball fans — and in fact most people — know the story of how Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player who ever lived, was cut from the squad when he was a sophomore in high school.
Fortunately, he didn't quit playing, and the results speak for themselves.
Football fans consider Joe Namath to be one of the smartest, most confident quarterbacks who ever played the game.
As a sophomore in high school, he weighed 135 pounds and was five feet seven. He came from an athletic family, had athletic abilities and his older brothers were helpful, but he was the fourth-string quarterback on the JV squad.
After the second game he approached Bill Ross, the athletic director and head coach at Beaver Falls High School, saying he was thinking about quitting the game "because I'm too small to ever be a quarterback."
Bill Ross smiled and agreed that Joe was too small then, and that he wouldn't play much as a sophomore, but "I knew he was a good athlete and that he would grow. I told Joe that it was the wrong time to quit, that he hadn't proved himself one way or the other, so I said 'Go home and think about it overnight before you make your final decision.'“
The next afternoon he was back at practice. Before the end of the season, Namath’s performance emerged as beyond phenomenal, and the football legend was on his way.
When baseball fans think of the most consistent pitchers of the past decade, some might overlook the greatness of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle, but they'd be foolish to do so.
With a career record of 214–160 and an ERA at 3.82, plus 1,870 strikeouts, Buehrle has proven to be one of the most talented pitchers in MLB since he joined the majors back in 2000.
But it could have never been, if he would have become discouraged after being cut from his team all the way back in high school. Instead, the southpaw used the setback as motivation to prove everyone wrong, and ultimately get to where he wanted to be.
I’d say the message is pretty clear, wouldn’t you?
Just remember that quit is another 4-letter word to keep out of your vocabulary!
You were Born to Win, so go ahead and Live to Win!
Tom
PS - Quote of the Day: “Obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off our goals.” — Zig Ziglar
