Success lessons from the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup part 13-stop talking and start doing

Like all sports, rugby provides success lessons which apply both to sport and to life in general. The Rugby Union World Cup has been an event full of shocks, incidents and comments which teach success lessons that could apply to anyone.

One quote by Les Brown could be applied to many of the rugby world cup games: "Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals, and charge after them in an unstoppable manner."

No one knows who will succeed for sure in any venture but the attitude that is most likely to succeed is one of whole hearted commitment and the determination to let nothing stop you en route to your goals.

When volunteers were being chosen to endure a tough challenge in the forests of New Guinea, one of the panel of selectors stated that the key factor in deciding who was a suitable candidate was not their physical condition or experience but their 'determination'.

Nation after nation has been determined to bring glory to their nation by achieving the goal of winning enough games of rugby to win the world cup. Team after team has charged towards their opponents' try line in an 'unstoppable manner.'

Whether they succeeded or were stopped before achieving their goal, their heroic efforts will not be forgotten and will add meaning to the lives of both the players and the nations that supported them.

France and Argentina were two nations who were fired up to charge after their goals in a do or die manner. Argentina had shocked the world, at the start of the world rugby cup competition, by beating France, the host nation who were one of the favourites to win the cup.

France later won a magnificent victory over the All Blacks in the quarter finals but were then beaten by England in the semi finals and condemned to play in the pre-final game on Friday October 19th 2007 to decide the third and fourth places.

Argentina prepared for the World Cup third-place play-off by visiting Disneyland, but they and France, their opponents on Friday, insisted that the play-off game would be a serious affair.

The visit to Disneyland was probably a wise move. Successful people realise they need to be relaxed if they want to achieve their goals and make the most of their potential. A relaxed Argentina would be far more likely to play well than a nervous and tense team who might be trying too hard.

The two beaten semi-finalists had to play in the Parc des Princes in the west of Paris while the Stade de France, in the north, was prepared for Saturday's final between South Africa and England.

It would be the last international for French coach, Bernard Laporte, before he left for a post in the government. He had decided to make nine changes to the team that lost 14-9 to England.

Pumas' assistant coach Mario Barandiaran said he would play his strongest side, but captain Agustin Pichot suggested that the reserve players should be given an opportunity.

The third-place play-off is often called "the match that no-one wants" but both sides came out fired up and ready to play running rather than kicking rugby.

There were fireworks from the start of the game as France threw assault after assault at the Argentinian line. One commentator remarked: "The game that no one wants to play in? You are joking!"

If you want to succeed or win at anything you have to turn up and show that you want to play. If you don't want to play, pretend that you do! Successful people realise that, even if you start by pretending, your pretence can soon become reality!

When Frank Bettger had lost his enthusiasm for baseball, he pretended that he was full of enthusiasm and played as if his pants were on fire. Promotion followed swiftly and his enthusiasm returned. The papers called him 'Pep Bettger'.

Les Bleus, attacked with vigour early on in the game. Centre, David Marty, touched down, only to be called back after Rougerie's quick line-out throw was judged illegal.

The French had most of the possession and territory in the first half but made mistakes (forward passes). The Argentinians managed to 'steal' tries on two of their forays into French territory.

Successful teams make the most of their opportunities even if they are unexpected and against the 'run of play'.

After fifty minutes, Argentina scored a brilliant passing try. 22-3 with twenty-seven minutes to play. The Argentine row of coaches leapt to their feet. One of them was an Englishman, Les Cusworth.

The French hero, Sebastian Chabal, came on, after sixty minutes, to cheers.

After 64 minutes, Corleto, in the celestial blue of Argentina, broke away and ran for fifty metres to score a try. The Argentine team had set the world cup alight from the start of the competition and their flame was still burning bright. 27 - 3 to Argentina.

Four tries for Argentina and a score line that was hardly believable. A brave and exciting performance from this Argentine team.

At last, after 68 minutes, France scored a try. 27 - 10 But then Felipe Contrapome, the Leinster player, scored a try for Argentina. 34 -10 was the final score.

The French crowd were stunned and humiliated. The French team had had a shot at redemption but had blown it. France bowed out bothered, bewildered bewitched and bamboozled! There was desolation throughout France and considerable rejoicing in Argentina!

The negative motivation of revenge for their defeat in the opening match of the competition was not enough to give France victory. The positive emotions of a desire for glory and a determination to win were enough for Argentina.

The Pumas were also helped by the confidence that came from previous victories over France. However, who knows what might have happened if an early French try had been allowed. A good early start is a major factor in success.

The third place bronze medal meant everything to the Pumas. They had now beaten France twice on French soil and had beaten both Ireland and Scotland. They had conquered three of the six nations.

They had made their case for entry into a big competition like the six nations or the three nations of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Commentators praised Argentina:

"Argentina powered to a convincing victory over France to claim third place in the Rugby World Cup on Friday."

"The Pumas, the revelation of the tournament, ran in five tries to snuff out French hopes of revenge for their opening-match defeat last month."

Before the earlier semi-final game, the Puma Manager, Loffreda, had praised the achievement of a team that came from an amateur set up in Argentina that emphasised traditional sporting values rather than playing just for money:

"I think what Argentina has shown is that rugby is not just about professionalism or individual interests. It also involves love, wearing your colours and team spirit. All these things have brought us to this semi-final. This speaks volumes about Argentinean rugby."

His words meant even more now that Argentina had won third place in the world of rugby union.

Again, more success lessons can be gleaned from this play off match. Some may seem obvious but everyone needs reminding of the obvious as so few people put the obvious into practice.

You never know for sure if you will succeed in any venture but you are much more likely to succeed if you approach your venture with whole hearted commitment and the determination to let nothing stop you en route to your goals. Determination is a crucial factor in achieving any kind of success.

One dictionary defines determination as:

"A firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end."

John Calvin Coolidge highlighted the importance of determination:

"Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

You also need to be relaxed if you want to achieve your goals and make the most of your potential. Do whatever helps you to relax. Don't copy what others do to relax. Discover, if you haven't already, what makes you, as an individual relax. Some people, including me, just hate lying on the beach in the sun.

If you want to succeed or win at anything you have to turn up and show that you want to play. If you don't want to play, pretend that you do! If you start by pretending, your pretence can soon become reality!

Make the most of your opportunities even if they are unexpected.

Use any emotions that might help motivate you whether they are negative or positive. Use the confidence that comes from past victories.

Do what you love to do even if you are not being paid to do it. Amateurs have been known to out perform the professionals.

Before you start any project, don't forget to visit Disneyland or to, at least, listen to Walt Disney himself. I, especially, like this great quote of his:

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith. Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include the resource box above

Extraordinary Events Often Give Us the Most Important Lessons

 Loading ...I believe that God and the universe have a way of letting us know that certain things  we learn and are told at various times in our lives have more importance than others. I had an evening like this not too long ago.

Some time ago, and after several conversations, I received an offer to merge one of the companies I run into another company. The offer contained innumerable conditions and other fine print I did not understand.

Luckily, I knew that when someone offers you a business opportunity—but with tons of conditions attached to it—it is always a good idea to seek legal advice. To make sure that I responded to this offer appropriately, I decided to call one of the best attorneys I know who handles this sort of thing. I spoke to his secretary and made an appointment to go see him and some of his distinguished partners in his Beverly Hills office.

Because I was going to meet such fancy attorneys, I put on a suit and tie and made sure that my shoes were well polished. The appointment had been set for 4:00 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I gave myself around ninety minutes to get across town to Beverly Hills for the meeting. To prepare, I had written up a list of questions and had redlined the offer I had received. I figured I was in for a serious meeting in a conference room inside a quiet law firm with a bunch of uptight attorneys and I wanted everything to go smoothly. This was going to be a very important meeting for me that would help determine the course of my career.

About sixty minutes into the drive to Beverly Hills, my car phone rang. It was the attorney I was scheduled to meet:

“We’re at the Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse sitting outside on the terrace,” he told me. “Can you meet there instead?”

A few minutes later, on a warm late summer day, I pulled up in front of the steakhouse and valet parked my car. Since it was late afternoon, there was no one whatsoever in the restaurant. I made my way back to the terrace area and saw the attorney and two of his colleagues engaged in loud conversation and laughing. Scattered in front of the attorneys were at least ten empty drink glasses. The guys had obviously been drinking a lot.

An 18-year-old girl was seated next to the attorneys. She had come up to their table while walking down the street. She was raising money for her volleyball team, and to my astonishment each of the attorneys at the table had just given her $50. When I sat down they asked to me to join in:

“Give her a donation!” one of the attorneys shouted at me. “It’s a good cause! Women’s volleyball!”

Against my better judgment, I pulled out my credit card and gave her $50. The attorneys assured me that I probably had enjoyed watching 18-year-old girls jumping up and down before playing volleyball and now it was “time to pay”! I understood right then and there that this was going to be no normal attorney meeting.

A few minutes later the girl had disappeared and the attorneys and I were all sitting at the table. They were ready to give me some advice. They offered me a drink, and not wanting to feel out of place, I ordered a glass of wine. When I placed my order, the waiter said something to me I will never forget:

“Would you like to make that a double?”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Yes, these guys always order doubles—double glasses of wine, double martinis, and so forth. Would you like me to make your glass of wine a double?”

“Sure,” I said, still wanting to fit in.

I watched as the bartender went to the bar and poured more than half a bottle of wine into a large cup. It was the largest glass of wine I have ever seen. In fact, there was so much wine in the glass that some of it spilled over the top as the waiter carried it to me.

For the next fifteen minutes or so the attorneys gave me drunken advice while alternately whistling and hooting at various women walking by on the street. These guys were really something.

The benefit of the sort of advice I was receiving, though, was that it was completely uncensored. The attorneys were so loaded at this point that they had no interest in trying to talk me into doing business with them, and they explained to me in very simple terms how I would end up getting screwed if I went into the deal. They told me a few horror stories, and as their subconscious unburdened itself to me, I realized that I would be best off not taking the offer I had been presented with. They told me that I should walk away from the deal—despite the fact that if they had worked on it, their fee would have been around $250,000.

After all the business talk was over, I chatted with the attorneys about their personal lives. They all had children and were married. They seemed like pretty happy guys. At some point in the conversation, we stopped speaking for at least a minute or two. We sat there quietly until someone said: “This is boring. We need some girls.”

One of the attorneys picked up his cell phone and to my astonishment had a conversation that as I recall went something like this: “I’d like a blond and is the girl you sent last time available for my friend? She is? Great! Send her too. We’re outside at the Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse.”

I was not sure what any of this was about, but I certainly had my suspicions.

Within fifteen minutes of the phone call, a black Mercedes stopped in front of the steakhouse and out popped two gorgeous women. They walked right up to our table and sat down. Immediately they started chatting with everyone at the table about the weather, sports, all sorts of things. The women were incredible conversationalists.

Shortly thereafter, the group of us decided to walk over to a martini bar and then to the Peninsula Hotel. A $300 drink bill arrived and one of the attorneys charged it on his credit card without thinking.

When we got to the martini bar one of the attorneys started kissing one of the girls we were with. Another attorney seemed to be holding hands with the other girl. We chit-chatted for a while about unimportant things, like the taste of the martinis and “how cool” Beverly Hills was because you could walk to various bars. Then, after thirty minutes or so, we arrived at the bar of the Peninsula Hotel. Here, another girl who had been called was waiting for one of the other attorneys in our group. The bar was dark and there were a variety of couches and other places for us to sit and get comfortable. It was a relatively mellow experience. It was probably only around 6:30 or so at this point, but I started ordering Diet Cokes.

By about 7:00, the attorney I came to see had passed out on a couch and was sleeping, the other attorneys appeared to be kissing and getting ready to get rooms with the women who were there, and I decided it was time for me to leave. I walked about a half mile back to my car, got in, and started driving home.

I was on the freeway for about thirty-five minutes when all of a sudden a light came on in my Porsche (the car had less than 500 miles on it). The light said “TYRE!!”

For some reason, my car had not been set up to display warnings in English. Instead, all of the warnings were in German. I could not figure out how to set the language to English and usually just ignored the warnings. Hence, pondering the bizarre evening I had had with the attorneys, I was not bothered by the “TYRE!!” warning that kept flashing in red on my screen. The car seemed to be running just fine and I had no worries whatsoever about it.

After a few more miles at 60 mph on the freeway, I started to hear some noise. It was very, very loud and appeared to be coming from the vicinity of my front bumper. I decided I needed to get off the freeway immediately. It was then that I realized there was probably an issue with my tire. I exited the freeway and stopped immediately in front of the only business that was open: A “gentleman’s club.”

I got out of the car and looked at it. The entire rear tire was shredded. It had ripped off the rear bumper and had done some other damage to the body of the car. Indeed, the metal on the wheel had shredded as well. The car was not drivable by any means.

I picked up my cell phone and realized that the battery was dead. I looked around me. The only possible place where I could make a call was inside the gentleman’s club. I did not know why my evening kept coming back to “fallen women,” but I decided that I would just go with it.

I went to the door of the strip bar and explained what had happened with my car. I told them I needed to use their phone. A large bouncer at the door explained that I was welcome to come in and use the phone, but only if I paid the $20 cover. I did not have much of a choice. I gave him $20, went in, and called AAA on the payphone. They explained that a car would be there within an hour.

The gentleman’s club was fairly empty and besides myself there were only a few other people inside. Nevertheless, a woman was dancing, and after every few songs a new woman would come up on stage.

Feeling somewhat guilty and creepy being in a strip club alone, I decided to take a seat at the bar (which was not facing the dancers) and order a soda. Within a few minutes of my sitting down, one of the strippers sat next to me and asked if I would buy her a drink as well. She ordered a soda, and for the next ten minutes or so, we chatted. She was from Iowa and in Los Angeles to become an actor. Her father was an accountant and her mother a homemaker.

The bill for the sodas came and it was $18!

I gave the bartender $20.

Since we had finished our drinks, I did not think there was much more to talk about with the stripper. I told her about the incident with my car and how puzzled I was that the tire had simply disintegrated. She feigned interest.

“Would you like a private lap dance?” she asked.  “It’s only $20 per song.”

Since I had already spent $40 for nothing more than a Diet Coke and had a wife and two daughters at home, much less had been involved in watching prostitutes ply their trade in Beverly Hills all evening, I did not have much interest in a lap dance. I told her I had no interest and that I was angry I had already spent $40 for essentially nothing.

For the next few minutes she tried in several ways to talk me into a dance, saying if I got two dances she would give me one for free. But I still wasn’t interested. A few moments later she came back with the bouncer:

“If you are not going to buy dances then you are going to have to leave,” he told me very firmly.

“I already paid $20 to get in here and bought her a Diet Coke for $9,” I told him.

Despite my protests, the bouncer insisted I leave since I was not paying for dances. A few moments later the bouncer and I were standing out by the sidewalk making small talk while waiting for my tow truck to show up. The bouncer was actually a pretty nice guy. I am not sure why he had to kick me out. I probably would have ordered at least another $9 soda.

A flatbed truck showed up ten minutes later to pick up my car. I got in the front seat of the truck, and we drove for approximately one hour on the freeway back to my house in Malibu. We rode in silence.

The driveway at my house in Malibu is probably 100 feet off the street, and it is also quite narrow. When we got to the top of the driveway, the tow truck driver asked me to get out and help guide him.

I did not realize that the tow truck cab is something like three feet off the ground.

I opened the door of the tow truck and stepped out and just fell and rolled at least fifty feet down the driveway. I hit my head at some point and it started bleeding. After I recovered myself, I stumbled into the house. My wife screamed when she saw all the blood coming from my head, and she started washing it off. I told her about my evening and then went to bed. I was exhausted.

In the morning, I went to inspect the Porsche. Thankfully, the insurance company paid for the thousands of dollars of damage that was done. My head healed within a few weeks.

Considering the way the evening had been going, I felt like I had gotten off quite easily. I also feel like I got some of the better advice I have ever received from an attorney. I am making no judgments about morality, sex, drinking, and what you have. I do know, however, that the attorney I met that day played no games with me and told me the exact truth about my situation. I also believe that God intervened and probably provided me with one of the more memorable evenings of my life in order to make sure I learned and remembered the lesson the attorney gave me well into my future.

Agree? Disagree? I don’t care, please tell me what you think by commenting below. I give free stuff away every week to the most thoughtful commenters on my site!

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lessons from a car-free life

‘The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet.’ ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

This past summer, my family (my wife, me, six kids) finally gave up our car. It was a liberating and scary experience.

We’ve been dependent on our automobile for so many years that giving it up was unthinkable. If you own a car, it’s probably unthinkable to you too.

We drove everywhere: to and from school and work, to music lessons and recitals, to soccer practice and all-day-long games at the soccer field, to family events (which were numerous), to grocery stores and malls and restaurants and movie theaters and bookstores and beauty salons (not for me, I’m bald … er, shaven), to pay bills and run errands, to go to the beach and the parks. To do anything.

How could we get rid of our car?

For the last few years, we’ve been weaning ourselves slowly from the car (actually a van in our case). We went car-lite, gradually, and if you’re considering these issues this is what I’d recommend for most families.

First, we sold our second vehicle and learned to make it work with one. At one point my wife quit her job and began homeschooling our kids, which was great because they had their mom home all the time — something most kids don’t get. Later I was able to quit my day job and worked from home, reducing our car trips by a lot. Then we moved closer to town, so we could walk and bike more — everything was within walking distance, including the grocery store, beauty salon, post office, beach, movie theater, restaurants, coffee shops and more. Only family and soccer were further away. We used the car very little.

Finally, we moved to San Francisco, and its great public transit was a big factor. We were giving up our car! Note: While many other cities/towns are not as transit-friendly, tons of people have gone car-free in them — walking and cycling and car-sharing are all great options.

We sold our van (yay!) and didn’t buy a vehicle here in San Francisco. A few times we’ve rented or borrowed a car, and boy, it really reminds me how lucky we are to be without one. It’s such a hassle to drive, to find parking, to get a parking ticket (which I’ve done), to retrieve your car when its towed (yes, that happened, and yes it was dumb of me), to try to find places when you’re driving, pay tolls and pay for parking, to get stuck in rush hour … and so on.

We ride buses and trains and walk. We’re getting bikes soon, but we decided to do one step at a time. We walk a lot! We purposely picked a home that was a block away from the train stop and has bus lines that are within feet of our front door. We can get anywhere in this city easily.

I often walk aimlessly, just to explore the city. I take Eva and the kids on walks to show them new places that we would never have seen with a car. It’s the best way to discover the joys of a new place — cars isolate you and speed you by the best bits.

Buses often have very weird people in it, who yell things or smell or dress funny. I love that. It’s something my kids have never been exposed to, and now they’re getting an up-close education. They’re never in danger, but now they see so much more of the world than they ever did while isolated in a car. They come shoulder-to-shoulder with humanity in crowded buses, they talk to their neighbors, they smile at people and make others smile.

We are healthier than ever. Walking is amazing. It costs nothing, and yet you get fresh air, see people, see nature, see stores and restaurants and houses and plants you never would have in a car. You get in great shape. My little four-year-old can walk for miles, and sing while doing it. She runs up hills. Granted, sometimes I carry her on my shoulders when she gets tired, but that’s good exercise for me. We’re also safer than ever — buses are the safest way to travel on American roads.

We spend so much less on transportation. Cars are extremely expensive — not only for the car payments themselves, but for fuel, oil changes, insurance, registration fees, parking costs, tickets, inevitable repairs, the cost of the space to park the car overnight (garages aren’t free space), cleaning the car, and health costs (they’re unhealthy). When you have so many expenses, you have to work more to pay for those expenses. Cutting them out means I work less, and that’s a wonderful thing for me and my family.

I have to give immense credit to my wife, Eva, for being so great during our car-free experiment. Lots of spouses would complain — Eva has embraced and enjoyed the journey. My kids, too, have been great — instead of complaining, they’ve had fun with me, playing games, singing, exploring, racing. It’s been a great journey as a family, and I’m glad we’ve embarked upon it.

People think of giving up their cars, and they immediately think of the reasons they can’t — the limitations. But I’ve come to realize these are actually strengths. Consider.

1. Takes longer. Yes, it sometimes take longer to get places — maybe 20 minutes instead of 10-15, or 45 minutes instead of 25-30. But that’s OK, because cars (while faster) are also more stressful. Driving in traffic is stressful. So we go places slower, which is less stressful, more fun. I like a slower life.

2. The weather. Sometimes the weather isn’t great — but truthfully, I enjoy getting soaked in the rain. My little ones don’t mind either — they love stomping in mud puddles. We are so used to being in our metal-and-glass boxes that we forget how wonderful the rain is. And when the weather is good, cars isolate you from that. You don’t get to feel the sun on your shoulders, the wind in your face, the fresh smell of licorice when you pass a certain plant, see the squirrels dart past or the ducks mock you with their quack.

3. Convenience. Sure, buses can be inconvenient — sometimes they’re late and you wait and you’re late. But think about the inconveniences of cars we often forget: parking, getting stuck in traffic, getting cut off from other people, paying tolls, paying for parking, parking tickets, speeding tickets, cars breaking down in the highway, car repairs, oil changes, stopping for gas, car insurance, washing the car, the dangers of car accidents (car crashes are the leading killer of American children), the unhealthiness of it for your kids, making a wrong turn and trying to get back on your route, the expense of a car and having to work more just to pay for it, the cost of health care because cars are unhealthier for you and your family and having to work more just to pay for that, just to name a few.

When you look at it like that, considering all the inconveniences of the various forms of transportation, cars don’t necessarily come out ahead in convenience.

4. Groceries. We walk to the grocery store — it’s one block away. We can’t carry as much as we can with the car, so we make more frequent trips. That’s not a weakness, it’s a strength. That means we walk more. Actually, going to the store is uphill, so I sprint uphill. It’s a lot of fun and great exercise.

5. Doing stuff that’s not close. It’s easier to get in the car and go to places, while walking or riding transit takes time and sometimes planning. So yes, you’re a bit more limited. I don’t see that as bad, once you accept this — it means you do less, which is simpler and less stressful. It means you only go places that are far if they’re important. It means you explore ways to have fun near your home. Cars encourage us to take more trips, which pollute more, cause us to be busier, use up more time and money and natural resources. Slowing down and taking fewer trips is better for us, our health, our environment.

‘Life is too short for traffic.’ ~Dan Bellack

Good reads on this:

—
el Tweeto

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