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“What The Former (Assistant) Coach Of The New York Giants Can Teach Us About Real Estate…”
By Sherman Ragland | February 4, 2008
While many folks remember the great Vince Lombardi as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, (Or Washington Redskins, if you are old enough), he actually got his big break as a professional football coach as an assistant with the New York Giants.
While at Green Bay (and later Washington, DC) Lombardi became the symbol of excellence and was one of the figures instrumental in propelling football to the forefront as our true “National Pastime”, ahead of baseball.
Interestingly, when he left the Giants to take on the dead coaching job at Green Bay, there were few teams in pro football history that were as miserable as the Packers, who at the time were 1-10-1. In fact, Lombardi insisted on a five-year contract to give his staff time to rebuild a program, and declared at his very first meeting that, “I have never been on a losing team, gentlemen, and I do not intend to start now!” Immediately the following year the Packers improved to 7-5 in 1959, and during the next eight years, the Packers wnet on to win six divisional and five NFL championships and achieving victories in Super Bowls I and II. In 1968, Vince retired as the Packers coach and, in 1969, moved to Washington, DC where the Redskins were floundering. In his first season with the Redskins, Lombardi created an equally impressive – a 7-5-2 record. Lombardi’s career with the redskins was cut short when he was diagnosed and later died of cancer.
Lombardi was a winner, who inspired others to be winners.
Although he had many famous quotes, including: “Winning isn’t everything, its the only thing”, it was his statement on “Second Effort” that are the most inspiring to me. In short, Lombardi’s attitude was quite simply reduced to this… We achieve more on the grid iron and in life by ALWAYS being prepared to give the “Second Effort”. The second effort is when the player is down on one knee, but decides to lunge forward to pick up a couple of feet, and thereby secure a first down. The second effort was what Eli Manning demonstrated last night when he “refused to go down” and scrambled to get off his pass, which resulted in keeping the Giants alive long enough to score and win Super Bowl 42… And second effort is what every single real estate investor MUST possess, when they make an offer that is (initially) rejected, or move forward with a strategy that comes apart early on.
When knocked down, do you sit there in a pool of tears, crying about your problems…? Or do you get up, tired and dejected, and wanting to quit, but committed to make one more “SECOND EFFORT” attempt, and in so doing are able to dislodge an obsticle or opponant, in a way you could not achieve with just that one time, First effort.
Often times it is “SECOND EFFORT” that wins football games, and it is “SECOND EFFORT” that gets us through our very first real estate deal!
Make a commitment, BEFORE YOU ENTER THE ARENA. Some times the ONLY WAY YOU WIN, is by using “SECOND EFFORT!”
See you this Saturday in Bowie!
The DC/Central Maryland Members General Meetings are held at the Florian Hall in Bowie Maryland, 13701 Old Jericho Park Road. Please Click Here for Directions to Florian Hall.
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Tags: coaching job, famous quotes, green bay packers, investing, new york giants, real estate, sherman ragland, vince lombardi, washington redskins, winning
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