For every five-star blue chip athlete, there was an athlete like Mike. Too slow, too small, too dumb, too whatever some scout or coach guessed incorrectly about him. You can measure speed by the 40-yard dash. You can measure strength by the bench press. But you can’t measure will to win any other way but by long-term results. Mike had fulfilled his dream of playing Junior College Football and even had gotten on the field. He had walked on at a major university and played a few games. His heart allowed him to do things that were impossible for average people. Now at 40, Mike was once again being told he wasn’t good enough.
Oh, it wasn’t personal. It was business. The economy had soured and his corporation decided that the quickest way back to financial health was to lay people off. RIF (Reduction In Force) was the technical name for it — a punch to the gut was more how it felt. RIF seemed so impersonal. It made it seem neater. Easier for the people who had to do the actual cutting. Mike had gotten the news on a Tuesday like so many other people in his office. They were called into a room and handed envelopes. He watched as grown men openly wept and women sat there stunned. Mike looked around the room and tried to soak in the memories of what had been up until that point, a VERY successful career.
But success wasn’t good enough during the Great Recession. He had been thrown away like a piece of used paper. But for all the pain and confusion he felt, somewhere deep inside him, the very heart that drove Mike to be a good athlete kicked in again. He packed his box with a determined look on his face. He wasn’t going to get mad. He wasn’t going to get even. He was going to get ahead. He would win.
He drove home and stopped by his church on the way home. An unemployed man needs a team on his side and Mike went straight to the top for help. He walked in the sanctuary, startled the janitor and immediately got on his knees and asked for help.
Mike looked up at the cross at the end of the room and realized that his life had now changed. No longer were there one and a half hour lunches or coffee breaks. He had a family to take care of. He had to get busy.
Millions of Americans had faced what he was now facing. There was no sense of feeling sorry for himself. He had been tossed off the boat and now had to learn to swim. But he had an edge. He had heart. And his determination would carry him through this storm.
Change can be scary. But Mike knew that it also could be a blessing. He drove home with his head held high realizing that a straight backbone and mental toughness would make him win. He would succeed. He knew it. He didn’t care WHO was against him.
And succeed his did. Over the next few months Mike worked three jobs. He worked hard to provide for his family but he also engaged them. What would be a hell for some folks turned out to be a blessing for Mike. It made him smarter. And it eventually made him richer.
Mike became an entrepreneur. He took a class at a local community college and learned basic business principles. When he was sitting still, he was reading. He quit a job and spent the time starting his own company. Everyone didn’t believe in him. Just like the coaches and the scouts hadn’t 20 years ago.
Mike took time out of his day and became fit. Blood pressure medicine and his diabetes faded away. His training allowed him to become more disciplined. He made sure he spent time with his family and went out of his way to show his wife how much he appreciated her and the sacrifices she was making. In time, Mike was making more money with his business than he ever made at his old company.
One day Mike was at a Chamber event and he ran into the boss who had laid him off. He walked up to him and grabbed his hand, excitedly shaking it. The man pulled away, fearing the his former employer would take a swing at him.
“You think I’m mad? ” Mike laughed. “Heavens no. What you did was the best thing for me. You did me a favor. God used you to make my life better. I know what you did was just business. Bad business, mind you. You hurt your company by getting rid of several hardworking employees. But let me repeat, you did me a favor. So let me just tell you, thank you.”
And with that, Mike walked away from the stunned man.
Mike had chosen to focus on “what is” instead of “what was.” And he had gotten to “what can be” much faster because of it.
You can measure a man’s speed. You can measure his strength. But you can’t measure a man’s will to win. But if you could, Mike’s heart was the biggest in town.
