On Winning!....

                WHAT IT TAKES TO BE NO. 1

Vince Lombardi is known as one of the greatest football coaches in history, leading the Green Bay Packers to five NFL Championships and the first two Super Bowls. Despite being known as a disciplinarian, my father always knew how to get understood that if you treat people with respect and treat them like winners, they will perform as winners. The cornerstone of Vince Lombardi's teaching methods were commitment, sacrifice, and mental toughness, three attributes which continue to be stressed by many of today's successful coaches.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in any sport, Vince Lombardi is a model of excellence. In the 1960's, Lombardi transformed the Green Bay Packers into a perennial powerhouse. He led the Packers to five NFL championships during his nine year coaching stint in Green Bay by demanding dedication, intensity and sacrifice from each and every player. Lombardi believed that desire and preparation determined success, whether on the football field or on business battlefield. His uncanny ability to motivate and his drive to succeed were primary reasons why Vince Lombardi is considered by many to be Football's

Greatest Coach.

He never had a losing season as a head coach in the NFL, and his 9-1 play-off record is simply astonishing.

Before he began his coaching career, Lombardi taught Latin and chemistry at a New Jersey high school.

The first group of Quotes are all from Vince Lombardi. It is no coincidence that the Super Bowl Trophy is named after him!

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't

win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do

them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is

losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game,

and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at

Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a

second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers.

It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we

do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he's got to play

from the ground up - from the soles of his feet right up to his head.

Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's

O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more

importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of

your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and

a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of

organization - an army, a political party or a business. The principles

are the same. The object is to win - to beat the other guy. Maybe that

sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most

competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are

there-to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the

game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules-but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long

run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the

discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for

discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man

or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I

believe in human decency.

But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the

 greatest fulfilment of all he holds dear, is that moment

 when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and

 lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious

                                    ...Vince Lombardi

Anybody who doesn't want to play winning football, get the hell out of here right now!

                                        - Vince Lombardi

SOME QUOTES

Here are some other quotes that may give you inspiration or just something to think about:

"We have to be proud of the game of football. We need to boast about it, and we

need to stand up and be counted. . . .It's the greatest educational experience in

the world and individual could have. It's a game of courage, of sacrifice. It's

definitely a game of self-discipline."

                               ... Lou Holtz

GENERAL INSPIRATION - THE BIG ONES!!

Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance,    

competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price each and every one of us

must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.

                                       ... Vince Lombardi

After the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been

written and after you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been

placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded, the enduring things that are

left are: the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory, and the dedication to doing

with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live.

                                       ... Vince Lombardi

"RISK MORE than others think is safe.

CARE MORE than others think is wise.

DREAM MORE than others think is practical.

EXPECT MORE than others think is possible."

                              ... Author Unknown

To succeed...You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you,

something to inspire you.

                              ... Tony Dorsett

I will always be someone who wants to do better than others. I love competition.

                              ... Jean-Claude Killy

WINNING - IT DOES MATTER!

                                         

"If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"

                              ... Vince Lombardi

      

"Winning is not a sometime thing; its an all the time thing. You don't win

  once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them

  right all the time. Winning is a habit."

                              ... Vince Lombardi

 "Sure, winning isn't everything. It's the only thing.       

                              ... Harry Sanders

      

 "Winning is not everything -- but making effort to win is."

                              ... Vince Lombardi

     

 I firmly believe that any man,s finest hour, the greatest

 fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has

 worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the

 field of battle - victorious.

                              ... Vince Lombardi   

                                

"Winning is the by-product of doing things right."

                              ... Tubby Raymond

"Losers let it happen.

WINNERS MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Losers always have an excuse.

WINNERS ALWAYS HAVE AN IDEA.

Losers identify with problems.

WINNERS IDENTIFY WITH SOLUTIONS.

Losers say, 'it might be possible, but it's too difficult.'

WINNERS SAY, 'IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT, BUT IT'S ALWAYS POSSIBLE.'"

                              ... Author Unknown

Most games are lost, not won.

                              ... Casey Stengel

Before you can win a game, you have to not lose it.

                              ... Chuck Noll, ex-Pittsburgh Steelers Coach

The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers,

on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or

would have done, or what they can’t do.

                              ... Dennis Waitley

Winning isn’t everything, wanting to is.

                              ... Anonymous

Winners never quit and quitters never win.

                              ... Unknown

A winner never whines.

                              ... Paul Brown

In war there is no substitute for victory.

                              ... Douglas MacArthur

When your are playing for the national championship, it’s not a matter of life or

death. It’s more important than that.

                              ... Duffy Daugherty

LEADERSHIP

"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard

 effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any

 goal that is worthwhile."

                                       ... Vince Lombardi

  The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group.

   If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk a

   tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must

   exert.

                              ... Vince Lombardi

TEAMWORK

  Teamwork is what the Green Bay Packers were all about. They didn't

   do it for individual glory. They did it because they loved one

   another.

   ... Vince Lombardi

 People who work together will win, whether it be against complex

 football defenses, or the problems of modern society.

... Vince Lombardi

The achievements of an organization are the results of the

combined effort of each individual.

 ... Vince Lombardi

Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your

teammates.

—Magic Johnson

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch

of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.

                              ... Babe Ruth

"Team work is the essence of life."

                              ... Pat Riley      

MENTAL TOUGHNESS

"I guess what it comes down to is that success demands singleness of purpose. In

this game we're always looking for catch-phrases - so I call it mental toughness."

                              ... Vince Lombardi.

It's not whether you you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."

                                      ... Vince Lombardi

"You can measure a man's character by the choices he makes under pressure." --

                              ... Winston Churchill

"Those who complain how the ball bounces are often the ones who dropped it." --

                              ... Author Unknown

"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big

difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether the

attitude is positive or negative."

                              ... Author Unknown

The minute you start talking about what you’re going to do if you lose, you have

lost.

                              ... George Shultz

"Smile when it hurts most."

                              ... D.A. Chapple

You have no control over what the other guy does. You only have control over what

you do.

                              ... A J Kitt

We must either find a way or make one.

— Hannibal

"You are either the capitve or the captain of your thoughts. You can resign

yourself to being average or you can dare to dream...WHAT YOU SEE IN YOUR MIND'S

 EYE IS WHAT YOU GET. Each of us becomes that make-believe self that we have

 imagined, dreamed about, and thought about most."

                              ...  Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do

something, you can do it — as long as you really believe 100 percent.

                              ... Arnold Schwarzenegger

If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.

                              ... Ronnie Lott

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s

determination

                              ... Tommy Lasorda

Concentration is the ability to think about absolutely nothing when it is

absolutely necessary.

                              ... Ray Knight

I think I’ve always had the shots. But in the past, I’ve suffered too many mental

lapses. Now, I’m starting to get away from that and my mental discipline and

commitment to the game are much better. I think I’m really taking a good look at

the big picture. That’s the difference between being around for the final or

watching the final from my sofa at home.

                              ... Andre Agassi

I’ve always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I

never quit trying; I never felt that I didn’t have a chance to win.

                              ... Arnold Palmer

I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental

ability.

                              ... Bruce Jenner

CONFIDENCE AND SELF-BELIEF

What’s the worst thing that can happen to a quarterback? He loses his confidence.

                              ... Terry Bradshaw

Each Warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on important acts

he touches. This is not the voice of ego but of the human spirit, rising up and

declaring that it has something to contribute to the solution of the hardest

problems, no matter how vexing!

                              ... Pat Riley

Confidence is a very fragile thing.

                              ... Joe Montana

Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.

                              ... Satchel Paige

Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart, and mind, confidence is the key to all

the locks.

                              ... Joe Paterno

It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed

in myself.

                              ... Muhammad Ali

Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work, equals miracles.

                              ... Bob Richards, Pole Vaulter

 

You learn you can do your best even when it’s hard, even when you’re tired and

maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage.

                              ... Joe Namath

You need to play with supreme confidence, or else you’ll lose again, and then

losing becomes a habit.

                              ... Joe Paterno

"A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself

and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the

competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things

in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be

done."

Unless a man believes in himself and makes a total commitment to his career and puts

everything he has into it - his mind, his body, his heart - what's life worth to him...?

                                    ... Vince Lombardi

 

PERSEVERANCE    

Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to

ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure, and the temporary failures.

                                       ... Vince Lombardi

"It is alright to be disappointed, but a winner can never allow himself to be

discouraged."

                              ... D.A. Chapple

Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.

                                       ... Vince Lombardi

 Our greatest glory was not in never falling, but in rising when we fell.

                                       ... Vince Lombardi

 It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're

 number one. What you've got to have is faith and discipline when you're not yet a winner.

                                       ... Vince Lombardi

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.

                              ... Samuel Johnson

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: Nothing

is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: Unrewarded

genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: The would is full of educated

derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

                              ... Anonymous

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.

                              ... Seneca

When you’re playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder. Show the world how

much you’ll fight for the winner’s circle. If you do, someday the cellophane will crackle off a

fresh pack, one that belongs to you, and the cards will be stacked in your favor.

                              ... Pat Riley

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength,

not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

                              ... Vincent T. Lombardi

The game isn’t over till it’s over.

                              ...  Yogi Berra

The only way to overcome is to hang in. Even I’m starting to believe that.

                              ... Dan O’Brien

If at first you don’t succeed, you are running about average.

                              ... M.H. Alderson

Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.

                              ... Bo Jackson

My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having

trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging

                              ... Hank Aaron

Adversity cause some men to break; others to break records.

                              ... William A. Ward

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

                              ... John Wooden

I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can

make it.

                              ... Gale Sayers

TRAINING, PREPARATION, GOAL-SETTING AND HARD WORK -

MAKE A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE!!

" I will demand a commitment to excellance and to victory... That is what life is all about. "

                              ... Vince Lombardi

The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.

                              ... Joe Paterno

If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.

                                    ... Vince Lombardi

  "Excellence is not a sometimes thing"

                              ... Vince Lombardi     

"The character of a person is in direct proportion to his commitment to

excellence."

                              ... Vince Lombardi

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream

it, you can make it so."

                              ... Author Unknown

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.

                              ... Michael Jordan

If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.

                              ... Herschel Walker

Sweat plus sacrifice equals success.

                              ... Charlie Finley

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

                              ... Coach Darrel Royal

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about

achieving it and staying with that plan.

                              ... Tom Landry

It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it’s

what you put into the practice.

                              ... Eric Lindros

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

                              ... Vidal Sassoon

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and

the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of

ourselves to the task at hand.

                              ... Vince Lombardi

There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT.

There’s no such thing as life in-between.

                              ... Pat Riley

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.

                              ... Thomas Jefferson

The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any

excuses, that’s the day you start to the top.

                              ... O.J. Simpson

Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

                              ... Thomas Edison

The country is full of good coaches. What it takes to win is a bunch of interested

players.

                              ... Don Coryell, ex-San Diego Chargers Coach

The best inspiration is not to outdo others, but to outdo ourselves.

                              ... Anonymous

Other people may not have had high expectations for me... but I had high

expectations for myself.

                              ... Shannon Miller

He who stops being better stops being good.

                              ... Oliver Cromwell

The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about

being better than you were the day before.

                              ... Steve Young

You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be

considered the only ones who do what you do.

                              ... Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead

You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of

a true professional.

                              ... Joe Paterno

 

To be prepared is half the victory.

                              ... Miguel Cervantes

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it

is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. The relationship

between the soundness of the body and the activities of the mind is subtle and

complex. Much is not yet understood. But we do know what the Greeks knew: that

intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the

body is healthy and strong; that hardy spirits and tough minds usually inhabit

sound gods.

                              ... JFK

The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the others willing to

let them.

                              ... Robert Frost

The more I train, the more I realize I have more speed in me.

                              ... Leroy Burrell

COURAGE, DETERMINATION AND STAYING FOCUSSED IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE

How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after

the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.

                              ... Lou Holtz

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

                              ... Archie Griffen, two-time Heisman winner ( 5’9’’)

There’s no substitute for guts.

                              ... Paul “Bear” Bryant

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.

                              ... Mark Twain

 Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.

                              ... Amelia Earhart

Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.

                              ... Lou Brock

When you’re riding, only the race in which you’re riding is important.

                              ... Bill Shoemaker

My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: “Get out

of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you’ll

win....Channel your energy. Focus.”

                              ... Carl Lewis

If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race.

Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just finish the

race — it’s up to you.

                              ... Dave Scott, Triathlete

If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the

short end.

                              ... Julius Erving

Think big, believe big, act big, and the results will be big.

                              ... Anonymous

If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.

                              ... Author unknown

Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

                              ... Will Rogers

The first and great commandment is, Don’t let them scare you.

—Elmer Davis

RISK -

NOT BEING SCARED TO LOSE IN ORDER TO WIN!!

In order to win you must be prepared to lose sometime. And leave one or two cards

showing.

                              ... Van Morrison

You can become a winner only if you are willing to walk over the edge.

                              ... Damon Runyon

When someone tells me the is only one way to do things, it always lights a fire

under my butt. My instant reaction is, “I’m gonna prove you wrong.”

                              ... Picabo Street

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

                              ... Robert F. Kennedy

A ship in the harbor is safe. But that’s not what ships are built for.

                              ... Anonymous

Ain’t no chance if you don’t take it.

                              ... Guy Clark

When you face a fork in the road, step on the exhilarator!

                              ... Pat Riley

AT THE END OF THE DAY -

BEING ABLE TO WALK AWAY!!

I know that I’m never as good or bad as any single performance. I’ve never

believed my critics or my worshippers, and I’ve always been able to leave the game

at the arena.

                              ... Charles Barkley