Excerpt from Permission to Succeed
[In 1980] “The Soviet Union entered the Olympic tournament as heavy favorites, having won the ice hockey gold medal in 1956 and every year [from 1964 to 1976]. In the four Olympics after the Soviet squad was upset by team USA in the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, Soviet teams had gone 27-1-1 and outscored the opposition 175-44. In head-to-head matchups against the United States, the cumulative score over that period was 28-7. The Soviet players were classed as amateurs, but soft jobs provided by the Leonid Brezhnev government (some were active-duty military) allowed them to essentially play professionally in a well- developed league with world class training facilities. They were led by legendary players in world ice hockey, such as Boris Mikhailov a top line ice hockey right winger and team captain, Vladislav Tretiak considered by many to be the best ice hockey goaltender in the world at the time, the speedy and skilled Valeri Kharlamov, as well as talented, young, and dynamic players such as defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov and forwards Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov. From that team, Tretiak, Kharlamov, and Fetisov would eventually be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
[US Hockey Coach] Herb Brooks conducted tryouts in Colorado Springs in the summer of 1979. Of the 20 players who eventually made the final Olympic roster, Buzz Schneider was the only one from the 1976 Olympic team. Nine players had played under Herb Brooks at the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s ice hockey program. Four more were from Boston Terriers men’s ice hockey at Boston University (Boston, Mass.) Assistant coach Craig Patrick had played with Brooks on the 1967 U.S. national team.” -Wikipedia
Losers visualize the penalties of failure.
Winners visualize the rewards of success.
The Soviet team was clearly the favorite in any contest and their opponents were intimidated by the skill of the Soviet Team – the opposing team expected to lose and the Soviets expected to win, in most cases they were both right. Herb Brooks had a vision of how to defeat the Soviet team and designed a plan which included picking specific players who had the ability to beat the USSR’s Hockey Team at their own game. Team USA won the Gold Medal at Lake Placid, NY in the 1980 Winter Games, now known as the Miracle on Ice.
Abraham Maslow wrote in
The Further Reaches of Human Nature:
“Think of life as a process of choices, one right after another. At each point there is a progression choice and a regression choice. There may be movement towards defense, towards safety, towards being afraid; but over on the other side, there is a growth choice. To make the growth choice instead of the fear choice a dozen times a day is to move a dozen times a day towards self-actualization.”
University of Making Stuff Up:
Your life is not pre-determined- we make it up as we go along. To succeed: 1. Create a Vision 2. Live into that vision.
Permission to Succeed
On Sale Now! @
http://tinyurl.com/2fyhqd5
Action steps:
1. Create a Vision for yourself.
2. Write a plan of action, prioritize.
3. Live the plan as if you have become your vision.
4. Find mentors
5. Do it now!
I am available for personal consultations, for an appointment you can reach me at: 520.977.0141
See you on Success Road!
Zak Klemmer
