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Dear ,
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Welcome to Issue 350. The mission of "Marvelous Mondays" is to offer an inspirational thought, a practical exercise, some humor, or a simple tip to jump-start your week and to enhance your life, business, outlook or relationships.
Please feel free to forward "Marvelous Mondays" to others who will enjoy it.
Did you miss a previous issue? Click here to view an Archive.
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| Smile | |
Today I honor Lawrence Peter Berra, known affectionately as Yogi. Just hearing the name and seeing his picture, or remembering a Yogiism makes me smile. What about you?
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The enigma of his baseball success and his achievement of realizing the "American Dream."
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He wasn't tall, wasn't muscular and certainly wasn't fast. He looked more like a little leaguer than a major leaguer. Then how do you explain the success of this man who holds the record for most world series games and most world series rings. Can you explain how this terribly undisciplined hitter (known as the best bad ball hitter) won the MVP award not once but three times. He was such a bad ball hitter that pitchers sometimes failed at trying to intentionally walk him. Instead of taking the intentional walk, he often hit a terrible pitch and caught the opposing team by surprise. When asked why he didn't take the intentional walk, Yogi said "I brought this bat up here to hit not to take a walk." This son of poor Italian Immigrants could easily have taken the wrong fork in the road. Instead, he learned valuable life lessons from his parents and cultivated many attributes that helped him achieve the "American Dream".
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| Yogi Wisdom | |
Socrates and Winston Churchill and other greats are included in the Bartlett Book of Famous Quotes, and so is Yogi. His malapropisms are entertaining and full of wisdom.
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His Calming Technique - A Great Life Coach
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He was a calming influence on his pitchers, especially when they were in a stressful situation, like the bases loaded. He would approach the mound but typically didn't talk about baseball strategy and analysis; instead he would distract his pitcher by asking him where he wanted to eat pizza after the game or whether he liked meatballs or meat sauce on his spaghetti. These distracting questions had a calming influence on his pitchers and also let them know that Yogi had complete confidence in them. In turn this gave confidence to his pitchers. He was the master in bringing out the greatness in his pitchers. He certainly brought out the greatness in pitcher Don Larsen and helped him achieve a perfect game in the 1956 World Series game. No one else has ever pitched a World Series perfect game.
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| Some of Yogi's Attributes |
I have interviewed coaching clients and have watched the eulogy speeches of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and former Yankee manager Joe Torre. Here are the attributes that people see in Yogi:
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Humble
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Honest
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Fun
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Gentle and kind
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Warm and delightful
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Youthful
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Calming and reassuring
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Human
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| Exercises |
This week I invite you to reflect on the following:
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In what ways do you bring a smile to the faces around you in your life?
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What are the ways you encourage your coworkers and others in your life? How do you bring out their greatness?
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Which of Yogi's attributes do you most admire? Which ones do you want to emulate?
I really look forward to hearing from you about your reflection and also your favorite Yogiism.
As a coach I am trained to support you, sometimes using fun as a tool to assist you in achieving your greatness and your American Dream. Just pick up the phone and we'll chat about how we can accomplish this together 816-213-0125.
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"I can't think and hit at the same time."
"When you see a fork in the road take it."
"It ain't over til it's over."
~Yogi Berra | |
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| JOHN'S BIO | John has owned several businesses and is an attorney who has practiced in the business and estate areas. In addition, he coaches business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, professionals, speech makers and presenters. He also coaches persons who are determined to accelerate their careers and leadership skills or who are considering a career move or retirement. John uses coaching as a tool in his leadership and business results based consulting. He is also a life coach.
**John is currently accepting a few new coaching clients.** |
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