A few years back Wayne Chrebet called it a career after playing eleven years with the NFL’s New York Jets. So what’s the big deal?
Well, Wayne had no business playing in a game which happens to be our closest representative of legalized violence. For you arm chair Monday-morning quarterbacks and wives or girlfriends of these same wanna-bees, I understand you may take exception to my heartfelt feelings. I happen to know “a thing or two” about the game. It got me to college on a free pass, and then was responsible for breaking an ankle and separating a collar bone in lieu of payment.
Yes my friends, football is a contact sport. A lot like selling.
Back to Mr. Chrebet. He was a “walk-on” at the Jets training camp after graduating from Hofstra University. “Hof” what? He is probably only one of five NFL players who actually knew where his chemistry class was (A “walk-on” is a guy who was not drafted by any team at the conclusion of his college career…but refused to start sending out resumes by the truck-load before some official looking guy with a baseball hat told him face to face that he “stunk”). Wayne apparently was a true exception, as he made the team and was given a mouthpiece and an athletic supporter along with number 80 and a parking sticker at the old Shea Stadium.
Oh yes, did I mention he was 185 pounds running around a bunch of muscled 235 pounders who could run almost as fast as Usain Bolt. His height was a mere 5’11” amidst some pretty tall men. The deck was clearly stacked against him from the get-go. I’m sure his mother took out an attractive life insurance package on her boy ten minutes after showing Aunt Louise his Hofstra Sheepskin. Eleven years later, Wayne Chrebet decided to retire with all four appendages still in a semblance of operating order. Absolutely amazing.
Wrong school. Wrong height. Wrong weight. Wrong industry. And now there is talk of retiring this guy’s jersey. (Only three other Jet jerseys have a been retired and all recipients went to the right school and had a little beef on their bones).
Okay, you have the background. Now to the purpose of why I decided to take your time to feature Mr. Chrebet’s retirement plans. Wayne Chrebet’s quote caught my attention: “If I was going to succeed, I had to believe that nothing, and no one could stop me. With the odds seriously against me, I established a mind set that I was going to make it.”
Well there you have it. Regardless of the odds you may be facing in or away from your job, repeat after me, “I don’t care how big, how hard, how difficult, or how improbable the odds are against me, I’m going to put on #80 and play like I’m Wayne Chrebet. I’m a winner, and you and the horse you rode in on can’t stop me from achieving my goals.”
Now, go get yourself an index card and write the number “80” in big large numbers on it, and put it where you can see it every day.
Mike Marchev has plenty of stories, strategies and tactics to keep you on top of your game.
For information on Mike’s 6-Week Online Selling Course, email Mike at mike@mikemarchev.com with the words “sales course” in the subject box.
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