MESSAGE #1097 THE KARATE KID

I have a confession.

I like taking notes at movies.

The movies I like to watch are inspirational. They have a lot of great quotes. Recently, I went to see The Karate Kid, I knew it would have some good quotes. Here is my favorite…

There is no such thing as bad student only a bad teacher.

The “evil” kung fu instructor’s motto was “No fear, no mercy.”

Mr. Han’s (good kung fu instructor) motto was “Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. Fight hard, earn respect…Kung Fu is about making peace.”

I know coaches that tell their players to call the ball out when it is close. They teach them to be jerks on the court. They think winning is everything.

Is it?

When I work with athletes and business professionals, I ask them, “At the end of your life, what do you want to be known for?”

The answer is never, I want to be #1 in the world, or I want to be a millionaire with five homes and a boat.

The answer is always something like, “I want to have been a role model; someone who made a difference and led by example. I want to be known as someone who went all-out, regardless of the situation.”

We may not all be coaches, but we are all teachers. We may be teaching our children, our friends, our parents, our fans, our employees or a stranger on the street. But what are we teaching them?

Roger Federer said, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.”

People say, nice guys finish last.

I say, nice guys are winners before the game begins.