All of us have dreams. These may include going to college, getting married, having a family, or even obtaining that big promotion at work. For some of us, we reach these dreams fairly quickly. Everything seems to come together at the precise moment. We find ourselves in the right place, we meet influential people, or we are presented with the best circumstances.
For others the road is longer. There are lots of starts and stops along the way. You begin down a path that looks promising, only to discover that it leads to a dead end or to an intersection where you have to make a tough choice. Sometimes life circumstances impede your efforts; a family member gets sick, the economy falters, rules change, or others stand in the way. However, you should never give up on your dreams.
Vince Lombardi, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers, is known as one of the greatest coaches that ever lived. However, few realize that he did not reach his dream of being a head football coach in the NFL until he was forty-five. Lombardi had done everything to make his dream come true. He had won six state titles in eight years as the coach of St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey. He had served on the staff of his alma mater Fordham University, and as an assistant coach under the legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik. When the New York Giants came to Blaik asking him to be their new head coach, he turned them down, but suggested they hire Lombardi instead as an assistant coach. Serving as the head of the offense, Lombardi helped to bring the Giants a championship in 1956.
At the end of the 1957 season, it seemed that he would finally realize his dream when the Philadelphia Eagles approached him about being their new head coach. However, they only offered him a short-term contract that might be extended if he won. Worse, they refused to allow him to have any say so in team operations or player selection. Disheartened, Lombardi turned down the offer and returned to the Giants.
In 1958, the Green Bay Packers came looking for a head coach. Several coaches including George Halas of the Chicago Bears and Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns suggested Lombardi. However, the Packers balked at first. Most coaches in the NFL had been hired before turning forty. At age 34, the Giants defensive coach Tom Landry (who would go on to be a great coach in his own right with the Dallas Cowboys) was mentioned by some as the better choice for the job. In the end the Packers chose Lombardi and he went on to win 1959 NFL Coach of the Year in his rookie season, and 5 championships, including Super Bowls I & II. After his death, the Super Bowl championship trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy in his honor.
Like Lombardi, we should never give up on our dreams, even when it seems that they may never come true. Continue to work hard. Learn those new skills. Take those risks that put you in the right places. Meet those influential people, and most of all continue to believe. Who knows, you just may be the next Vince Lombardi or the newest project manager.
For others the road is longer. There are lots of starts and stops along the way. You begin down a path that looks promising, only to discover that it leads to a dead end or to an intersection where you have to make a tough choice. Sometimes life circumstances impede your efforts; a family member gets sick, the economy falters, rules change, or others stand in the way. However, you should never give up on your dreams.
Vince Lombardi, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers, is known as one of the greatest coaches that ever lived. However, few realize that he did not reach his dream of being a head football coach in the NFL until he was forty-five. Lombardi had done everything to make his dream come true. He had won six state titles in eight years as the coach of St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey. He had served on the staff of his alma mater Fordham University, and as an assistant coach under the legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik. When the New York Giants came to Blaik asking him to be their new head coach, he turned them down, but suggested they hire Lombardi instead as an assistant coach. Serving as the head of the offense, Lombardi helped to bring the Giants a championship in 1956.
At the end of the 1957 season, it seemed that he would finally realize his dream when the Philadelphia Eagles approached him about being their new head coach. However, they only offered him a short-term contract that might be extended if he won. Worse, they refused to allow him to have any say so in team operations or player selection. Disheartened, Lombardi turned down the offer and returned to the Giants.
In 1958, the Green Bay Packers came looking for a head coach. Several coaches including George Halas of the Chicago Bears and Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns suggested Lombardi. However, the Packers balked at first. Most coaches in the NFL had been hired before turning forty. At age 34, the Giants defensive coach Tom Landry (who would go on to be a great coach in his own right with the Dallas Cowboys) was mentioned by some as the better choice for the job. In the end the Packers chose Lombardi and he went on to win 1959 NFL Coach of the Year in his rookie season, and 5 championships, including Super Bowls I & II. After his death, the Super Bowl championship trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy in his honor.
Like Lombardi, we should never give up on our dreams, even when it seems that they may never come true. Continue to work hard. Learn those new skills. Take those risks that put you in the right places. Meet those influential people, and most of all continue to believe. Who knows, you just may be the next Vince Lombardi or the newest project manager.
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