Brian Kilmeade, co-host of “Fox & Friends” on Fox News Channel, recently interviewed me for his new book, “It’s How You Play the Game: The Powerful Sports Moments That Taught Lasting Values to America’s Finest.”
Kilmeade also spoke with athletes, CEOs, politicians and studied historical figures, detailing how a defining sports moment changed each of their lives. Many spoke about how the discipline they learned on the field prepared them to overcome adversity with dignity.
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We can learn a lot from sports, which dominated my young life. I was captain of my grade-school baseball and basketball teams. In my teens, I was the St. Paul (Minn.) city high school golf champion. In Kilmeade’s book, I recall when I was 15 years old, playing in the St. Paul Open Golf Tournament (one of the top professional tourneys in the country at the time).
I was playing well when I reached the 18th hole. I looked up and saw several thousand people surrounding the green. I had a 2-iron in my hand, and I rimmed the cup for what would have been a double eagle (three under par). I heard the crowd’s roar, and I knew that something special had happened: The ball was just 10 inches from the cup. I didn’t want to seem like I had to think through what would have been an automatic “gimme” in a social game, so I just went for the tap-in, and I missed it. I should have gone into my stance and sunk the putt for a 74. Instead, I shot a 75 and missed the cut.
That event taught me two lifelong lessons: Never take anything for granted; and don’t worry about how other people think I look.
One of the other valuable lessons contained in the book is the power of visualization. NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West always “wanted the ball at the end of every game,” he said. “I was never nervous, because countless times in my head I already imagined what it was like to take and hit the last shot.”
Sen. Bob Dole talks about the work ethic he learned from playing high school football and basketball and running track. “Playing sports made me a better man,” he said. “My days as an athlete helped make me a tireless campaigner.”
Soccer great Mia Hamm told one of her coaches that she wanted to be the best player. The coach told her, “It’s a decision – to be the best you means being the best every single day.” Hamm learned to push herself as hard as possible in and out of the spotlight. Some of her teammates were even intimidated by her intensity.
Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, tells about how sports “taught me a lot about being a leader. I learned that in order for me to be successful, my teammates had to be successful. I also learned how to adapt to the coach’s style to be successful, which has helped me today.”
For Kilmeade, “winning or losing has little to do with who you will become. Instead, it’s how you prepared for the game that determines whether you’ll be a winner or loser in life.”
Mackay’s Moral: There are no “gimmes” in life.
Harvey Mackay is author of the New York Times bestseller “Pushing the Envelope.” He can be reached through his Web site, www.mackay.com, or at MackayMitchell Envelope Corp., 2100 Elm St., Minneapolis, Minn. 55414.
