“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”

At the moment I am reading ‘The Essential Vince Lombardi’ edited and put together by Vince Lombardi’s son. It is essentially a collection of Lombardi’s most memorable and inspirational quotes extracted throughout his coaching career. Vince Lombardi was arguably the best American Football coach of all time. He led the most part of his coaching career as head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960’s. Lombardi’s record in the post-season was 9-1, the loss coming in the first of those games, the 1960 NFL Championship Game. In other words: “Vince Lombardi lived each day with urgency, passion, and conviction. His uncanny ability to inspire greatness, and to motivate his followers to test the limits of their endurance, made him the standard by which leaders in all walks of life have come to be measured.”

I personally, am not someone who can function without motivation and inspiration. If ever I need added encouragement or impetus, I often turn to a book or a passage that might spur me on. In this case; ‘The Essential Vince Lombardi’ is alphabetically arranged in subject headings such as commitment, desire, integrity, leadership, losing, patience, punctuality and repetition etc. – each providing instant access into Lombardi’s thoughts, attitudes, and opinions.
I wanted to share with you, some of Lombardi’s most famous, and perhaps not-so-famous quotes that still ring true across all sports and corporate boardrooms alike.

Success

“Success in life is a matter not so much of talent or opportunity as it is concentration and perseverance.”

“Success is not a sometime thing; it is an all time thing. You don’t do what is right once in a while, but all of the time. Success is a habit, winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

Defeat

Lombardi quoting Wendel Phillips: “What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something better.”

Defeat is inevitable, we can’t always win. Lombardi did not want his players to be afraid of defeat. He wanted them to be hard losers.

He later stated: “Second place is meaningless. You can’t always be first, but you have to believe that you should have been – that you are never beaten, time just ran out on you.”
Discipline

“It is easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you’ve got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not yet a winner.”

“It matters not how many times you fail – what matters is the successful attempt, which should be remembered, reinforced, and dwelt upon.”

Far too often we dwell upon our failures. Once mistakes have served their purpose, they should be forgotten.

Victory

“Any man’s finest hour - his greatest fulfilment to all he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – VICTORIOUS.”

Nothing can beat the sweet taste of victory when you know that you have given it your all.

Fatigue

“Fatigue makes a coward of us all. When you’re tired, you rationalise. You make excuses in your mind...The good Lord gave you a body that can stand almost anything. It’s your mind you have to convince. Men in condition do not tire.”

This is a good one to read before a tough session! No-one likes a coward!

Fun

“We don’t encourage comedians. I don’t want comic relief. The only way to keep football fun is to win. There is no laughter in losing.”

Inspiration

“Let us the leaders exert ourselves to fashion an image that none can criticise – that we ourselves are proud to view that shall serve s a stunning example to our descendants.”

Perfectionism

“It’s much easier to let things slide, to take the path of least resistance. Perfectionism rocks the boat. It upsets some people. It will lead to some conflicts on a team, and it translates into hard work for everyone. If a leader slacks off, looks the other way, and allows excuses, it’s a lot easier. Easier perhaps, but you will lose.”

Perfectionism doesn’t allow for short-cuts.

Pride

“When two teams meet that are equal in ability and execution, it’s the team that has pride that wins.”

Pride is a powerful thing, fierce at times. It is that determination – to never do less than your best.

Regrets

“Leave no regrets on the field.”

Team

“A characteristic of a mature person is what is called a sense of responsibility. We must place the demands of duty above our own comfort. We are part of a team – in the family, at school, in games, in work – and we must contribute our share to the team effort.”

There is a higher sense of duty and responsibility in a team. Team is about self-sacrifice and consistently striving to be better for yourself and for those around you.

That rounds up some of my favourite Lombardi quotes... if you have any motivating and inspiring quotes/passages then send them my way & post them up! I love a good quote! :-)