I played my last rugby match exactly 10 years ago today. It was my 60th birthday. And, as much as I love rugby, I had to admit that after the match, feeling battered and bruised, I said to myself, “I’m too old for this sh*t.” While I don’t play anymore, I’m still very involved with the sport I love.
On my 70th birthday, I’ve decided to share a few life lessons that I’ve learned on the rugby pitch.
- Take personal responsibility for your success.
- Be tenacious in pursuit of your success.
- Get up when you get knocked down – and keep getting up.
- Use setbacks as springboard to your success.
- Be optimistic. Believe you will succeed.
- Work on improving yourself, not on criticizing others.
- Act in a manner that shows you respect yourself.
- Support your teammates and colleagues and trust them to support you.
- Be gracious when you win. Be even more gracious when you lose.
- Preparation is the most important ingredient in the success stew.
- Often it’s best to slow things down when things around you are chaotic.
- Model yourself after the people you admire. Act like them.
- Own up to your mistakes. Learn from them.
- Visualize your success, then do the work to make that vision a reality.
I learned all of these ideas on the rugby pitch. I’ve found that they apply in life as well as in sports. Hopefully, you’ll find some of them helpful to you on your way to the life and career success you want and deserve.
70 years old – how did I get this old this fast?
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