Live Better with Willie Jolley: The Rabbit Has A Gun!
The Rabbit Has A Gun!
By Willie Jolley
Success lessons can come from the strangest places!
Not long ago, I went out for a short morning of golf and received a life lesson that made my day. I connected with some old friends for a foursome. One was a very good player and the other two were fair golfers, like me! The good golfer was what most people call a “trash talker.” He spoke about how he was going to “clean our clocks!”
For the first couple holes, the good golfer was in control; but slowly, after a few holes, things started to change. The three of us fair golfers started coming on strong. In fact, we started winning. The good golfer (the trash talker) was shocked!
By the end of the game, we had beaten him! As we were leaving the course, one of the fair golfers said to the trash talker, “Hey man…it ain't no fun when you go hunting for rabbits and find that the rabbit also has a gun!” I laughed and laughed and laughed! Yet, I realized that there was a terrific success lesson in this experience!
In life we can become puffed up and overconfident with ourselves. It might be in our business, our personal life, our job or our love life. When we become complacent and under estimate the competition or our partners, the results can be disastrous!
What’s the lesson?
Remember:
- Respect your opponent, your partner or the people you interact with.
- Show up early to get the lay of the land
- Over prepare
- Be gracious, even in defeat!
And when you have moments of overconfidence, remember your rabbit may have a gun too!
Check out my latest book, An Attitude of Excellence, which is only available on my website, but has already become a popular book with companies like Raytheon, Marriott, Hyatt, P&G, Verizon and many other Fortune 100 companies. Get your copy and get moving to excellence! -WJ
