It’s about attitude and planning

The professional football playoffs are underway. At this time every game counts. The winner will go on to the next challenge that might take him to the Super Bowl and the loser goes home.

Every team in the playoffs must develop a strategy for winning. Coaches study intently the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. Each team must develop a plan to neutralize the strengths of their opponents and capitalize on their weaknesses. But just as important as any plan is the mental attitude of the players.

Those interested in predicting the outcome of these games often give an advantage to teams that have been in the playoffs before. The intensity is so great that those who have experienced it before are expected to be able to maintain the proper mental attitude.

The secret for success in confronting opportunities in America is to have a winning state of mind. Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, once said, "Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right." A defeatist attitude assures that you will fail.

African Americans have much to learn from the process that brings athletes to championship performance. It is easy to believe that these extraordinary athletes sprang full blown onto the playing field just like Athena from the head of Zeus. The truth is that they are the culmination of many years of training and sacrifice.

Those who want to succeed in the world of work must undergo the same privation. You must have the courage to endure the humiliation of struggling with subjects that are difficult and can almost make you feel retarded until the light dawns. And you must have the discipline to focus on your academic assignments while your friends are out enjoying themselves.

Like a coach preparing for a playoff game you have to develop a plan. It might be useful to seek help from others you trust when developing your strategy for success, but in the final analysis the plan has to be uniquely your own. Do not worry if you do not know precisely what your future work will be. The initial goal is to try to head in the right direction.

Star football players do not always know what position they will play as a pro. It is not unusual for college quarterbacks to become wide receivers or defensive backs in the pros. Or a mediocre violinist might become a star violist. It is not easy to know where your skills might take you.

Whatever the plan, you cannot succeed without a positive attitude. Just as in championship level football, the best-designed plan will fail if the players cannot execute because they cannot endure the intensity. The absence of a winning attitude will lead to disaster.

Competition in America is intense. Some people will do whatever is necessary to win, to achieve their goals. Racial discrimination is often merely a strategy to eliminate competition. It is unwise for blacks to consider racial discrimination to be an insuperable barrier. Today in America there are numerous strategies to circumvent this impediment. Do not lose your composure. Keep on pushing forward!

In football, a resolute will to win can often defeat a more talented team. To be successful, African Americans must develop unwavering self esteem and an enduring winning attitude.

Melvin B. Miller

Editor & Publisher
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