Years ago, I had the opportunity to get to know an incredible man, Dale Brown, the legendary head basketball coach of the LSU Tigers. To say this man impacted my life would be an understatement of the highest degree. If you ever doubt his impact on people, just Google search his story and read comments from his former players, especially Shaquille O'Neal.
For instance, Shaq has been quoted as saying, "His thing was - go to class, get your education. I wanted to test his theory out, so one day I didn't go to class. About 4:30 the next morning, I felt the hand of God on my chest. I looked up, and it was Dale Brown. I still don't know how he got in my room, but he did. Then he ran me from about 4:30 to 7:30 - and then I had to go to class. I said, 'You know what? I'll never miss class again.'" (Quoted from this article by Jennifer Hale, Fox Sports.)
Coach Brown and I spoke together at a motivational event our company promoted in St. Louis 23 years ago. It was such a special evening for everyone in attendance as Coach Brown shared his philosophies on life and winning. It was deeply personal and delivered with incredible passion.
The best part of the event for me was introducing coach to my sons, Chris and Ryan. I will always cherish the way he treated my boys. He shared stories with them and told them all about coaching Shaq. He stressed to them that the only thing bigger than Shaq's talent was his work ethic and character. He talked about his commitment to education and also predicted correctly the type of career Shaq would have in the NBA.
All of this proved to be true, especially the part about Shaq's commitment to education. Shaq has earned his Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees at LSU. Coach Brown certainly knew his player. Thirty years after they first met, Coach Brown and Shaq still share an amazing bond and endearing friendship based on mutual trust and respect.
At the NBA's All-Star weekend a few years ago, Coach Brown was recognized with three prestigious awards. These included the Jerry Colangelo Award, honoring the person who best exhibits character, leadership, and faith in the world of basketball and in the community. I was so happy for CoachBrown. It should come as no surprise who was selected to present the awards to Coach Brown - it was Shaq.
So, today, think about the possibility. If you need a “coach" -(and if Shaq needs a coach, then we all can probably benefit from some coaching in our our lives) Or maybe someone you know could use a “coach” to help them achieve more and get to where they want to be in life. Remember...
I will personally coach you through 125 Life Lessons in my new book It All Matters that will teach you how to gain more confidence, achieve more clarity, act with more certainty and maximize your creativity.
Make A Difference Today,
~Paul
P.S. Check out this awesome endorsement that Coach Brown gave It All Matters!
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