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I saw it! The winning card! I had been playing for 2 weeks and now I was FINALLY going to win! (Stand up from table and motion to the table--left fist, right fist, both hands in the air) I was 11 years old and it was me, my grandmother, my younger brother Terry and we were playing Poker. It was Terry's turn and he didn't know what to do. Terry began to
play the card that would allow me to win, when all of a sudden grandma
said, ˇ§Terry, don't do that. Use this card over here you'll get 45
points and win!ˇ¨ was my
grandmother, and I being the older, more mature brother, turned to
her and calmly said....ˇ¨That's not fair!ˇ¨ I stormed out of my grandmother's house, into the street raging with anger so intense that I thought I'd kill the next person I saw. Laughter Contest Chair, fellow Toastmasters....and members of the Nei-Li Police Department Laughter The late Vince Lombardi, an American football coach was famous for saying: (walk from Contest Chair to the middle of the floor and stop) ˇ§Winning isn't everything, it's the ONLY thing!ˇ¨ (Lean over and point down to the ground) Laughter Have you ever felt that winning was the only thing? (scan audience) I was born into a clan of 4 boys, Each with special talents, distinct personalities, unique names,.... Ted, Tim, Tom, and Terry (left hand in a fist motion followed by right hand open motioning to brothers) Laughter Competition ran through everything we did from battling on board games to fighting for position at the dinner table. (use right and left hand) Nothing was without a competition and to me winning was the only thing. When I played and lost you could be sure that I was either blaming one of my brothers for making a mistake or picking a fight with the winner because he'd beaten me. In short, I was the child in the family that everyone loved...........to hate! Laughter But the belief that winning was the only thing didn't end here You see, just as businesses battle over market share, and armies clash over national security, I, too, would would face my test of fire..........in kindergarten. Laughter I was 5 years old, and we were playing a game called ˇ§hot potatoˇ¨. ˇ§Hot potatoˇ¨ is played with the children sitting in a circle, passing a ball around to the sound of music. When the music stops, the child with the ˇ§hot potatoˇ¨ is ˇ§outˇ¨. Laughter We played until only two children were left in the circle--a mean, ugly girl named Kim and a sweet, beautiful boy......................named Tom. Laughter And when the music started we began to toss the hot potato--back and forth, to Kim, to Tom, to Kim, to Tom, to Kim - the music stopped................ ....................and I was holding the ˇ§hot potatoˇ¨. Laughter I couldn't keep the music playing, couldn't get the teacher to give me another try, couldn't throw the ˇ§hot potatoˇ¨ back to Kim in time, so I did the next best thing.......I hit her! Laughter Then I ran. I ran from the disappointment, ran from the pain, ran from loss I felt inside. I tried avoiding competition, avoided playing, avoided anything that my put me in a situation where I might lose, until I came to Taiwan when I entered a different type of competition--the business world. Dreaming of fame and fortune, I worked hard, became a successful salesperson and earned millions of dollars.....Taiwan dollars that is...but the pain of losing still haunted me--a lost customer, lost sale, lost chance to shine. You see, to me, winning was the still ONLY thing. Finally, after 7 years of hard work, our company which previously had only 2 product lines, created and gave me a 3rd product line to run--a product line with great design, great content and a great name........Zippy. Laughter Zippy, I'd make my mark in business, Zippy, I'd show people my ability, Zippy, I'd make millions....of Taiwan dollars. Laughter I recruited salespeople, set-up the office, and worked with many departments to get ready to launch on time. Later, as the National Sales Director, I personally set-up and broke down monthly department store booths, ran additional weekend seminars, and answered late-night calls from discouraged salespeople -- all with the dream of winning. Sales rocketed off with the energy and excitement of last night's dinner party.....and 12 months later came crashing down like this morning's bad headache! Laughter One year later......management closed us down. At the next year-end company party, I was recognized for 10 years of service within the company. This is the picture of me and the 3 remaining original Zippy salespeople.......it is my most prized possession from that experience. I asked my wife why after all struggle and pain of the experience they were all smiling so brightly she replied ˇ§They're so proud of you Tom,ˇ¨ Zippy wasn't a game...... This was people lives......they entrusted me with their future, their hopes and dreams...... I gave them my heart, my life........my love.... I thought I'd lost........and I later realized that I'd won something more important--their hearts.. I have an 11-week-old-son, and I know that I will bring sports and gaming competition into his life just like my grandmother did over 30 years ago. And when we play, I'll tell him the same thing I tell all of you now..... ˇ§Winning isn't everything, giving your heart is the most important thing and always remember......never play ˇ§Hot Potatoˇ¨ Contest Chair ˇ@ |