“Becoming rich is a hands-on process” - Stuart Wilde

Jim Brown was arguably the best all-round athlete ever. He was a track star, one of America’s finest lacrosse players, averaged 38 points per game on his high school basketball team, and broke NFL records as a running back for the Cleveland Browns. In 2002, The Sporting News named him the greatest (American) football player of all time.
He was pretty handy with a tennis racquet, too. And he liked to wager on his matches. At a Las Vegas tennis club in 1979, Brown was frustrated when his opponent cancelled a money match at the last minute.
A stranger approached him with a young boy. His proposal - delivered in a thick foreign accent - was preposterous. He bet Brown that his nine-year-old son - short and scrawny even for his age - could beat him in tennis. And he was cocky about it. He offered to put up his house. We can only imagine what ran through Brown’s mind as he sized up the half-pint. After all, this wasn’t a bet. It was an insult.
The stranger had chosen the wrong man to outrage. Brown wasn’t just an athletic phenomenon. His NFL career could be summed up in his oft-quoted remark, “Make sure when anyone tackles you he remembers how much it hurts.”
He countered that they should make the bet an even $10,000. The club owner tried to warn Brown. And while he did reduce his wager, he wouldn’t be talked out of the match, insisting, “The man needs to be taught a lesson.”
And so Jim Brown strode off to the courts. With Mike Agassi and his young son Andre in tow. It didn’t take Brown long to recognize his error. He had been hustled. When you look at this story from Brown’s point of view, you can say that pride comes before the fall. You should never be so confident that you fail to take warning and end up making a mess of things.
However, on the other side of the coin was Andre Agassi, getting ready to launch a life-long career by beating a giant. All Andre needed was his dad, Mike, to believe in him. The same can be said about Tiger Woods and his dad. The same can be said about the Williams sisters. They all had someone who believed in them.
Sometimes all you need is someone who believes in you enough to put their money where their mouth is. But even you must admit that you need a giant to prove yourself. David needed Goliath before he could lead Israel. Unless he had faced and defeated Goliath, Israel would never have rallied behind him.
Identify your talents. Make sure you are well practiced and ready to handle your giants. Get a friendly “daddy” who knows your strengths enough to put his money down for you. Identify your giant. Swing! Hit! Launch your career! And keep at it. Never quit. Namasté. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at 101silverline@gmail.com.