Penn State Alum Talks Winning
Lee Rubin, former Penn State football captain, didn’t come to Bloomsburg University to discuss Jerry Sandusky or Joe Paterno. He came to discuss winning.
Rubin is the oldest of three and was raised by a father who was in the Army, a high school teacher, and a pastor. He has been married for 17 years, has two daughters, and holds a degree in speech communications and a minor in business from his Alma Matter, Penn State University.
The very first quote Rubin enticed the audience with was “Don’t just play, win.” With that, he dived into the three characteristics of winners: “Winners have a clear sense of identity, winners set specific and lofty goals, and winner embrace adversity.
Questions like “How well do you know you,” and “How much time have you spent studying you?” were used to get the audience to think about the first characteristic of winning: “Winners have a clear sense of identity.” Rubin had the listeners raise their hands as high as they can, then said to raise them just a little bit higher. He made it very clear that people think they’re doing their best, but “there’s more to you then you realize.”
“Winners set specific and lofty goals” was the second characteristic of winning Rubin discussed. He said that “goals both steer and drive behavior.” Goals are like a basketball hoop, without it there would be chaos, the game would be pointless, and no goal will be achieved. He compared specific goals to a vacation, you have to pick a specific location; you can’t just go “away,” and said that lofty goals are high, unrealistic, and ridiculous goals. If people don’t raise their eyebrows in shock when you tell them your goals, also known as the “eyebrow test,” then they are not high enough.
Embracing adversity is the last characteristic of winners. They understand that adversity if inevitable, that it reveals a person’s true colors, and that it is an opportunity in disguise. Winners see the pain and uncomfortable feelings associated with adversity as something to help them grown and develop. “It is bound to happen, so brace yourself and prepare.”
With that, Rubin emphasized “Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, most people fail because they aim too low and hit.”
For more inspiration, follow Lee Rubin on Twitter: @LRubin39
