Hannibal Najjar

A True Champion

 What is your child made of? Consider the Following!

 A True Champion is one that gets up when lame
A True Champion is one that shares the fame
A True Champion is that one that always takes the blame (Hannibal Najjar-Sept, 1994)

Getting up When Lame
Getting up when lame conveys an attitude of determination and grit. It goes even beyond just    being able to endure pain! It speaks to an attitude of complete and comprehensive preparation, keenness to perform, and a desire to finish the task at hand with resolve and excellence.

 Getting up when lame represents a special kind of focus that Lance Armstrong speaks of Hearing and seeing only that which furthers the mission. Therefore, the focus is on accomplishment and not lameness which can be found in the realms of the physical, emotional, psychological, and, mental.

 Using the encouragement of Carthaginian General, Hannibal Barca, who motivated his troops of men and elephants across the frigid and “impossible” Alps into Italy and Rome we would do well to take heed of his exhortation - “If you cannot find a way, make one!” By this, one gets a truer picture of what it takes to never consider lameness as an excuse or option.

 I also encourage you to take a careful look at the following - “No amount of bleeding would ever have me reeling”(hn-Oct, 2002. This epitomizes it all!

 Sharing the Fame
Sharing the fame, is another component that all champions are made of. John Wooden, one of my surviving mentors and all time UCLA and basketball icon and player-and-coach Hall-of-Fame inductee, encourages that, “The main ingredient in stardom is the rest of the team” – what a depiction that helps us understand the concept of, sharing the fame!

 Look around at any past greats and the humble of today, and witness their confessions as to what were and are, the most important things that made them icons and lifted-up persons in their respective arts! Hard work, preparation, determination, and suchlike aside, almost every single “Great”, attributes teammates’ contributions, their role-playing and sacrifices to the team, as the main ingredient that led to the “Greats” personal rise to stardom.

 Always Taking the Blame
Hardly ever, and I would dare say, NEVER, can you or will you find a star that is without the resolve that the puck stops with them! Too often we lay blame on the play that immediately preceded that “unfortunate” occurrence or incident, or the person that performed the act that led to the collapse or failure to achieve the desired goal or outcome.

 A true champion does not look for excuses or to other people to cast blame. They take ownership of the situation and “failure” to achieve the desired outcome. They hurt deeply and rehearse and visualize ways to employ an attitude and tactics so that their next performance would prevent another undesired outcome and also, yield the sought-after result.

 Many people often use the cliché, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem”. Again, I tend to take it a step further, and a BIG one at that by imploring people to take ownership of their lives and responsibilities – I choose to advise that, if you are not part of the solution, you ARE the problem! Experience shows that this approach encourages people to be more intentional in their decision-making,  precise in their actions, and dedicated to the cause.

 I sum up the True Champions life and way of living, by encouraging all to use the following, “If you aren’t winning, don’t be whining”, (hn-Sept, 2005), and follow the Nike slogan, “Just do it”; take care of your business (TCYB)! The ultimate depiction of taking the blame is when passing the baton to a fumbling receiver that, you adjudge it could have been passed with greater timeliness and precision!

 Written by Hannibal Najjar