Page 164 - Never Fly Solo

NEW DAY, NEW JET | 137
The Steve Jobs story teaches us that despite failure, there
is always a new day, new jet, and that as long as you are still
breathing, you can still regroup and take action again. Jobs
failed his check ride with Apple, but because of his hard work,
commitment, and refusal to call it quits, he still graduated
with his wings and became CEO. He didn’t give up. He knew
in his heart what he was meant to do, and rather than run
away and let his previous failure hold him back, he kept
focused on his dream.

WINNERS PUSH THEMSELVES WHILE
PULLING OTHERS

If you’ve ever worked out with weights, you know the value
of a spotter, especially with the bench press. A spotter keeps
you safe and also helps you get in a few more reps. I’ve spot-
ted a lot of friends, but there’s one spot I’ll never forget. My
friend Mike Funaki, who was younger and stronger than I,
had 225 pounds on the bench and was going through his reps.
On the sixth rep, he started really needing help.
“C’mon, Mike,” I urged. “Get strong. Up, up, up!”
I had my index fingers barely even touching the weight
underneath. He cranked out another two reps! Then, on
the eighth and final rep, I had to help him out quite a bit
(and almost pulled my back in the process!). He really went
all out.
“Great spot, Waldo!” he said. “You really made me work
for those last few.”
So I was sitting there thinking how cool it is for someone
to get someone else to push beyond their limits. Mike obvi-
ously knew what it took to grow strength and muscles—he
was in tremendous shape. For those first few reps, I didn’t