Real Deal REInvestor Network

I believe I owe my fellow MMM Challengers and my directors and mentors. This is for you. 

When I got into the challenge I was one newbie trying to get by and trying to figure out what am I suppose to do and how am I supposed to do it. And just so sick and tired of people who call themselves 'gurus' taking advantage of knowledge hungry real estate investors.

I have  learned a lot but most especially about 4 things: Mindset, Marketing, Teamwork, and adding Value.

Mindset - Can I really do this?  Was the question that has been lingering in my head. Can I really do this? What will happen this year? What does my future look like? I  had all these questions which I also call them doubt in my heart. Am I really destined to be great as what my heart and faith tells me. I needed help, because the world says otherwise. I learned to believe in my dreams because of this team, because of this company. The burn challenge, the affirmations, and the declarations have helped alot.

Marketing - Social Media marketing has been a very big part of what I've been doing in the challenge, and I didn't see it that way before that I can use it for business. The experience gave me the opportunity to  discover some strenghts to leverage some weaknesses(yes like phone calls). :) I also appreciate the Marketing tips Danny endlessly share especially the importance of pinging and the handwritten cards.

Team Work - The experience of working with an amazing group of people who are of the same mindset who works with passion. It is very different when working in the corporate world. The Accountability of being open to each other and to help each other get to the next level.  I feel this has been a family experience. I appreciate the simple moments of bonding in the calls one on one, the unity calls have been a wonderful especially the last one. :) Your testimonials have reminded and confirmed that I am in the right crowd.

Adding Value - This has been a VALUE in its self. This has really changed my whole perspective in doing business. It's not what I can receive but what I can give. Everyday of my life has been changed with this... 'how can I help you?' 'how can I add value to you?' Genuinely extending help to those who want help makes me more comfortable in doing this business. 

Overall, this experience have been very fruitful and is like the sowing season... and the harvest is about to come... actually has been slowly showing itself.

I am grateful and honored to be a part of this team. Thank you to my mentors Danny and Rick, and to my directors Jo, Sam, Dana and Alex, and to my MMM Challenge teammates. May you always be blessed!

The challenge maybe over soon but the VALUE you have genuinely provided will never be forgotten.

No hype. No ra-ra. Just solid information.   That how I describe the recent event I expereiced in LA. I have read many real estate books and have done few deals here and there, and I have been searching a key and a missing piece of puzzle to make my real estate investment business successful.  I know that Rick is well may be considered as a guru in commercial real estate in general, but I can't speak to that. I can only tell you that he is the real deal as the name of the compay says! He is also one of the most approachable, low-key, and genuinely friendly person you'll ever meet. There's no hype or questionable ethics in his material (which is more of a reference than a "course", by the way; just real-world experience that can save you huge amounts of money.)

I have a so much expectations to the event and it was more than expected.  The energy of people were so positive and uplifting, and the key difference of this event and other was not based on artificially created hype but rather based on true genuine interest in business of each other.  Many of my other MMM Challenge teammates were there to support with each other and striving for the common goal; having successful event. I was feeling such an openess to network without any reserve. I totally felt the positive vibe of everyone, and I did not feel like the meeting was the first time!  I am so grateful to asscociate with such a great teammates and made me even want to know them better including those whom I have not met yet.  This is certainly one of the best things happen to me. 

I was very fortunate to spend some one on one time with Sam, and I have to tell that I was very stoked to see Sam in person and had an oportunity to speak with him in person!  I am extremly happy to gain some insignt from him and learning his genuine interest in success in all of us, MMM challengers.  Seeing him eye to eye was so powerful, he deliverd his words from his heart and I was totally moved by him.  I say it again, I am so lucky to learn something from him.  I cannot wait to see him again sometime AND see other wonderful directors, so I can feel even more powerful. I am more than 100% positive to feel incredible energy like I expereicenced from Sam, but in their unique way, that is something I am looking forawrd to.

I heard many great genuine feedbacks from attendees and I was able to witness the business relathiship was created on the spot.  I do not want to call the event as seminar, since the word seminar is asscociated with pitch fest event in my opinion.  I have never expereiced anything like this.  It is nothing but a pure content, focusing on time tested principles, and relationship building practice.  Rick never emphasized on the tactics, which most seminar gurus do!  We have to understand that focusing on the tactics and strategies are not necessary bad thing, but need to recognized what is more important; "how to create better relationship and do the right transaction based on the timeless principle, adding value to the others".  We have been learning the principles throughout the challenge, but the event truly showed me how to apply, and filling the gap of saying and doing.

Rick slammed me hard what HIS organization is about and that's the way I love it, and made me want to involve even more. Rick,  thank you very much for every single opportuniy to hear and learn from you.  My desire to work with you and your organization is so stong and I am determined to perform.   I am planning to attend October event to see everyone again -- The last, but not least,  I must meet with Danny, Gary, and Stew on top of everyone for sure.  I do not feel MMM challenge will be over until I see these wonderful mentors.  Thank you very much for the opportunity.

      WOW! What a great way to start the week. Rejuvenated, energized, excited, blessed and looking forward to new things. The Art of Money Getting by P.T. Barnum is one excellent read. I found a few golden nuggets that I feel are very valuable and worthwhile. P.T. Barnum gives 20 rules that a money-getter must abide by in order to be successful.

One thing I can say about this book is looking at where you are right now and mapping out where you want to be by following the 20 rules of getting money. One rule that sticks out to me is “Whatever you do, do it with all your might.” Meaning, do whatever it takes to get you where you want to go, whether it’s staying up late or working seven days to get it done.  Do whatever it takes to get where you want to go.  

Another golden nugget that sticks out at me is to depend on my own mental energy. Whether that is reading, helping others, listening to self help CDs or whatever feeds my mental mind of positivity, strength and perseverance. By following these 20 rules of getting money, it will take one to new heights and focus.

This allows me to refine my goals and adjust my focus daily by being more prayerful and taking action in other categories that I could be lacking in. I plan to focus on one project or item at a time because doing too many things can add iron to the fire.

If one wants to re-define goals and learn “The Art of Money Getting” then this will be a great read. “The inordinate love of money, no doubt, may be and is “the root of all evil,” but money itself, when properly used, is not only a “handy thing to have in the house,” but affords the gratification of blessing our race by enabling its possessor to enlarge the scope of human happiness and human influence.” ~ P.T. Barnum

 

Please find below the link for a FREE copy of this EXCELLENT E-book as well as an opportunity to share it freely with others.

 

http://www.hisrealestatenetwork.com/userfiles/P_T_-Barnum-The-Art-of-Money-Getting-Free-Ebook.pdf

 

 

Dara C

Anthony Silva – Declaration I Am Alive For 2011

    I declare by the end of 2011 I will make the following happen.

Business
        
1) I completed the MMM II Challenge and currently working with IAAMG as the newest Director.

2) AA Investments LLC is creating cash flow with its 2 business models; wholesaling single family homes and owning billboards.

3) Working with my team of investors on long term commercial investments of storage facilities, well on my way to being an expert in the field.  

4) Working with my partners in our marketing company helping others to grow their business.

Personal

1) I have become a better Husband, Father, and Human Being due to my continued education in self improvement having read 2 more books on various subjects.

2) I have improved my ability to give more back financially, spiritually, business advice, all the way down to a simple smile, because of my own determination becoming more.

3) I have helped 1 other motivated person to achieve their short term goals toward their own success.

4) In improving myself I will have become more focused on my goals for 2012 and remember to stop and look around living life in the moment being thankful for what I have.

I have declared the above statements to have already happened because I can see myself standing there looking forward to what I am doing next.

10 Habits Of Highly Effective Real Estate Investors
by Jean Folger, Investopedia

Real estate has long been regarded as a sound investment. Wholesaling and property management of commercial and residential property are just a few of the ways investors can profit from real estate, but it takes a little savvy to become successful in this competitive arena. While certain universities do offer coursework and programs that specifically benefit real estate investors, such as the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s Master of Science in Real Estate, a degree is not necessarily a prerequisite to profitable real estate investing. Whether an investor has a degree or not, there are certain characteristics that top real estate investors commonly possess. (From caves to condos, we look at how Homosapiens have hunted for homes over the years. For further reading, check out No Longer Nomads: The History Of Real Estate.)

Treat Investments as Businesses

It is important for real estate investors to approach their real estate activities as a business in order to establish and achieve short- and long-term goals. A business plan allows real estate investors to not only identify objectives, but also determine a viable course of action towards their attainment. A business plan also allows investors to visualize the big picture, which helps maintain focus on the goals rather than on any minor setback. Real estate investing can be complicated and demanding, and a solid plan can keep investors organized and on task.

Know Their Markets

Effective real estate investors acquire an in-depth knowledge of their selected market(s). The more an investor understands a particular market, the more qualified he or she will be to make sound business decisions. Keeping abreast of current trends, including any changes in consumer spending habits, mortgage rates and the unemployment rate, to name a few, enables savvy real estate investors to acknowledge current conditions, and plan for the future. Being familiar with specific markets allows investors to predict when trends are going to change, creating potentially beneficial opportunities for the prepared investor.

Maintain High Ethical Standards

Realtors are bound to act according to a code of ethics and standards of practice policy, and real estate agents are held to each state's real estate commission rules and standards. Real estate investors, however, unless they are associated with membership-based organizations, are not usually required to maintain a particular degree of ethics in their business practices, as long as they operate within the boundaries of the law. Even though it would be easy to take advantage of this situation, most successful real estate investors, and especially those who remain in the business for the long haul, maintain high ethical standards. Since real estate investing involves actively working with people, an investor's reputation is likely to be far reaching. In the case of an investor lacking in ethics, the consequences can be damaging. Effective real estate investors know it is better to conduct fair business, rather than seeing what they can get away with.

Develop a Focus or Niche

Because there are so many ways to invest in real estate, it is important for investors to develop a focus in order to gain the depth of knowledge essential to becoming successful. This involves learning everything about a certain type of investment - whether it is wholesaling or commercial real estate - and becoming confident in that arena. Taking the time to develop this level of understanding is integral to the long-term success of the investor. Once a particular market is mastered, the investor can move on to additional areas using the same in-depth approach. Savvy investors know that it is better to do one thing well than five things poorly.

Strive to be Good Customer Service Representatives

Referrals generate a sizable portion of a real estate investor's business, so it is critical that investors treat others with respect. This includes business partners, associates, clients, renters and anyone with whom the investor has a business relationship. Effective real estate investors are good customer service representatives by paying attention to detail, listening and responding to complaints and concerns, and representing their business in a positive and professional manner.

Stay Educated

As with any business, it is imperative to stay up to date with the laws, regulations, terminology and trends that form the basis of the real estate investor's business. Keeping current does require additional work, but it can be viewed as an investment in the future of the business. Investors who fall behind risk not only losing momentum in their businesses, but also legal ramifications if laws are ignored or broken. When it pertains to the law, ignorance is no excuse. Successful real estate investors take the time and make the effort to stay educated, adapting to any regulatory changes or economic trends.

Understand the Risks

Those choosing to invest in the stock or futures markets are inundated with myriad warnings regarding the inherent risks involved in investing. Numerous agencies, such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, require disclaimers to warn potential market participants about the possibility of loss of capital. While much of this is legalese, it has made it clear to people that investing in the stock or futures markets is risky; meaning, one can lose a lot of money. Greenhorn real estate investors, however, are more likely to be saturated with advertisements claiming just the opposite - that it is easy to make money in real estate. Prudent real estate investors understand the risks associated with the business - not only in terms of real estate deals, but also the legal implications involved - and adjust their businesses to reduce any risks.

Invest in a Reputable Accountant

Taxes comprise a significant portion of a real estate investor's yearly expenses. Understanding current tax laws can be complicated and take time away from the business at hand. Sharp real estate investors retain the services of a qualified, reputable accountant to handle the business's books. The costs associated with the accountant can be negligible when compared to the savings a professional can bring to the business.

Find Help When They Need It

Real estate investing is complicated and requires a great deal of expertise to engage profitably in the business. Learning the business and the legal procedures is challenging to someone attempting to do things on their own. Effective real estate investors often attribute part of their success to others - whether a mentor, lawyer, accountant or supportive friend. Rather than risk time and money solving a difficult problem on their own, successful real estate investors know it is worth the additional costs (in terms of money and ego) to find help when they need it and embrace other peoples’ expertise. (Don't let a slow real estate market drag you down - steer clear of these pitfalls. To learn more, see 5 Mistakes Real Estate Investors Should Avoid.)

Build a Network

A network can provide important support and create opportunities to a new or experienced real estate investor. This group of associates can be comprised of a well-chosen mentor, business partners, clients or a non-profit organization whose interest is in real estate. A network allows investors to challenge and support one another, and can aid significantly in advancing one's career through shared knowledge and new opportunities. Because much of real estate investing relies on experiential-based learning, rather than on reading a book, for instance, savvy real estate investors understand the importance of building a network.

Conclusion

Despite abundant advertisements claiming that real estate investing is an easy way to wealth, it is in fact a challenging business requiring expertise, planning and focus. In addition, because the business revolves around people, investors benefit in the long run by operating with integrity and by showing respect to associates and clients. Tough it may be relatively simple to enjoy short-lived profits, developing a viable real estate investing business that can last for the long-term requires additional skill and effort. Whether focusing on apartment buildings or commercial property, highly effective real estate investors share these 10 essential habits. (Owning property isn't always easy, but there are plenty of perks.)

The Domino Effect

       There was a time in my life when I did quit on myself. I had owned my business for about 6 years, and had more work than I could handle. My wife and I agreed on taking out an SBA loan to expand the business. This was in November of 2007. About 6 months later, the domino effect started.
       
       I went from having all the work my business could handle to almost no work at all. I thought it was short term, and that we could weather the storm. As time went by, business did not improve. After a few more months, I had to walk away from my business. My wife had saved some money, so we were okay for a while, but I needed to figure out what had happened.

      But walking away from my business destroyed me mentally. I felt like I had failed my wife, children, and above all myself. How could I have put us in that position? How could I have let that happen? I lost many hours of sleep asking question after question of myself. I had given up on chasing after my dreams, and was ready to settle for less.

      As the dominoes started falling, our savings account diminished, and we risked losing everything that we had worked so hard for up until now.  That’s when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started becoming the man I knew I could be. What had snapped me out of that free-fall was thinking about the advice I had given many others: “How can you help others if you can’t even help yourself?”

       I stepped back and started to assess the situation. The first thing I did was write down what I had done wrong with the business and what I had done correctly. I had to learn from my mistakes if I was going to move forward. As I started believing in myself again, my wife and I made some important decisions.

       The most important one was to file for bankruptcy, because we were a guarantor on the SBA loan.  The second was to walk away from our house and move into one of our rental properties. We had to downsize in order to speed up the recovery process. The financial hardship taught us a lot of great lessons. Some of which are: live within your means, set strong budgets, always pay yourself first, understand good debt vs. bad debt, and -one of the most important lessons- do not stack your business, personal, and investments up like dominoes, where if one falls it can start taking out the others.

       We survived those situations, and the experience of loss strengthened me as a person. Where most marriages would have ended, I am blessed that ours has became stronger. Yes, I quit for about a year, but I have become stronger and wiser from it. I am always moving forward now, building our dreams and constantly improving myself and those around me.

My story begins at my first job right out of school in the early 70’s.  I had made the decision to pursue a job in Information Technology (at the time, it was simply called computer programming).  I started with a small insurance company in Wisconsin that was looking for ways to automate their processes.  Believe it or not, insurance applications were submitted on paper, sent to the “data entry” department which was made up of key punch operators entering data into punch cards that were read into a computer for processing. 

I was blessed with the opportunity to work directly with IBM to replace the key punch process with online terminals.  This became an exciting relationship as IBM was looking for a “beta” partner for their new terminals and they offered resources that I worked with side by side to create the first online insurance processing center.

We became the show case for IBM and before I knew it, we were providing testimonials and demonstrations of what could be done with this new technology.  Insurance companies from around the world were visiting our offices including a company from Sweden that left me a little wooden horse as a token of their appreciation that still stands on my desk to this day.

That was the first two years of my career which gave me great pride since my aunts and uncles always claimed my dad’s children wouldn’t amount to much.  My dad worked three jobs to put food on the table and we weren’t afforded a lot of opportunities … but what we all learned was a work ethic to do what you need to succeed. 

These first two years set the stage for the rest of my career as I was recruited by other insurance companies for process reengineering or entity startup and integration projects.  However, somewhere along this journey, my career took me out of the rewarding roll of project development and reengineering and moved into an Executive roll of data stewardship, bureaucracy, regulatory compliance, privacy and security.  It just wasn’t fun anymore and after 30 years, when I fell victim to a merger and acquisition that left me standing on the outside for the first time in my career, I embraced the opportunity to reinvent myself and pursued real estate investment.

This was GREAT!  I was reenergized and filled with passion to learn anything and everything there was to learn in real estate and in 2006 I began to amass our real estate empire, buying into every strategy that was promoted.  I was buying foreclosures and REOs from the bank and keeping them for rentals in markets I believed would cash flow.  I was investing in land development, preconstruction, apartment conversions, commercial development and a development project in Costa Rico.  I was so focused on “building” this empire that I never stopped to look at the risks and warning signs that were starting to appear about the real estate market and when it crashed, I drove our real estate empire right off the cliff ….. Without a safety net.

Whoa … we lost EVERYTHING!  But that’s OK!  I know I was successful once, and I know I could do it again.  BUT, I made a fundamental mistake.  Rather than approaching new ventures in a position of confidence, I was pursuing them in a mode of desperation.  I started chasing shinny objects and unicorns that made promises of recovering what I had lost in a short amount of time.  These unicorns were presented as Bulk REO tapes and commodity transactions for Gold and Oil.  The reality is … “There is no quick fix” and it was going to take hard work and determination to recover what had been lost and achieve the goals I had lost sight of.

At the end of 2010, I made the fundamental decision to go back to the basics of real estate investing and laser focus on a single strategy … one with reduced risk and could leverage OPM to begin our recovery.  My research for this strategy led me to a course that initially appeared to provide the coaching I was searching for to regain my confidence at an affordable price to reenter the real estate market.  However, the first weekend seminar quickly revealed that in order to “qualify” for the coaching program, I would have to buy the next two levels of training that would total approximately $20,000.

This was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  That’s it … I QUIT!  I could no longer take my family down this black hole of real estate gurus and I was going to have to reenter Corporate America and find a J.O.B.  WELL, I now thank God for putting me at that fork in the road.  All things happen for a reason and as I started to look for JOB opportunities, I stumbled across the Facebook link and/or email that talked about an intern/mentorship opportunity with a national real estate company and the rest is history!

I also need to thank my WIFE who has been an absolute rock through this whole experience.  Not once has she blamed me for destroying our goals for early retirement and philanthropy … nor has she ever berated me to get a JOB.  Instead, she has reminded me of how unhappy I had become in Corporate America and she did not want to see me stop “Three Feet From Gold”.  She encouraged me to learn from the experts, shadow what they are doing and regain my confidence to become successful again through the only real method to success of blood, sweat and tears.  There is no such thing as GET RICH QUICK in the real world.

I am renewed by the same energy I once felt for the opportunity I had early in my career to work side by side with IBM to develop a business opportunity that benefited each other.  Once again, I am blessed with an opportunity to work side by side with the experts at the HIS Real Estate Network to build business opportunities in Real Estate that I KNOW will benefit all parties.  I will be forever indebted to and thankful for this opportunity offered by Danny, Rick and the Directors, Sam, Dana, Jo and Alex.  God Bless You All!

                                                 I QUIT  

      WOW! To give up or “Quit” wouldn’t be a word in my vocabulary at this point but I did think about it several times when things got hard or when I had a little too much on my plate. Back in fall of 2010, I actually thought of and was very close to calling it quits towards pursuing a degree in law. While thinking about it at the time, I still had about 5 years left to complete this goal while getting a dual Bachelors degree in legal studies and accounting, then off to law school. It’s not like school work was hard because I currently have a 3.5 GPA and on the dean’s list. I just kept telling myself why now because I’m in my early thirties and I can just re-focus on my career in real estate. I was actually contemplating on reactivating my real estate license and somehow learn to incorporate real estate investing into this picture. A friend of mine was a real estate agent in Arkansas that turned to real estate investing when the market change and the income she makes currently allowed me to ask myself at the time, “why complete my degree when I can focus on this career opportunity and make more money.”

I was feeding this to myself trying to find an excuse to stop taking my online classes because it’s time consuming. I called to talk to my counselor and informed him that fall 2010 will be my last semester because I have other items on my agenda. Well after an hour conversation and going back and forth, I informed him to hold off. The comment I made to my counselor was “let me think about it again before I make a final decision.” So for the last two weeks of the semester in December 2010, I wrote down all my pros and cons of continuing my educational journey.

The first thing I’ve learned is that whatever trials and tribulations I’m go through, I will never quit or give up without dedicating a 100 percent focus to complete whatever I start. Secondly, as an aspiring attorney, I can use real estate law in my business if I choose to go that route. It will be a plus once I get my law degree. Lastly, real estate investing can pay my way through law school because I will not accumulate over 200 thousand dollars in debt. Needless to say, after reviewing my educational goals again along with completing 2 years of schooling so far and verifying my pro and cons, I’ve decided to continue and pursue my ultimate goal of completing my educational journey but just take a semester off. In the end, I didn’t quit, just took a five month break from 12/18/2010 through 5/19/2011 to get refreshed.

 

Dara C

 

 

 

 

 

This event happened many moons ago, but nonetheless, it was a defining moment in my life. I started playing field hockey in 7th grade. It was my first time on team sports. I was pretty athletic, but up until that point, all my sports had either been individual, or neighborhood pick-up games. I continued playing through high school. When I was in the 11th grade, I was cut from the team. I was cut from the team, and did not even see it coming. During tryouts, I was a little nervous about being cut, because I knew I was not the best player; but I also had a pretty good idea of how the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams were going to be formed. Since there were only 3 grades in our high school, and I was clearly better than any of the sophomores, I really thought I was pretty safe at making the JV team. NOPE. My name was not there on the Junior Varsity list. I could not believe it. My teammates could not believe it. It was like having a dagger put through my chest. My teammates told me to go talk to the coach. I went to the varsity coach and had a talk with her. The varsity coach told me, I was good enough to play on JV, but not on Varsity. However, she also decided, She would rather have my slot opened on the Junior Varsity team for a younger player, or a Senior, whom she preferred. She would use the Senior - Patti, on JV¸ to deepen her Varsity bench, or bring her up due to team injuries. I was very sad, and hurt. I just wanted to go home and cry. My fall schedule had suddenly changed, but I had already planned on staying after for practice. Since I missed the bus and had to wait for a ride home, I walked to the store with my ex-teammates for our usual afternoon snacks and break. While at the store, someone told me they thought they heard that Patti was going to quit. She wanted a varsity position and was not willing to play on JV. Man, I wanted that position. With the encouragement of my teammates I decided to speak to the coach and ask her for a position back on the JV team. I was scared out of my wits, but decided I had nothing to lose. I really did not expect anything but, “I’m sorry, I’d rather a sophomore on the team, than you.” So after our walk to the store, and a couple of trips to the bathroom, I finally found the courage to go into speak to the coach. I told her, I had heard that Patti was thinking about quitting. She told me, that Patti was not just thinking about it, but that she had actually already quit. Right away I had a flood of emotions – I was equally relieved, and petrified. From fear, I clenched my fists at my side, took a quick breath and decided now was the time to go for it. “Coach”, I said. “ I would like Patti’s place on the team.” She then asked me if I was willing to work hard for it, and dig deeper than I had before. I assured her I would. I walked out of my coach’s office, with my dignity and my position back. I ran to tell my teammates and get changed for practice. Needless, to say, my abilities, and my confidence grew over that year. My coach was also my gym teacher. She saw me grow aggressively in the sports arena. We had co-ed gym, and she saw my attitude about making sure I could not be beat in sports, “just because you are a guy”, mindset. You might beat me, but I was going to give it my all and go out dying! I learned, that in order to get the ball against a guy, you needed to throw an elbow or two to keep the guys out of your space. When they figured out you were serious, they would give you a little space to see your abilities. When they figured out you were good enough, they would leave you alone. I started to play co-ed pick-up volleyball after school w/ many of the top male jocks, AND I held my own! By springtime, I found my groove. I was confident, and good. In several of my gym classes, some of my male jock friends had tried to get beat me in several sports. I usually ended up taking one or two of them out, during the gym period. The male coaches of the school, started coming over to me and my coach, asking me to take it easy on their athletes. My coach/gym teacher was psyched! She knew something I didn’t. She knew that my greatest foe on the field, had been my lack of confidence. She also knew that with my new found confidence, I would be a different and better player on the field! She told me several times, she could not wait to see me on the field, my senior year, practically guaranteeing me a spot. In August, my senior year, I made the team. But just one day after the cuts were made, my coach announced she was leaving the team, and going to coach Bentley College, effective tomorrow. She explained how this was a great opportunity, and promotion for her. “Are you kidding me?” I thought. Needless to say, everyone else on the team had the exact same thought. For the next three weeks, we were more or less self-coached. We finally got a coach, but our team was not real confident in her, or her abilities. She was young, and had not even coached a team yet. We figured we were doomed for the season. Last year’s team was incredible. But we had lost all the star players, over half the team, and a great head coach. Behind our new coach’s back, we decided as a team, that if nothing else, we would have a great camaraderie, and make sure we had fun. We wanted to win a few games, and set a team goal of winning 50%. We had a coach that was in it, at least for the season. By the time we had played five games, we had a few weeks with our new coach. Just before we got off the bus, she stood at the front of the bus. She said, “Ladies, this is a significant game. You have a record of 2-2-1. You have two wins, two losses, and one tie. It is time now to make a decision as a team. Do you want to have more wins, or losses? Or do you want to add another tie, which is not even like playing a game? But you have to decide now, and that will determine how you play. ” That struck a chord with me. I got up, and said, “You know what girls, coach is right. Let’s go out and play our heart out today. Let’s make Coach Mullen, regret she left us, and show her, we don’t need her!” Turns out, we won that game. It was a very difficult game. The other team was a dirty, extremely aggressive, but also a very skilled team. They almost beat us with their cheap tricks, trips, and punches. We held our heads high, we did not stoop to their level of playing, and kicked our determination up a notch. When we walked off the field we walked off bruised and beaten, but nonetheless victorious. With our victory, came more determination. After that win, we gave ourselves a team pep-talk before every game, and we won the rest of our games in our regular season. We ended up in a tie for first place, in the first division of the state of Massachusetts. We went to the play offs. After the first play-off game, I started to get run down. I got a cold, but I kept on practicing and playing. This was our season, and I did not want to let my teammates down. The substitute player for my position, was excited for the opportunity to play for me. She made sure to give her best, at all of our practices. As the playoffs went on, my cold got worse. I developed bronchitis, and then pneumonia. I would be running down the field, coughing, and hacking, during the games. My teammates knew I was sick and learned not to pay attention to me, but the other teams were initially be very concerned for me. My last 4 games were physically awful. When we had a penalty, or timeout, I was usually over the side line, vomiting. It got to the point, that my grandmother, and mother could no longer watch me play. They were too worried I was going to need an ambulance, to take me to the hospital. Looking back, it’s quite funny though - I remember looking at my team in a huddle between halves, and they were very intensely listening to coach. I, on the other hand, was intensely heaving up half a lung. At the quarter-finals, during our pre-game warm up; I was thinking I feel really crummy. I don’t think I want to play today. What does it matter if I quit playing for the remainder of the season? No one will blame me, they all know I have pneumonia. In fact, they have all told me, I should rest on the sidelines, and let my back up, Lisa play for me. As I was having all this self-talk in my head, Lisa came in line behind me, and said, “You know, Alis, if you don’t want to play, or if you feel you need a rest at anytime in the game, let me know. I am happy and ready to help you and the team out.” She was being a great team player, but that was just the kick in the butt, I needed. That comment instantaneously changed my attitude. I sucked up, all the pain, fatigue, and difficulty breathing I was having, and I made the decision, I was going to play. Not only play, but play well, and not give Lisa the satisfaction of playing for me. The poor kid, she never knew what hit her! The ironic thing about that game . . . it was the longest game on record in the state at that time. We played two 45 min halves, as usual, but we tied 1-1. Because it was the playoffs, we went into overtime. I had played the entire 90 minutes of the game. Regulation rules state, if you played the last ten minutes of the second half, you had to play in the overtime¸ with no substitutions. Little did I know that I would end up playing, a double overtime, and then sudden death. I played field hockey for 2hrs 18 min. WITH pneumonia! By the time we got to the sudden death round, I was not the only one on the field, who didn’t care which team won. Most of the players on both teams, just wanted SOMEONE to score, so we could stop playing and go home! We all knew we had played our best, and at that point, that was enough personal satisfaction. Fortunately, for the Woburn Tannerettes, one of our forwards, was a little hungrier than anyone else, and scored the winning goal - by shear drive. Thank God, the game was over! We played two more games, and we won them both. We were Division I State Champions, and I had played every minute of every playoff game. WHEN I WANTED TO QUIT After winning our Final game, we had a huge team party and sleepover. I went to the party and tried to sleepover, but I was just too sick. I left the party, and went home sick, in the middle of the night. I ended up missing the following week of school, and most of the school honors and banquets for the team. I did make it to the Fall Season Sports Banquet, though. We were awarded our various trophies, rings, jackets, etc. for being the Division One State Champions. At that banquet, I was surprisingly awarded the largest trophy in all the fall sports teams, from the Mayor. It was the Unsung Hero’s award, in memoriam of his late wife. It was a very touching moment. I also found out, my team unanimously voted me the recipient. I wanted to give up a couple of times in my field hockey career. When my coach didn’t think I was I was good enough for the team, I didn’t think I was good enough for the team. I wanted to just crawl under a rock, and not re-approach her. When I was sick with pneumonia. I just wanted to go home and get in bed. But I am so glad I did not give up. Those were defining moments in my life. LESSONS LEARNT FROM NOT QUITTING: Get Clear about what you want, and ask for it. If you don’t ask, you’ll never get it. If you are not willing to speak up for yourself, you cannot negotiate on behalf of yourself. You reap what you sow. Action is all that matters – taking action started building confidence. Humility is power, I was humbled enough to want to do better. If it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth doing. And most importantly, Unity is the ONLY way. We were a team without any stars, and without a coach. But our determination, and team spirit, is what got us to winning the state title. Because we had no stars, we learned how to play to everyone’s strengths, and to protect each other’s weaknesses. As a team, we became the “Queen of Victory.” This has recently become a mantra of mine, to increase my inner strength. I am a Queen of Victory! Long Live the Queen! PS - I am not telling you what year that was, since some of you were not even born yet! LMAO