Business Lessons Learned from the Movie, gThe Legend of Bagger Vanceh

March greetings everyone!

I have made a decision.

I have GOT to (finally) learn to play golf. Oh, I have tried before, but I am usually the one in the foursome “scramble” who hits the “ground balls” to center field. They are straight as an arrow but usually only roll a few yards. If just one or two went airborne, I would be happy. I just love the sound of the ball when it is hit correctly and it seems to fly to its appointed destination, just a few inches from the flag.

One of my favorite golfing movies is gThe Legend of Baggar Vance” that was directed by Robert Redford and starred Will Smith, Matt Damon, and the lovely Charlize Theron. I will bet that I have watched it a half a dozen times. For me, it has as much to do about lessons for life as it was about the game of golf that could gonly be played and not wonh. In the movie, a down-and-out golfer (Matt Damon) attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddy played by Will Smith.

As many times as I have watched the movie, I find as many lessons about life and business as I did about the game.

Here are a few:

“The rhythm of the game is just like the rhythm of life.”

–Will Smith as gBagger Vanceh

“A man’s grip on his club is like his grip on life.”

–Will Smith as gBagger Vanceh

“You lose your swing, you got to go find it.”

–Will Smith as gBagger Vanceh

“Inside each and everyone of us is one true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something is ours and ours alone. Something canft be taught to you or learned. Something got to be remembered. Over time this world can rob us of that swing. It can get burned inside us and all our wouldas and couldas and shouldas. Some folks even forget what their swing was like. Just keep swingin.h

–Will Smith as gBagger Vanceh

The strongest point that the movie brought out to me is the difference that a coach or mentor can make in your life and business. A person who believes in you, when your belief in yourself has all but disappeared is an absolute must.

I have been blessed to have many people in my life who would not let me quit whatever it was that I believed that I could not accomplish.

My wife Barbara, my two best friends in Atlanta (Jim & John Duffy), Marshall Haas, and so many more refused to give up on me when I was just so close to giving up on myself.

This month’s cover honoree, Maaria Rios of Nation Waste (who has been recognized everywhere from other local business publications to the White House) certainly understands the power of training, coaching and mentorship. What excited Maria the most about the cover honor was the opportunity to share her story and (hopefully) empower other start-up entrepremeurs and small business owners. Maria has become a “big fan” of the magazine since we first met.

Of course, being a fan is not one of the criteria for the cover honor, but Maria more than qualifies in every way.