171Henry’s son entered each wrestling match more than
thoroughly prepared to counter anything his opponent
tried.
But no matter how gifted Henry’s son was at coun-
tering moves, countering was still countering, so the
other wrestler always dictated the tempo. Finally,
Henry suggested to his son that he try entering a wres-
tling match with his own attack plan—a series of moves
thathe would initiate no matter what his opponent tried.
The boy agreed, and the results were remarkable.
He began winning match after match, pinning opponent
after opponent.
The young wrestler’s goal had always been to win.
He didn’t have a problem setting goals. But what had to
be added was a plan of action. In sports, as in life, goals
alone aren’t always enough. As Nathaniel Branden says,
“A goal without an action plan is a daydream.”
Henry Brown didn’t just give that advice to his son
because he bought into it theoretically. His own Brown
and Brown Chevrolet dealership has many times been
the number one Chevy dealership in the nation because
he plans his company’s own yearly performance in the
same way he coached his son.
Every year he has his general manager send me the
detailed videotape that outlines the dealership’s game
plan for the coming year. It includes all the department’s
projected earnings down to the penny. By boldly chart-
ing such a specific course, Brown lets the market respond
to him. Once, when I asked him how his dealership got
through a previous year’s nationwide automotive sales
recession he said, “We decided not to participate in it.”
Before any adventure, take time to plan. Design your
own plan of attack. Don’t just counter what some other
Pin your life down