Never Say Never

194 Pages·2002·0.73 MB·English

by  Phyllis George

P G
HYLLIS EORGE
Ten
lessons
to turn
you can’t
into
YES I CAN
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To my parents, Bob and Louise, who were always
there for me and taught me to believe in myself,
To my children, Lincoln and Pamela, who hopefully
will learn from my past and use these lessons in
their future,
And to all of those people who told me I could
“never” do something. Thank you for challenging me
to prove that I could.
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C
ONTENTS
Foreword by Rick Pitino vi
Introduction xi
1. Say Yes to Yourself 1
2. Embrace Change as Your Friend 21
3. Be a Risk Taker 35
4. Find a Void and Fill It 51
5. Trust Your Instincts 67
6. Keep Your Options Open 83
7. Feel the Power of Being Nice 97
8. Life Isn’t Perfect 111
9. Keep Your Perspective 129
10. Learn to Laugh at Yourself 145
Afterword: In Closing … a Few More Things 165
Acknowledgments 170
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F
OREWORD
by Rick Pitino
Phyllis is a pioneer. Her range is what impresses me the most.
She entered a highly competitive pageant and emerged as Miss
America. She became the first national female sports broad-
caster. She flourished in the limelight as First Lady in the state
of Kentucky. She’s been successful in business. And she is a
respected humanitarian.
Each step along the way, she embraced the mission at
hand. There is a great deal of doubt and uncertainty when you
are a pioneer, no matter how much passion you have, no mat-
ter how much knowledge you possess, no matter how much
you love what you do. Imagine going through a tunnel, not
knowing what is in store for you at the other end—success,
failure, or just another path that leads you somewhere else.
Phyllis never knew where each of her tunnels would lead.
• vii •
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viii / NEVER SAY NEVER
Phyllis was able to conquer her fears and become success-
ful through a strong work ethic and fervent self-esteem. Her
attitude toward each venture she tackled has allowed her to be
so diverse. It seems that whatever she takes on, she emerges
victorious. Like anyone striving for success, she had to do her
research, develop a work plan, and devote herself to a stick-to-
it effort.
She opened a door for many women by entering a chauvin-
istic sports world. At the time she appeared on the scene, there
were very few female sports reporters, and there were none on
national television. Working with a talented blend of characters
who would cut her no slack if she did not know the material,
Phyllis had to be knowledgeable, insightful, and powerful. She
had to have a strong presence in a very difficult environment.
Phyllis had to be a tremendous risk taker. Had she failed,
she would have been ridiculed twice as much as any other
broadcaster precisely because she was a pioneer. When you
break barriers, you have to be really good at what you do to
open doors. You just can’t be mediocre. You have to be great.
Jackie Robinson opened up so many doors for African-
American athletes because he had grit and tremendous talent.
It is obvious he made a huge impact. Likewise, Phyllis paved
the way for women by being a risk taker.
The lessons Phyllis shares in Never Say Never are not only
inspirational, helping you understand that you too can suc-
ceed, but they’re lessons for everybody. It doesn’t matter if
you’re the CEO of a company or a high school or college stu-
dent just starting out and trying to make it in this world. Her
ten lessons are a realistic approach to help anyone succeed in
daily life.
Phyllis looks at not taking yourself too seriously. That’s a
great notion to understand. When you take yourself too seri-