Feb 4, 2008 5:22 pm US/Eastern
A Giant Victory: Life Lessons To Live By
By Scott Rapoport, CBS 2
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
They say it's just a game. But the Giants' Super Bowl victory last night is even more remarkable considering where they were as a team just over a month and a half ago. Their role as underdogs all throughout a magical postseason run offers to many some important life lessons to consider.
Tom Coughlin was seen as bull-headed, out of touch and told to change his ways or lose his job. Michael Strahan was at odds with Coughlin and seriously considered retiring before the 07/08 season. And who could forget Manning's performance against the Minnesota Vikings? The now Super Bowl MVP was being called unqualified to serve as the face of the Giants franchise. The media in New York had eloquently written him off. He was done. But the day after viewers in record numbers witnessed one of the NFL's greatest Super Bowls, it's the Giants who are smiling. Now it's up to their fans to learn from their story.
In short, few expected much from the Giants this year and certainly no one expected this. But the Giants made believers of their fans and most importantly, they believed in themselves from day one. It was the improbable result of hard work, tenacity and change.
Coughlin reinvented himself by consulting his players more and ceding some of his stingy control. The disgruntled Strahan excelled as a leader and a unifying force in the locker room. Now no one can take that smile of his face. Burress shattered the 'plexiglass' myth by playing hurt all year through the sheer force of will alone. And then there's Manning. He persevered through potentially crippling criticism and cynicism to orchestrate a last minute win that many analysts still can't believe. The lesson? Never quit.
"Never quit. If you quit, you'll never get the win of such magnitude in life," said psychologist Dr. Susan Bartell.
Other valuable lessons from the game, say psychologists, are believing in yourself, that anything is possible and refusing to sell yourself short. Sounds like a similar recipe to success used by the Giants to 'shock the world."
Bartell is a psychologist and life counselor. She says the Giants provide wonderful life lessons for children and adults.
"The harder you try, the more you persevere, the more you are able to come from the very bottom in life and rise to the top," Bartell told CBS 2 HD.
Of course, some luck doesn't hurt either. Just ask the Giants.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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