Dan Gable is the greatest wrestler of all time.
Dan Gable is the greatest wrestling coach of all time.
As a wrestler, he lost just one match. One! And it was a huge upset. He won a gold medal wrestling for the United States in the Olympics.
As a coach, he led the University of Iowa Hawkeyes to an incredible 15 national championships.
Ask Dan how he did it, and he won’t say talent. Nope. He’ll tell you it was all about hard work.
Here is an inspirational story he tells in his book A Wrestling Life (great book!)
Dan grew up in Iowa. Early in Dan’s wrestling journey, in junior high, Dan lost a match.
Afterward, he and his parents drove home on a cold winter’s night. Without saying a word, Dan walked to his room and pouted.
And pouted.
And pouted.
Dan’s mother did not take kindly to his sulking. She marched into his bedroom and said, “You know what you are? You are a Molly Puts.” This was not a compliment. That was her term for someone who refused to do his job. She went on to say, “You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and be a man. You know what the driveway needs? To be shoveled, and I would like you—no, wait, I am telling you—to go outside and get the shoveling done.”
This exchange made Dan angry. It was freezing cold outside. He was tired. He was still upset that he had lost his match. Begrudgingly, he laced his winter boots, donned a jacket, went outside, and grabbed a shovel.
The cold? Brutal. Snow piled high on the Gable driveway. Every breath stung. Dan scooped up a shovel of snow and tossed it aside. Then another.
And another.
And another.
Recalling this, Dan later wrote, “Something started to turn in my stomach like a monster, looking for a way out. This monster was anger and determination, and I was about to unleash it all over our neighborhood. I attacked our driveway so fast it looked like a snowblower had been there…. I was almost running as I was completely focused on removing the snow from our driveway.”
After finishing his family’s driveway, Dan walked over to his neighbor’s house and shoveled their driveway. Then it was on to the next house.
Something mystical had happened. Dan did not want to be a “Molly Puts.” Meanwhile, Dan’s anger had transformed itself into something wonderful. He shoveled for his own family and the people on his streets until he was utterly exhausted. He realized it felt good to work out his anger, so he kept shoveling his anger, and the snow was gone.
Dan learned the value of hard work. Not just for wrestling, but for handling his emotions—especially the challenging ones.
In high school, Dan ran to school instead of catching a ride. He ran to his summer job. He lifted weights while watching ball games on TV. He worked his way into becoming a champion.
There’s a lot we can learn from Dan Gable. But here’s my favorite: When things go sideways, don’t just sit and stew—do something! Bad days happen at work. It’s normal to feel down for a bit. That’s part of the process. But then, pick one thing to do—send an email, crunch a number, help a teammate. It’s tough to think your way into better action, but it’s much easier to act your way into a better mood. That’s what Dan did.
Mark
Dr. Mark Edge
The WorkEdge Company
Telephone: 903-245-7851
Email: workedgetexas@gmail.com
Website: www.workedgetexas.com
Author of Holy Chaos. To purchase the book, click here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mark+edge&crid=3B1BM6W3LHOG0&sprefix=%2Caps%2C137&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent
WorkEdge leverages AI as a resource. While this material was not written or generated by AI, the editing was informed by AI tools.