"When the going gets tough, the tough get going"

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." - When the game gets tough, the tough ones just start playing . I love that line, and I adopted it a long, long time ago. When I played at TSV Lauterbach in the youth team and afterwards in the first soccer squad (but mostly in the backup team...) soccer in the C-class. Relegation is not an option anymore and an ascend doesn't seem to come about either ;-) Nevertheless we played as our life dependent upon it. The soccer socks down and then on to the ball and the opponent at the same time. Losing was shit and winning was heaven, there was nothing to lose about nothing. It was all about us and our passion for the game and the play. 

How do you transfer that passion to work? How do you achieve the same joy and pleasure, for work, with which you pursue a hobby? Good question, isn't it? I think that a lot depends on each individual, how much passion he or she has to develop the same and to allow it to break out. I think little of motivating other, either someone likes it or he does not like it. However: frustration results in loss of passion, so please don't get frustrated to quickly - and certainly not over every little matter. I can set the framework, but the rest has to come naturally. So with "Tschakka, you can do it" you may be able to manipulate children, but you can't motivate adults. Desire and passion, the joy of playing, fun at hobbies or work and the desire to win? That's exciting! Believe me, this is in everyone of us. You just have to let it out and let it happen!

During that time I also ran marathons and developed a thesis about it: It's not about strength, not even about endurance and certainly not about speed, but only about the ability to suffer... we can certainly discuss it. You have to persevere and be prepared to torture yourself... Nothing comes from nothing ! 
I really liked boxing very much - but I'd rather not tell you what I was thinking when I did it, I don't want to surprise you... :-) Just this much: you have to be able to take a punch, sometimes more, sometimes less. The boards you are sent down to are not there to lie down, but to get up again... Blindly hitting is as ineffective as neglecting your cover, defense and attack belong together. None of the two must be neglected, and without stamina, without strength and above all without the will to win, you don't even need to get into the ring. You see - sport has a lot to do with our work, our company and our approach ... and one last thing: athletes are tough but always fair!

I wish you a wonderful weekend ! With sporty greetings.

Yours

Ernst Prost