In 1994, I didn’t know about the Law of Attraction, nor did I consciously apply a “no excuses” approach to my daily existence. What I did know was that I loved the game of hockey and I HAD to be at Madison Square Garden to see the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup.
My father had season tickets to the Rangers since I was three years old; he started taking me to games when I was six. Over the years, my sisters and I would take turns going to games with my father.
In 1994, it was destiny for the Rangers to win the Cup (and since they hadn’t won since 1940, this was a big deal). The first few rounds of the playoffs were easy and fun. I went to Long Island and Washington, DC for games with my father and we had a lot of fun watching the Rangers easily defeat their opponents.
Then, things got difficult when the Rangers played their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils. It would be one thing for the Rangers to lose the series, and another for them to lose to the Devils. But, alas, the fate was on our side and the Rangers prevailed in a Game 7, double-overtime game to advance to the finals.
What was I doing while the Rangers were fighting for their playoff lives with the Devils in Game 7? I was in my apartment, packing for a business trip to Israel. Of course I was excited for the trip but then reality set in – I was going to be traveling while the Rangers were playing for the Stanley Cup.
My father kept in close contact with me by phone and fax so I knew what was happening as each of the first few games of the series were played in New York City and Vancouver. As luck would have it, I was returning home from Israel in time for Game 5 of the series in New York City, a game that could have been the series winner and seen the Rangers win the Cup for the first time in 54 years.
Now, logically and fairly speaking, one of my sisters was planning to go to this game. She had been home for the first few games, she had been experiencing the drama first hand, and I totally “got” that she was planning to go to the game with my father. Except for one thing – I couldn’t bear not to be there if the Rangers were going to win the Cup. To make a long story short, my sister told me to go to the game with my father, but the deal was if the Rangers lost this game (5) or the next (game 6) and there was going to be a Game 7, she was going with my father. I took the gamble. I didn’t think there was any way the Rangers would lose the next two games…but they did.
Immediately, scalpers were asking upwards of $5,000 for tickets to Game 7. I knew I had to be at the game, but wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get a ticket, since paying thousands of dollars was out of the question. I took a no-excuses approach. I wrote an impassioned letter to the president of Madison Square Garden (at the time it was Robert Gutkowski) and explained my predicament: my father’s subscription for two seats, my love of the Rangers for so many years, the Game 5 “challenge” with my sister and now this – the Rangers playing for the Stanley Cup and I HAD to be at the Garden.
When I think about, I remember always feeling inside my body that I would be at MSG to see the Rangers win the Cup. I didn’t know how I was going to get the ticket, but I absolutely saw myself experiencing the euphoria with my sister, father and 20,000 other Ranger fans.
The day before the game, I had been out at a meeting and returned to my office to see a message from Mr. Gutkowski. I returned the call and spoke with him, shaking like a leaf from excitement throughout the conversation. The result – he left a ticket in my name at the box office for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Now remember, when I wrote the letter and “saw” myself at MSG when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, I wasn’t thinking about the Law of Attraction and the power of visualization. I knew what I wanted and knew I would do whatever it took to get it.
This incredible experience always reminds me of my strength and dedication to the areas of my life that mean so much to me. And I hope it serves as a catalyst for you to apply the Law of Attraction to your goals, and empowers you to take a no-excuses approach to fulfill your dreams.
