Post by TheShadow on Jun 25, 2008 16:40:45 GMT -5
www.thestreet.com
By Tim Brown
Football comes naturally for me. It always has.
I worked extremely hard, stayed disciplined, dedicated and determined. The payoff: a Heisman Trophy, which is the award for the best college football player, and 17 seasons in the NFL (most of them in the Silver and Black of the Oakland Raiders), the highest level of competition in the world. I could see the results of my hard work, and it was very rewarding. And, it helped me get to where I am today.
Since I retired from football, that competitive fire has not burned out. For those of you who do not know, I've followed another passion of mine since my days on the gridiron: NASCAR. For the last three years, I've been trying to get my team in the race. It's been a difficult trek, yet I have remained steadfast in my dedication to the sport and my goal. We've changed manufacturers this year, and all that's left is a sponsor. Other than that, we're set to go.
I know we'll still have some hurdles to overcome, but we will be where we need to be soon. I am confident in that.
The three Ds as I call them -- discipline, determination and dedication -- were the keys. They kept me on course and kept me going. They set the tone for my successful career on the field, and I believe they have positioned me to achieve great things now.
Even though getting my team together does not have me working out and running routes, I can still dedicate myself to the job at hand, discipline myself to make the calls and follow up, and be determined even after I have been told no.
In my opinion, if any one of the three Ds are lacking, I will not succeed. I think the parallels between these lessons and investing are quite obvious. A company that follows these principles stands a much better chance of success than the competition. Investors who can correctly identify companies with these traits will be in great shape. Likewise, investors who stay disciplined, dedicated and determined also have an advantage over those who are not as focused.
Today's pick is Accenture(ACN - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr). Accenture is a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Its management consulting biz includes CRM, or customer relationship management and finance performance management, and a whole host of other services.
It's got a solid balance sheet and is trading at a great price. It has a crazy return on equity (ROE) of 72.24%. You can own this company for about less than $40. It was up more than 2% in trading before noon today.
As is typically the case, let's go long with this one. The receiver is wide open! And as for my racing, I know if I adhere to the three Ds, Tim Brown Racing will be up and running in no time.
Keep moving the chains!
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At the time of publication, Brown had no positions in stocks mentioned, although positions may change at any time.
Tim Brown played 16 seasons in the NFL, where he made nine Pro Bowls. After a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, Brown retired as an Oakland Raider. He was a Heisman Trophy winner in college for Notre Dame.