Bob Mueller 'finds his Butkus' 2010

By RON SMITH
Sports Editor Brockville Recorder and Times

 

The person who thinks about something will always be passed by the person doing something about it. That's the belief of former Brockville martial arts owner Bob Mueller on the years that have passed since he left the city in 1989 to return to British Columbia.

Mueller returned to the city on Monday to give a seminar on "Finding Your Butkus," a presentation designed to inspire people to follow their dreams and not give up on themselves....

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Chris Stevens: We all need to find our Butkus

It wasn't too long ago that I found myself doing some major soul-searching about life.

What's next for me? Where's my career going? What's my true passion?

Is it time to exit the newspaper business and do something else? What do I really want to do with my life?

Truthfully, the process has been exhilarating, painful, discouraging and hope-filled -- all rolled into one. You should try it sometime. It's a journey filled with potholes, valleys, hills and pleasant surprises. You never know what's around the corner.

That's why it took me by surprise that Dick Butkus may play a role in all of this.

Dick Butkus?

Yes, Dick Butkus. No. 51. Chicago Bears. Legendary linebacker. Liked to extinguish guys carrying footballs. A savage hitter. Maybe the toughest football player of all time.

Yeah, I know. A strange connection. But true. And something that still has me scratching my head.

Two weeks ago, in my regular Sunday column, I wrote a piece about Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, who is battling brain cancer.

My message was pretty simple and straight-forward -- I've always respected Sabol's great work over the years, and I hope he beats cancer and returns to work quickly. That was that. Or so I thought.

In this day and age, no column is local. Our work gets on the World Wide Web, and it goes into homes and phones around the world. With one Google search and one click of the mouse, someone can read my column.

And that's what happened with the piece on Sabol.

The man's name is Bob Mueller .....