LESSON 15
INSIGHT #4 - eliminate the confusion
READ: Pages 82 to 85
  When Rudy finally got to Notre Dame one of his first big obstacles was lack of money. Where did he first sleep? Do you think he was lonely? Why didn’t he quit and go back to Joliet?
How did Rudy meet the Notre Dame football coach?
What does the word “initiative” mean? Did Rudy show initiative when he decided to meet Coach Parseghian?
What is a “walk-on” football player? What is the role of a walk-on?
How did Rudy show initiative in becoming a walk-on football player?
Why did Rudy want to become a walk-on player?
Think of times in your life when you showed initiative.
Rudy had dreamed of being a part of the Notre Dame football team since he was a little boy. Some of the other players who were trying out for the team were bigger and stronger than Rudy but he made the team and they didn’t. Why?
Once Rudy was chosen by the coaching staff to be a member of the Notre Dame football team Rudy had another Big Dream. What was it and what were some of the obstacles that he faced?
Rudy’s Big Dream of dressing for a varsity game was overwhelming to him, so he broke his Dream into smaller goals. What were some of them?
Can you break your Big Dream into smaller goals?
Should you try to achieve your Big Dream in one giant step?
What does Rudy mean by “you do it by getting in the door”?
Rudy believes that “most successful people want to help others become successful.” Then Rudy tells you two qualities you must have for these people to notice you. What are they? Describe them using examples. Do you have these qualities?

LESSON 16
INSIGHT #4 - eliminate the confusion
READ: Pages 90 to 93
  Describe Rudy’s big break in trying to find a Hollywood connection. Do you think Rudy was just lucky or is it something else?
Rudy met another mentor “by accident.” His name is John Stratigus. Who is he and how did he meet Rudy? What advice did he give Rudy?
Rudy describes a very important quality he had to have when John Stratigus gave him his advice. What is it? Do you think you have this quality?
What were the two reasons that Angelo Pizzo gave Rudy for why he didn’t want to write Rudy’s movie? Was this a major obstacle for Rudy? Did he quit trying to make his movie because this obstacle seemed overwhelming?
How did Rudy approach Angelo after Angelo told Rudy he didn’t want to write the movie? Did Rudy yell and scream and holler? Did he plead and beg? How did Rudy’s attitude win Angelo over? What is the lesson in this story for you?
Was Angelo dressed for an important meeting when he greeted Rudy at his door? How do you think Rudy felt when he realized that Angelo had forgotten about the meeting?
Angelo told Rudy “you’re true to form.” What do you think he meant?
What does the word “tenacious” mean? Describe how Rudy was tenacious with Angelo. Can you become tenacious?
Use the words “tenacious” and “visualizing your Big Dream” in the same sentence.

LESSON 17
INSIGHT #5 - the greater the struggle, the greater the victory
READ: Pages 96 to 99
  What does Rudy mean by your “comfort zone in life”?
Explain what Rudy means by “fear of success.”
Rudy believes it is good, in fact, it is necessary to fail. What is the important thing you can learn from failure?
Describe several of your failures. Did you learn from those experiences?
How do you usually feel after you fail?
How can you overcome your natural negative feelings after you experience failure and turn them into positive feelings?
What are some of the ways in which Rudy failed? What did he learn from each experience?
A memorable scene in the movie Rudy is when he sacks the quarterback near the end of the movie. In real life, however, Rudy actually failed once before that fateful play. How did Rudy fail? What did he learn from failure?
One of the things you can learn from failure is that you feel badly when it happens and you don’t want that to happen again. Some people take from this lesson that it is better to quit before you need to risk anything. They retreat to their comfort zone. But what they really learn is how to never succeed. How will you react the next time you are confronted with a difficult situation, a situation in which you might fail?
What do football players do to replace fear with courage?
How did Rudy visualize sacking the quarterback years before it actually happened?
Rudy lived and saw his tackle in his mind years before it actually happened against Georgia Tech. Do you think that he was just lucky to have made that tackle?
Can you visualize your own future personal success in your mind’s eye the way Rudy did?
Review the steps you can take to overcome fear of failure.

LESSON 18
INSIGHT #5 - the greater the struggle, the greater the victory
READ: Pages 106 to 109
  What does Rudy mean by “it’s only a game”? Is he referring to football or something more important?
What does the word “metaphor” mean? How does Rudy use football as a metaphor for life?
Think of something you do that is important in you life, something at which you may fail or succeed. Use this example in your own life to explain what Rudy means by “it’s only a game.”
What does Joe Montana mean when he says “I care, but not too much”?
Explain Tug McGraw’s “Cosmic Ice Ball Theory.”
Compare Joe Montana’s theory with Tug McGraw’s. Can you apply their theories in your life?
What does Rudy mean by a “calculated risk”?
Think of someone in your life who has taken a calculated risk. Can you think of someone who has succeeded and someone who has failed while taking a calculated risk?
You can often relieve pressure on yourself to succeed by considering the worst case that can result if you fail. Usually it really isn’t so bad. How does Rudy answer the question, “What is the worst thing that can happen if you fail?”

LESSON 19
INSIGHT #5 - the greater the struggle, the greater the victory
READ: Pages 112 to 114 and 116
  What does the word “persistence” mean?
Use the story of Rudy convincing Angelo Pizzo to write Rudy as an example of what Rudy means by the “difference between persistence and being a pest.”
Describe Rudy’s explanation of why people get jealous.
Do you know someone who whines and complains all the time? Does that person fit Rudy’s definition of someone who is jealous?
How can you avoid having this bad trait of jealousy?
Why do some people think that Rudy is an overachiever? Do you believe he is an overachiever? Why?
Explain why even the great Reggie Jackson was an underachiever.
Explain how Rudy believes we can find out “just how much we have inside of us.”
Rudy says there is no shame in failing. Where is there shame?
What is it that we have to experience before we can “truly experience joy”? Explain.
Rudy says that most people allow struggle and fear of failure to stop them. How can you avoid falling into that trap?