An Athlete's Pride

I spent most of today rambling through more than 50 pages of motivational sports quotes and among them I found one titled ‘An Athletes Pride.’ The quote intrigued me so much so I instantly thought to share it with you as today’s post. I hope that you are intrigued with the quote as much as I was and you find others to share it with.

An Athlete’s Pride
"I'm a high school player. I'm a team player. I play with my friends and with some of my enemies, but I respect everyone when it comes to my sport. I know I'm not going to get a multi-million dollar contract to play professionally. I know I may not even get my name in the paper. I play for love of the game. For the pride and honor, for the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make the team, to earn the spot, to win the game. I play because I can, I play because I know that my life would be empty without the sport I play. I would have a lack of everything my sport gives me... integrity, courage, talent, fearlessness, pride, strength, stamina, will, and the heart of a champion. If I didn't play, I would lose a part of me. I'm an athlete. I'm a girl. I'm a champion, not because my team always wins, but because when we don't, we learn from our mistakes. We try to fix them, and most of all because we have fun. I have built lifelong friendships and memories because of my being an athlete. I leave everything on the field or court and continue to push myself. I am never happy with second place, but I have learned to accept it. I have learned to get over and through my anger and be the athlete and player I have always dreamed of being. I don't play for my parents, for my family, for my friends; I don't play for my coach or my teachers or my school. I play for myself but when I'm playing I represent them. It isn't about winning or losing, but I hate to lose. I won't settle for a tie, and I am not satisfied with 100%. To play, you have to sacrifice everything, your body, your time, your sweat, blood, and tears, everything... for your team. I am a player, and athlete and a champion, not because I know what it is like to win, but because I know what it is like to lose. I know what it is like to feel the anger and pain that comes along with "second best." I have been that girl with tears in her eyes, walking out to receive the second place trophy and clapping as the other team, my opponents, receive the first place one. I know what it is like to lose, to win, to want to quit, to want to cry, to not want to get up. I know what it is like to hear the cheers and yells for you. I know what it is like to feel the pressure of everyone on your shoulders, and I know what it is like to choke under that pressure. I know what it means to be an athlete, a true player, and that is why I play. I AM AN ATHLETE, A CHAMPION, A TRUE PLAYER."

Playing the Game of Life
‘An Athlete’s Pride’ makes us understand the athlete’s source of satisfaction in her game. Life in general and the specific areas of your life – your family life, your professional life and your public life – have similar sources of satisfaction. If you look at it closely enough, you will discover that one of the greatest metaphors for life is athletics.

Now, ask yourself the question, ‘How am I playing the game of life?’ and more specifically, ‘How am I playing the game of life?’

Can you take the exact words of ‘An Athlete’s Pride’ and use them to refer to your life in general? Can you take the exact words of ‘An Athlete’s Pride’ and use them to refer to your family, professional life and public life?

If you can, then I would like to congratulate you? If you cant, I’d like to urge you to consider using ‘An Athlete’s Pride’ as the benchmark to which you begin to develop satisfaction in your life – in general as well as your family, professional and public life specifically.

The Wicked Servant's Lament

Like the new widow
Mine was the window
I watched life pass by
Dreamt of one day being the passer by
“But what if you loose it?
What will you gain from using it?
Put it on the shelve
Keep it known to yourself,”
The devil played his tricks in my mind
Now I’m left behind.
All things come to an end
And mine was my life’s end!

Comment – To fulfill the mandate that God has given us to exercise rulership over the earth we must make use of all the gifts and talents that He has given us. We must not allow fear, worry, procrastination, false hope or any other negative force to stop us from using our gifts and talents. When we do not use them, we become ineffective in fulfilling the mandate that God has given us and He is disappointed in us. Do not think like the wicked servant. There is no gain in preserving and hiding your gifts and talents.

So little or So MUCH --- It’s Your Choice!

In 2 Kings 13:14-19, Jehoash, the king of Israel, approaches the prophet Elisha and requests him to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Arameans. The prophet responds by instructing the king to take a bow and arrow. The prophet then places his hand on the hand of the king and instructs him to open the east window and shoot. After the king shoots an arrow out the window, the prophet declares,

“The LORDS arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! … You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek!” 2 Kings 13:17

The shooting of the arrow towards the east was symbolic of Israel’s victory over the Arameans at Aphek. With the help of the Lord, Israel was going to completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.

After declaring Israel’s victory over the Arameans at Aphek, the prophet goes on to instruct the king to take some arrows and strike the ground. The king struck an arrow to the ground three times and stops. After the king stops, the prophet rebukes the king in anger,

“You should have struck the ground five or six times: then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroy it. But you will defeat it only three times.” 2 Kings 13:19

Three strikes were not enough to completely destroy the Arameans: three victories over them would not obliterate them. Israel needed five or six victories over the Arameans to obliterate them. King Jehoash was not aware of this so made three strikes and stopped. If he knew that he needed five or six victories over the Arameans in order to obliterate them completely, I am sure that he would have made more than three strikes --- maybe seven, eight, nine or ten. Maybe many more!

So little or So MUCH --- It’s Your Choice!
Many of us are like King Jehoash in life. We are presented with the opportunity to do much in life but choose to do little. The year has just begun and many of us are still setting our goals for the year. As we set our goals for the year, we have the opportunity to set out to achieve so much or so little this year. The mistake that many of us will make is that we will set out to achieve so little.

Setting out to achieve so little includes creating solutions for current problems. It includes generating just enough money to make it to the next pay cheque. It includes planning for coming events and not beyond. Yet there are a few of us that will set out to achieve so much.

Setting out to achieve so much includes creating solutions for current and future problems. It includes generating enough money for today and a little extra for the future. It includes simultaneously planning for coming events and beyond them. Setting out to achieve so much is far much broader than setting out to achieve so little. You see beyond the immediate when you set out to achieve so much. When you set out to achieve so less you do not see beyond the immediate.

The reason why many people achieve so little in life is because that is what they set out to achieve. The reason why few people achieve so much in life is because that is what they set out to achieve. Are you among the many that achieve so little? Or are you among the few that achieve so much? You achieve what you set out to achieve. My hope is that you set out to achieve so much in 2011.

So little or So MUCH --- It’s Your Choice!

Be Inspired.

If you are thinking of giving up …

If you think you can you can; if you think you can't you're right.
If you are going to change the world, you might as well start with changing your world.
If you want to do something, just go right ahead and DO IT.
If you want to increase your chances of succeeding in what you are doing, do it over and over again until it succeeds.
Even if you are not doing anything, I want you to know that you are destined for greatness.
So, if you are thinking of giving up, just remember, it's on record.

Unto whom shall we look?

If the farmer refuses to sow
If the fields lie bare, untilled
Unto whom shall we look?

If the rains refuse to fall
If the shoot withers and dies, thirsty
Unto whom shall we look?

If the reapers refuse to reap
If the harvest withers and rots
Unto whom shall we look?

If the miller refuses to grind
If the grain is ungrounded
Unto whom shall we look?

If the cook refuses to bake bread
If the mill is not mixed
Unto whom shall we look?

Unto whom shall we look?
Unto whom shall we look?
Unto whom shall we look?

Unto God shall we look!
Unto the creator of the heavens and the earth
Unto the Lord Our Provider, Jehovah Jaireh

Fine-tune Your Vision and Strategy to Achieve Your Goals in 2010

As the year draws to an end, there is an increasing amount of talk about redoubling our efforts towards achieving our goals: there is a lot of talk about strategy and less talk about vision.  This kind of troubles me and that is why I am writing this post.

A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
The palmist described the word of God as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path (Psalm 119:104).  I did not clearly understand what this meant until recently when one of our pastors explained it to us during a weekly business training class.  He brought to our attention the fact that when a person is walking there are two things that he has to have a clear sight of or risk tripping.  First, he has to have a clear sight of where he is going; thus, his path.  Second, the person has to have a clear sight of where his feet is stepping; thus, his feet.  Therefore, when a person is walking he always needs illumination on his path and on his feet or risk tripping.

So, what does all this have to do with vision, strategy and goal-setting?  I am glad you asked.

Well, we have just said that when a person is walking he always needs illumination on his path and on his feet or risk tripping. In simple terms, a vision is a picture of what is ahead of you and a strategy is the roadmap to what is ahead of you.  You cannot get or reach to what is ahead of you unless you can clearly see it just as much as you cannot walk and not risk tripping unless you have clear sight of your path and feet. The illumination on the path of the man gives him a clear sight of where he is going like a good vision.  The illumination at the feet of the man gives him a clear sight of where his feet is stepping like a good strategy.  

There is need for illumination both on the man's path and at his feet or risks tripping.  Likewise, there is need for a good vision and a good strategy to guide you to where you are going or you risk tripping. Vision and strategy are both important in your life to guide you to where you are going.

Fine-tune Your Vision and Strategy to Achieve Your Goals in 2010
I have already told you that I am kind of troubled by the lot of talk about strategy and less talk about vision. Many of us believe, or have been made to believe, that when things are not working it is because we have a bad strategy – there is not enough illumination on our feet.  In a number of instances, this is true but not all the time.  Do you suppose that when you do not have a clear picture of where you want to go, you can have a clear picture of how you are going to get there?  Sometimes, things do not work because we have a blurred vision – there is not enough illumination on our path.

Think about it.

If you cannot clearly see what is ahead of you, do you suppose you can get it?  Let alone, create a roadmap to it? I do not think so.  If you cannot clearly see what is ahead of you, it is most likely that you will have a roadmap that cannot get you to it.  Howbeit, even if you can clearly see what is ahead of you, you can also have a roadmap that cannot get you to it.  If you are going to get what is ahead of you, you need both a clear picture of what is ahead of you and a clear roadmap to what is ahead of you: if you are going to get where you going in 2010, you need both a clear vision and a clear strategy.

Clear sight of where you are going and of where your feet are stepping are like a good vision and a good strategy.  A good vision represents clear sight of where you are going. A good strategy represents clear sight of where your foot is stepping. Both, a good vision and a good strategy, guide you to where you are going or you risk tripping.

If you are tripping, first check whether it is your vision or strategy that is faulty before you do anything. If your vision is faulty, adjust both your vision and strategy accordingly.  However, if it is your strategy that is faulty, adjust your strategy accordingly and keep up with your vision.  Do not rush to assume that it is your strategy that is faulty as no matter how many times you may adjust your strategy it will not get you to where you are going if it is your vision that is faulty.

Be Inspired.

It's Not What You Are That Holds You Back…

"It's not what you are that holds you back; it's what you think you're not." – Dennis Waitley

To the extent that our self-perceptions liberate us to do things, pursue opportunities and take on challenges is to the extent we are liberated within ourselves.  Conversely, to the extent that our self-perceptions restrict us to do things, pursue opportunities and take on challenges is to the extent we are restricted within ourselves.  Our thoughts about ourselves determines what we do and what we do not do; the opportunities we pursue and the opportunities we not pursue; the challenges we take on and the challenges we do not take on. Maybe if we could only turn the negative thoughts that we have about ourselves into positive ones, we could do more, pursue more opportunities and take on more challenges to liberate ourselves more. Be Inspired.