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Inspire Me (December 2002)True stories, quotes and information on inspiration, leadership and kindness to provide hope and direction in your life.
Thursday
Quarterback by James Walker In an age when arrogance and "Sharpie" pens steal the national spotlight, it is often the smallest, most unnoticed acts of kindness that remind us that football is merely a game. The story, which is destined to become legendary in Southern Ohio circles, starts in Waverly. Northwest football coach Dave Frantz and Tigers’ coach Derek DeWitt shared a conversation the week leading up to the game. But the two coaches weren’t discussing strategy, instead they were talking about a mentally-disabled Northwest player by the name of Jake Porter. Porter, a senior, has a disorder called "Chromosomal Fragile-X," which is the most common cause of inherited mental retardation. Porter still shows up on time for practice every day and dresses in full gear during games, but he has yet to take an official snap in a football game. Frantz wanted that streak to end last Friday. "I told them (Waverly) ahead of time that he can’t take a hit or anything," Frantz said. "If the game’s not at stake on the last play, I wanted him to come in and take a knee." Yet a week after their conversation, with Waverly leading 42-0 with five seconds remaining, coach DeWitt offered Frantz one better. "During the time-out, he met me in the middle of the field and said ‘We’ll let him score,’" Frantz explained. "(Initially) I said ‘Nah.’ Then we talked about it with the referees, and they said ‘Hey coach, we understand." What soon followed will forever go down in Southern Ohio football lore. At Waverly’s 49-yard line, Porter entered the game at tailback, had his play, "84-iso," called in the huddle, and when the ball was snapped all 21 players parted ways. Porter was somewhat surprised when he slowly walked through the huge hole. He initially turned back around to the original line of scrimmage, but everyone on the field -- including defensive players from Waverly -- pointed and guided Porter toward the Tigers’ end zone. "When we practiced it, he was supposed to down it, so I think he was a little confused at first," Northwest tailback Zach Smith said. "But once he figured it out, he took off." The 49-yard trek to glory took about 10-12 seconds in all, and was culminated by players from both sidelines cheering and running step-for-step with Porter to the end zone. Tears flowed from the bleachers well into the night, and the life of one young man was changed forever. "At Waverly, we didn’t do anything special. We were just happy to be a part of that," a humbled DeWitt said. "That young man was just excited to get the ball. Our guys didn’t care about the shutout, those stats went out the window. "When you’re involved in a moment like that, you want to make sure you end the game with class, decency and respect." Those who play football on the highest levels should take notice. No pen that Terrell Owens ever pulls out of his sock could write a scene more touching than this.
Do You Need A Pick-Me-Up? A Reality Check? Having a bad day? Feeling down? Feeling like you never can get a break? Doubting yourself? Click here, this will lift your spirits!
I've
Learned (Part II) from Andy Rooney (who has the
gift of saying so much with so few words) I've learned...That it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts. I've learned...That two people can loot at the exact same thing and see something totally different. I've learned...That you cannot make some love you. All you can do is be someone who can be love. The rest is up to them. I've learned...That no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process. I've learned...That there are many ways of falling and staying in love. I've learned...That no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves, get farther in life. I've learned...That many things can be powered by the mind. The trick is self-control. I've learned...That no matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar, you might feel lonely and lost at times when you need them most. I've learned...That your life can be changed in a very short time by people who don't even know you. I've learned...That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help. I've learned...That writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains. I've learned...That the paradigm we live in is not all that if offered to us. I've learned...That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being. I've learned...That the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon. I've learned...That although the word "love" can have many different meanings, it loses value when used too loosely. I've learned...That it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe. Also, I've learned...That no matter how good you are at something, there's always somebody better. "You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses." RUN TO WIN A monthly insert on Coaching and Leadership by Vince Lombardi
* Have a great command of your craft to provide credibility with players, assistant coaches, fans, and upper management. * Be a student of your sport's history. Use statistics to prove your point. * Remind your players that you, too, were once in the trenches. * Get to know every part of the machine. * Do not just tell your players to do something; teach them how to do it. * Coach the members of your team to be attuned to all aspects of the game, not just those that impact them directly. * Enlighten them on the intricate differences between various positions in the lineup so that they will better understand one another. * Pay attention to details. While, at times, it may frustrate you, it can also pay big dividends for individual players. * Study your opponent's past history. People don't change what has been working for them. * Think deeply about your sport - about its psychological, scientific, and philosophical aspects. * Remember that your own passion, knowledge, and dedication will inspire other people.
MY
STORY
I
felt I had hit bottom. The easy way out would have been to feel sorry for myself
and blame the world for my misfortune, to moan and groan about how unfair life
is. Instead,
I found my way to the public library and discovered a new world in the self-help
section. It focused my energy on positive results, rather than on the "poor
me" syndrome. I started reading books on setting goals, positive thinking,
psychology, autobiographies, attitudes, and so on. At
that time, I started to collect quotes. I discovered that certain quotes made
me stop and think; they made me challenge my beliefs, while others gave me hope.
Without
realizing it, I was searching for answers. Why are some people more successful
than others? Through all my years of reading and research, I found two consistent qualities of successful people: ATTITUDE, and GOALS. ATTITUDE
A
"positive attitude" is definitely one of the keys to success. My definition
of a positive attitude is a simple one: Looking for the good in all circumstances.
Applying
it to everyday life is not as simple as it seems. Some situations in life challenge
us to see the good. For example, the death of someone close to us, a health problem,
the loss of a job, a relationship that doesn't work out. It is difficult to maintain
a positive attitude in these situations. If
you accept what has happened and search for the positive, you will be able to
move forward in your life. By embracing this attitude, you eliminate the "poor
me syndrome". Attitudes play a very important role in our lives. How
do you react when faced with: Change
In
today's society, change is constant. Although change has always occurred in every
society, today it is much more rapid due to technological advancements and a global
market. If
you resist change, you will face challenges on a daily basis. If you consciously
refocus your attitude to see the benefits of change, your outlook becomes positive
and life becomes easier. Challenges
We
all face challenges. How we react to them is what really makes a big difference.
Some people overreact and make mountains out of the proverbial molehill. Facing
our challenges head on and setting goals to take us through and beyond the challenge,
helps us cope with the hurtles we all confront. There
is nothing worse than being unable to see light at the end of the tunnel. I have
learned to focus my energies on solutions, not on the challenge itself. So often,
I have seen people waste energy by moaning and groaning about a problem. Yet,
if they just realigned their attitude and focused on the solution or on the opportunity,
the challenge would not seem as big as they think it is. Failure
How
do you see failure? If you accept failure as an opportunity to learn, it will change your whole perspective. Some people allow failures to stop them form ever attempting anything new. Rather than learn and move on, these people get stuck forever. Stress
Today,
we hear over and over again that people are stressed. Stress, however, is created
by our attitude. How we perceive a situation and how we react to it is the basis
of our stress. If you focus on the negative in any situation, you can expect high
stress levels. However, if you try and see the good in the situation, your stress
levels will greatly diminish. I
attended a course on stress where the instructor explained that we create our
own "stressors". We actually create our own stress by our perception
of events. Yes, there are external events that cause us concern, but how we perceive
the event determines the stress we feel. That thought has stayed with me over
the years. When I feel overwhelmed and my stress levels rise, I stop and step
back from the situation and put the even in perspective. I always ask myself -
what difference will this make in five years time? Most of the time, it will not
make any significant difference in my life. Just answering that question helps
reduce my stress level. For those events that will make a difference in five years,
I reduce stress by focusing my energy on finding solutions. GOALS
I
have a strong belief in setting goals. I set a goal 13 years ago for my professional
career and surpassed it 5 years ago. I set a goal of writing a book with the quotes
and stories I have been saving - I achieved that goal in 1998 when "Wings
of Wisdom" was published. And after many, many redesigns of Wings of Wisdom
4 U! website, the goal of my own website has been accomplished. My goals kept
me focused. As a result, you are now reading what was once only a thought, a dream!
The
easiest way to set goals is to answer the following questions: Write
down your answers. Writing out your goals is important as determining what they
are. You are committing yourself to achieve these goals, and, at the same time,
sending a strong, positive message to your subconscious mind. What
is it I want to achieve? There
are various ways to determine this. One way to answer this question is to write
down the things you consistently wish for. Be specific. For example, the type
of job you want; how much money you want to earn; the type of relationships you
want to have; where you want to live; the kind of house you want to live in; what
type of car you want to drive, and so on. Another method is to write goals by category: Career, financial, family, leisure, educational, vacation, spiritual, and so on.
When do I want to achieve it? There
are two types of goals: -
short term goals (1-2 years) Your short term goals should support your long term goals. Let me point out, however, that over time, your long term goals may change. If so, adjust your short term goals to support your long term. Goals should be flexible, not carved in stone! Having
said that, the time period you give yourself to finish your goal is still important.
Time frames help you stay focused by giving you milestones by which to measure
your progress. By committing to a time frame, you are making a commitment to yourself.
We can easily be side-tracked after we set goals. A written commitment will help
keep you on track.
Where am I today and what action do I need to take to achieve my goal? The
most important step in goal setting is TAKING ACTION. You can decide on your goal
and you can write it down, but unless you take action, the goal is useless. In
order to achieve a goal, you need to identify the actions you must take. For example,
in what areas will additional knowledge be required? What areas will you have
to develop or learn new skills? As
you work on your goals, you should also review your progress. I usually review
my goals every six months. I determine if I am on track, if I need to make adjustments,
and if my goals and time frames are realistic. By doing this, you are actually
charting your own progress. It always gives me a sense of self-achievement, and
allows me to renew my commitment to my future goals. If I am not on target, I
make the necessary adjustments. The most important thing is that I am moving forward
even if I am not always progressing at the speed I originally planned. Goals
allow you to see light at the end of the tunnel, whether the light be a new career,
a promotion, a prosperous business, or advanced training. You may not be where
you want to be today, but by setting goals you are changing your life and moving
toward where you want to be. When
people find themselves in situations with little or no hope, they give up. They
convince themselves they are satisfied with where they are, or what they have.
Goals
give us hope! For
me, goals are my road map to the life I want. They have helped me accomplish things
I once thought were impossible. My hopes in sharing my story with you is that it will make you stand back and look at your attitude and your goals. My background is a simple one, I grew up in the country, we were never without, but there was no money for extras. My education - a graduate from high school, it was years later when I upgraded my education by taking classes at night and by correspondence. My own accomplishments proved to me that "attitude and goals" do make a difference in our lives! It can make a difference in your life also! Carried in Coach Pat Summitt's daily planner You can love me, but only I can make me happy. You can teach me, but only I can do the learning. You can lead me, but only I can walk the path. You can promote me, but I have to succeed. You can coach me, but I have to win the game. You can even pity me, but I have to bear the sorrow. For the Gift of Love is not a food that feeds me. It is the sunshine that nourished that which I must finally harvest for myself. So if you love me don't just sing me your song. Teach me to sing, for when I am alone, I will need the melody. - Dan Baker Thoughts on the passage above: "The worst thing you can do to someone you love is do something for them that they can and should do for themselves."...Abraham Lincoln "Give
a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will eat
for a lifetime."
KIDS
ARE WORTH IT! You probably have seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way... The
government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and
came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. But
$160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour! Still,
you might think the best financial advice says "Don't have children if you
want to be rich." It is just the opposite...What do you get for your $160,140? Naming
rights: first, middle and last! Glimpses
of God every day. Giggles under the covers every night. More love than your heart
can hold. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds
and warm cookies. A hand to hold, usually covered with jam. A partner for blowing
bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles and skipping down the sidewalk in
the pouring rain. Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss
said or how your stocks performed that day. You
get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs
and never stop believing in Santa Claus. You
get to frame rainbows, hearts and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect
spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's
Day and cards with backward letters for Father's Day. For
$160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck! You get to be a hero just for
retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike,
removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs
and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream
regardless. You
get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, the first word, first
bra, first date and first time behind the wheel! You
get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree and if you're
lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called "grandchildren."
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications and human sexuality that no college can match. In
the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. |
