"Every man dies, not every man really lives."

I was watching the movie "Braveheart" the other day and heard a quote from that movie that I really liked. During the movie William Wallace says, "Every man dies, not every man really lives." There is a lot of truth to this quote. A lot of people simply drift through their lives and live for no reason or purpose. If you were to go to a graveyard, and look at someones tombstone, you would see a date, followed by a dash (-), and then another date. The first date is obviously the day that person was born while the second is the day they passed away. On that first day when a person comes into this world he/she comes into the world with nothing. And on their last day that person dies with nothing. It is that dash where their story is told. It is the years between their date of birth and their date of death that defines them as a person. We need to make sure that we truly live our lives everyday. My last post was entitled "thinking positive" and I think we need to carry that thought with us everyday. When we wake up in the morning, we are alive. We have been given another day and we need to make sure that we make the absolute most of it.

Athletes can take a lot from this quote as well. I work around college athletes every day. They have been given a talent that many people don't have. Now they can bury that talent and just skate through their athletic career and be done. Or they can make the best of what they are given. Because one day they won't be an athlete anymore and they will either be remembered as good or great. They must have the "never satisfied" attitude and make sure that they use every day that they have to get better at their craft. That's what makes the difference between the good ball player and the great ball player. The great ball players are the ones that go down in the record books as legends. If I had my choice, I think I would rather be known as a legend then simply an alright guy who wasted what he had been given. So I guess this is a challenge to everyone out there, athlete or not. Are you making the most of everything you've got. Are you making the "dash" in between your birth and death dates something worth remembering. Because yes, every man will die. It is a fact of life. But not every man will truly live. Make sure your not in that category.

Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life. Jackie Robinson

Thinking Positive

I was reading a post on Bob Starkey's blog today and I really liked it. It was entitled "Perspective." So I decided I would post what he had and add a few quotes to it that I have found throughout the year. I have a friend that is always telling me to think positive. I truly think that doing so makes life much more enjoyable.

"The gem cannot be polished without friction."-Chinese Proverb

"May there be enough clouds in your life to make a beautiful sunset."-Rebecca Gregory

"Birds sing after a storm. Why shouldn't we?"-Rose Kennedy

"Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems."-Nelson A. Rockefeller

"In order to see a rainbow or a beautiful sunset, we must always be looking up." -Unknown

"Smiles and good humor are the seasonings that make everyday living taste better." -Unknown

"The man on top of the mountain didn't fall there."

"Before success comes in any man's life, he's sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That's exactly what the majority of men do." -Napoleon Hill

What many people fail to realize as they go through life is all the defeats that they must first face before they can reach that desired level of success. No one has ever stepped in between the lines and just been a great player. They had to work every day to improve. Take Cal Ripken Jr. for example. This is the guy who holds the record for the most consecutive games played(2,362) in the MLB. But, as Cal says, "I didn’t just show up for work, as has sometimes been said. I also showed up to work." If you are just simply showin up for work you will see everyone continue to pass you by. Even if you are far greater than them in talent, they can still out work you. And if they are out working you then 99% of the time they will be out performing you. So you must continue to work. You will take your lumps and face your defeats, there is no question about it. But those defeats make the taste of success that much more sweet.

"The man on top of the mountain didn't fall there." -Unknown

The Man-The Legend

The man is a legend. The best to ever lace up a pair of sneakers and grace the floor. Never again will there be another Michael Jordan.