"I hope that someday we will be able to put away our fears and prejudices and just laugh at people."
-Jack Handy-
As many of you know, and as I have mentioned before, I enjoy reading motivational/inspirational books on leadership in the quest to find one little nugget or quote that I can utilize in my daily life. I recently found a few that I would like to share, along with how I've identified with them.
The first of these quotes is one that I heard way back during my Freshman year of High School, from my head football coach:
"Winners find ways, losers find excuses."
-Dale Mueller-
I can remember getting in my Dad's car after practice and sharing this quote with him, and saying it would be something that I would always try to embody. Although, I may not have won a lot races or a lot of football games, I can tell you, I never made an excuse for not being able to do something, given the issues I had with my legs. Instead, I would bust my ass on a daily basis just to be able to complete each drill, each practice, each game, each season, etc. Even after my "illustrious" football career was over, I've continued to try and uphold the meaning of this quote.
The next quote that I would like to bring to your attention came from an unlikely source in the form of a "tweet" I read on Twitter:
"People that tell you that you CAN'T do something, are only judging by what THEY CAN'T DO"
-Rev Run-
As soon as I read this quote, I had a rush of memories come to me from my childhood, and for that matter, my entire life anytime someone told me I wouldn't be able to do something as a result of the condition in my legs. I can remember sitting in one of the doctors offices at Children's Hospital back in 1988, and a number of doctors, specialists, and therapists told me I should never play football again or any contact/physical sports any more. Thankfully, my parents allowed me to do so and I was able to continue my "illustrious" football career through my senior year in high school. Now, I was never the best, in fact, I was far from it, but I can honestly say no one outworked me, and any time I hear someone say I can't do something, it turns into motivation for me to prove them wrong.
Now, it's no secret that my favorite book is The Radical Leap, so, I can't write a post about meaningful quotes without including one from this book:
"Do what u love in the service of people who love what u do."
-Steve Farber-
As you all know, this book has made a major impact on all aspects of my life, and it has been especially important to me throughout my "New Beginning." I feel this quote embodies how I try to approach my family, my job, my recovery, and so on. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to not only read this quote in Steve's books and his tweets on Twitter, but to have also had the opportunity to hear him speak to a group of educators and converse with him myself as well. The more I read/hear it, the more I believe it how important it is to have this burning passion, that he's referring too, inside you, in each and every single act you set out to complete. If you are lacking this passion, then I would argue you are wasting your time.
The last two quotes I would like to share within this post come from Jon Gordon, the author of many great leadership books addressing the topic of Positive Energy. The first of these quotes comes from The Energy Bus:
"The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is named after you or a piece of jewelry, but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions."
-Jon Gordon-
I firmly believe this quote speaks for itself, and when my time is up, I can only hope this can be said about me. I've always tried to maintain a positive energy, no matter what may be going on with my legs or anything for that matter. Dwelling on the negative will get me no where, and more importantly it will get my team of people that I surround myself with anywhere either.
The second quote I would like to mention from Jon Gordon comes from his latest book, Soup:
"When your folks talk about the challenges, then you talk about the opportunities"
-Jon Gordon-
As I read this quote, I couldn't help but think about myself and the many challenges I've faced over the last few years. It would be easy for me to use these challenges as an excuse, but I've always believed fighting to overcome these challenges provides me with "great opportunities."
It's unfortunate that in today's society, so many people are quick to point out the things that may hold us back, rather then lending a hand to support someone in doing what they have set out to do in accomplishing their goals. All of the previously mentioned quotes speak to this theme, thus, this is why I felt compelled to bring them to your attention. There are so many more quotes that I could continue to share within this post, but I'm sure I've exceeded your attention span. So, until we meet again, take care, remain positive, and stay strong!!!
Otis
No comments:
Post a Comment