Awesome Super Bowl XLVII…
The words lost but not defeated comes to mind for when you give it your best and nothing less, the scoreboard can never make you a loser.
Let’s continue to do our best in the days ahead as we attempt to Make it GREAT!!!
I have a heartfelt message for those of you who’ve found yourself on the bad side of a heartbreak or disappointment in the past and are wondering just when your “You’ll get over it.” will come.
I’m not unmindful of the pain one can suffer from an unexpected, callous blow to the chest for I too am no stranger to heartbreak and disappointment. But I invite you to consider the following truth I’ve uncovered and discovered.
Just as the mending of a broken or fractured bone in many cases makes the bone stronger, so too is the eventual mending of a broken heart. For how can one truly experience and appreciate gain in this life if they’ve never had the chance to experience lose? Hmmm…
I believe that heartbreak and disappointment are as essential to life as the food we eat and the water we drink for the absence of these things robs us of the ability to truly appreciate the “good” in life. Simply put, the life that is void of loss and disappointment is a life that defies the very logic of life itself.
So I say to you today, you will indeed eventually get over it and get on with it. Don’t make the common mistake of spending too much time wallowing in the waters of self-pity and dejection. Life is indeed too short to allow such thoughts and actions to take-up permanent residence in your mind and dominate your day. Count it all joy as your ability to appreciate the “good” is being strengthened during your bad times.
Be encouraged in the days ahead and continue to lean forward in a positive direction and continue in your efforts to make this good life, GREAT!
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Over the years I’ve learned that the heart and character of great men and women are forged and fashioned in the crucibles and furnaces of struggle, hardships and suffering.
The reality is there’s never a convenient time for adversity, but we must understand that no one can achieve true greatness and significance unless he or she has gone through the “fire.” Just as gold, silver and other precious metals are forged by extreme heat to remove all impurities and be molded into the desired shape, so too is the process of those who wish to achieve great things among us in this life.
So I say to you this day, be thankful for the good, the bad, the happy and the sad. Count it all joy and view it as an affirmative sign that you’re moving in the right direction,. For without the struggles and strains in our lives, great things could never be obtained and sustained.
I invite you to embrace this principle and philosophy in the days ahead and let’s continue to overcome and become who we need to be and inspire others to do the same. This is just another breadcrumb to making it GREAT! Enjoy.
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You’ll be glad you did…
I remember it like it was yesterday. A pleasant 65 degree evening in the late month of December in the city of Tucson, Arizona before a packed house at Wildcat Stadium. It was perfect conditions for a rumble in the jungle of NCAA Division I football. It was my junior season and me and my mighty Ute’s of the University of Utah were set to clash with All-American Quarterback Drew Bledsoe and his Cougars of Washington State.
We were the underdogs coming into this Bowl Game which was exactly where we wanted to be. December the 29th was the day in 1992 and all eyes were on the Utes to see how we would perform in our first bowl game in over 25 years.
Yes I remember it like it was yesterday. The nervousness of the moment was replaced with an overwhelming feeling of excitement. I had mentally played out our scenario of victory dozens of times over and over again in my minds eye, and now it was time to make the dream a reality.
The game got off to a more than rocky start for us and by the end of the first half we were down by a score of 28 to 0. But what happened next would become the definitive example of how true champions never say “die” as they take nothing home with them. They leave it all on the field. A story that’s sure to take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions with an unexpected twist-of-an-ending that will leave you inspired with a new definition and understanding of “loss but not defeated.”
The opening kick-off of the second half was uneventful as we received the ball. Our first offensive series was to set a statement that “IT AIN’T OVER!!!” as our offense marched down the field in-sync to score a pretty defining and convincing touchdown. But if we were to walk away with a victory in this game it would definitely be one that had to be taken because the Cougars had other plans of their own.
Our defensive crew was equally as fired up for the possibilities of the second half and we were all committed to make their offense fight for every yard one play at a time. We fully expected them to attempt several running plays in hopes they could run out the clock to preserve their lead, and that’s exactly what they did. BIG MISTAKE! We were relentless in our pursuit and continued to stop them play after play.
Then it happened. The score was now 28 to 14. They had the ball on 3rd down with 7 yards to go for a first down on their own 40 yard line. I’m at my linebacker position thinking “pass attempt.” The ball is snapped. Bledsoe does a three step drop back to pass but none of his receivers were open, so he starts to do his notorious scramble to buy himself more time. I immediately dropped deeper into my zone coverage looking for a potential receiver to cover in my area.
Bledsoe rolls to my side and attempts to throw a fast ball over my head to one of his receivers. Using every ounce of strength I could muster in that moment, I jumped as high as I could and extended my reach and plucked the ball out of the air. Instantly our defense became offense and their offense became defense and I was eventually tackled several yards later.
The crowd was going crazy at this time and our sideline was ON FIRE!!! Our offensive team then burst onto the field and the very first play our quarterback Mike McCoy threw a 40 yard strike to Henry Lusk who took it in for another touchdown. This was definitely the turning point in a game that our opposition thought was over at halftime. Two offensive series later we had the Cougars on their heels again and scored another touchdown on a 20-yard-run from a direct snap to our running back, Keith Williams making the score 28 to 28
After a couple of more defensive stops, the Cougars eventually kicked a three point field goal which would be their only score of the second half. Now the score was 31 to 28 and our offense then took the field for what would be our last series with the ball. After the Cougars had kicked off, we started on our own 20-yard-line. Eighty yards to victory, two time-outs remaining, one minute thirty-two seconds left on the game clock. The Cougar sideline was visibly shaken as the game was no longer in the hands of their All-American, Heisman Candidate Quarterback Bledsoe.
The first down was a nice six yard gain by our Super-Bowl, All-Pro running back Jamal Anderson. Downs two and three were both failed pass attempts. Then the moment of truth came. Fourth down and four yards to go for a first down. Our quarterback Mike McCoy drops back for a pass but no one was open. He starts to scramble to the right side of the field as his receivers broke off of their routes and turned up field. Mike slung the ball out in front of receiver, Shawn Williams and he caught it on the 48-yard-line. Now the race was on. The crowd and the sideline explodes into a deafening cheer as Shawn is running as fast as he can toward the end zone with a host of Cougars in hot pursuit. 50 to the 40 to the 30 to the 20 to the 10 to the 5 and he was finally drug down at the 1 ½ yard line by a cougar that just wouldn’t give up, and he was fast too, Ughhh!!! Well, we all knew that Shawn was never the fastest on our team but he was pretty tough though.
As you can probably guess, to say the atmosphere was electric would be a gross understatement. Not a person in their seat at this time. First and Goal on the 1 ½ yard line with 36 seconds on the game clock and one time-out remaining. First play is a hand-off to or big bruiser Jamal and he was tackled by what appeared to be the entire Cougar defense for a loss of two yards. Then a quick second play was another hand-off to Jamal and he regained the two yards lost previously. TIME OUT!!!
Ok… Now it’s 3rd down with 6 seconds on the game clock and no time outs remaining. Head Coach Ron McBride sends in the field-goal unit. The kick attempt would be on the 1 ½-yard line, left hash mark on the field. Pretty easy huh? Well, actually this is the toughest angle to kick from on the field because it’s so tight. A hush came across half of the stadium and the other half was screaming and chanting in an attempt to create as much chaos as possible for our kicker, Chris.
Then it happened. The moment of truth. The snap was good, the hold was good and the kick was NO good. Wide left. Pure excitement exploded on the left accompanied by pure disappointment on the right.
We quickly gathered ourselves together as mighty men and congratulated our opponents and wished them well for their future. Upon entering the locker room post game, I remember the tears flowing from many who fought so valiantly and left if all on the field in an uncompromised effort to win. Minutes later, I located a nearby phone in the locker room and called my dad. He had been watching the game hundreds of miles away on television in Dallas, TX with a bunch of family and friends.
I’m no different than any other young man in that I wanted to make him proud of his 3rd born son. I’ll never forget our short conversation and the words he chose in those moments with me on the phone. Words that have stayed with me all of these 42 years. Words that I have since passed on to my kids in moments such as these. He simply said, “I’m proud of you son. You may have lost the game, but undefeated you remain.” WOW!!! Now that was profound. An end to a season it was for us, but just like life itself, it was just a “season.”
We may have lost that game but undefeated we remain for we took nothing with us that day. We chose to leave it all on the field. We sacrificed as a team and gave it our best even when others had mentally counted us out. When others may have packed up their bags and headed for the hills we said, “NO! WE WILL FIGHT until the last second is no more! WE DARE NOT leave this field until the last whistle blows! We will continue to give our best efforts on every down and every play and let the chips fall where they may, for we know that if we do so the scoreboard can never make us a loser.”
Yes, that day was a pivotal point in my life. The day when I realized that doing your best in spite of your undesirable situations and circumstances is what matters most. Not giving up is the undeniable litmus test and hallmark of a true champion. A true champion can never be measured by scores, tallies or marks but by the size of the fight in their heart.
My prayer for you today is that you will be inspired to keep swinging in the days ahead and use your set-backs as a set-up for a come-back. I pray that you will be encouraged and know that you may have lost a game or battle or two, but YOU ARE NOT DEFEATED!!! You are a relentless OVERCOMER!!! So keep overcoming. Keep leaning forward in the days ahead and make this good life, GREAT!!!
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Failure is an indispensable step on the ladder of success. So don’t make the common mistake of letting the memory of your last failure bully you into a life of mediocrity.
Failing ones way to success is an extremely common practice but it’s not for the weak or faint-of-heart. So welcome the set-backs and the unexpected change of plans. View this as a marker or sign that you are entering territory where few dare to tread. Understand that it is here that you must dig deep within yourself to unearth the resilience it will take to get you through the moment. Yes, this is where the difference makers make the difference.
So I say to you today, keep leaning forward and boldly traverse the trying and testing terrain with a complete certainty and understanding that you will receive your much-deserved applause of victory and success on the other side. Keep leaning forward and Make this good day, GREAT!!!
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