Two Questions

Newton’s Third Law of physics states that “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This, of course, applies to science which in turn means it applies to life.  If a person wants success in life, one first must be willing to put forth the effort to cause a reaction.  Doing so may not always be easy, but with the right motivation it is definitely possible.

So, today at practice I took my team into a classroom and gave them a pen and paper.  Next, I asked them to answer two questions.  First, I asked, “Why do you get out of bed in the morning?”  I instructed them to put some thought into this, considering what might be the drive or motivation to start their day.  The second question I asked them, “What is YOUR definition of success?”

I get out of bed every morning, and more often than not it is to do my first workout of the day.  But, why do I work out?  Because I have athletic goals and other life goals that I believe working out will lead me closer to achieving.  I have been posting my goals since I was in high school.  I believe having a direction is vital.

If I gave two of my athletes a map of a cross country course, I am confident they could find their way around the course even if it is not marked, completing a 5K.  On the other hand, if I told two other athletes to run a 5K on a blank course without a map or GPS, they would have no idea and only by luck would they stand a chance of achieving the goal of knowing where to go.  A goal is a map, a direction to where you are trying to get.  As a coach, I see athletes who succeed and others who do not.  The number of athletes who struggled and did not have success almost always had the necessary talent yet lacked the direction, the focus, or the plan to achieve success.  “Success is the completion of one's goals and is a never ending process where one must continually be setting new goals and moving forward.”  This is what I wrote when I asked myself the second question.

Watch the news for 15 minutes, and there will be a story of rags to riches or vice versa.  In today's society, we are money hungry and consumed by what financial security can bring us.  However, success should not be pinned to a dollar amount, but instead it should mean achieving one's goals.  The fifth grade teacher who stays late to help a student with the basics of math and sees success will be as happy as someone who finishes their first marathon that they set out to do.

After reading through the answers given by my athletes, I was encouraged.  Their responses, of course, reflected that they have individual goals as I had hoped, and that each new day provides new opportunities or is a day closer to reaching their goals.  However, I couldn't help but think how many times it seems that some of my athletes have gotten up and not felt this motivation or drive.  If they would just have these questions answered and then write out clearly defined goals in plain sight, they might be more driven to succeed.  Newton's law might also apply to the force pushing you back into bed.  This is the moment when one has to work up the courage to meet this action with an equal reaction and get going.  So when you are looking to accomplish more you must be willing to put in more effort, as a larger reaction only comes as a result of a larger action. 

As with many of my posts, I challenge you to answer these two fundamental questions and to use your answers as a map to achieve what it is that you have been sent here to achieve.  I am 100% confident that God has put me here and you here as well for a reason.  It's time to stop putting off life and time to strive to achieve success.