From The Ramparts

Become A Champion

                                                                  Become A Champion

                                                                 Junious Ricardo Stanton

There are life lessons to be learned from the athletes whether they failed to qualify, they finished last or they won a medal. What did/does it take to perform on that level? How much commitment, sacrifice, hard work, perseverance and persistence does it require to be an Olympic champion? When we stop to think about it, is that any different from any other goal or objective we set for ourselves? Olympic athletes had to develop not only their skills but the psychological and emotional determination to do what it takes to be successful to become a champion. They had to manage their time in order to fit into their daily schedules the practices, the training, the recovery sessions, the travel to and from meets, games and competitions.

They had to be amenable to instruction, correction and criticism not only from their coaches team mates and competitors but from outsiders and strangers. They had to learn how to cope with defeat, coming up short, how to overcome disappointment, frustration and transcend what happened yesterday and focus on the now and plan for the future.

There are major life lessons we can all learn from winners and champions of all kinds and stripes. First we have to have a vision for ourselves, create an image or idea fused with confidence that we can actually be a winner. We’ll have to overcome doubts, we have to see beyond our present physical condition and capabilities, stretch out and become engaged in whatever sport or activity we desire to be successful in.

Next we have to attempt, we have to go out execute actually do it. We may not be good at first, we may even be bad, but we cannot allow this to deter us, we have to keep pushing, doing and improving. We need to learn how to manage our time. The one area all humans are equal is time. If we are alive we all have one thousand four hundred and forty minutes in a day, no one gets more no one is ever shortchanged; we get eighty-six thousand, four hundred seconds a day. How will you use this precious gift? How will you divide your day so you can fit in everything you need to do to be successful: show up, practice, learn, study, travel and compete whether it is in sports, academics, on your job or life in general?

Only you are the arbiter of this, your parents can encourage you, your coaches can push, exhort and teach you and want success for you, your teammates can challenge you to do and be your best but we are the ultimate determiners of the quality and degree of our commitment! This means you are the central figure in all of this, you, not your circumstances, your environment; you, driven by your heart’s desire and willingness to commit.

Life is not a spectator sport. We are all engaged whether you are an athlete or not. Living is not something we do from the sidelines, margins and periphery, we have to be in the game, engaged and participating. Sports are a metaphor for life and living. We call it the game of life as if it is a contest. In many ways it is; we often use synonyms for the word contest to describe life: competition, struggle, rivalry and tournament for example. We use terms and say things like: she or he is a winner or a loser in this game of life.

Coming from the spiritual realm, when we enter this physical plane from our mother’s womb, we are thrust into a world of physical laws such as gravity yet simultaneously we are also influenced by metaphysical, psychological and emotional dynamics as well. In life we are constantly confronted with adversity, obstacles and resistance whenever we attempt to endeavor to accomplish a goal or objective.

In the game of life there are certain laws, rules or principles that have a huge baring on whatever we do, whatever we accomplish depending upon how we use them. We are all subject to these laws; the question is how will we use them what will we use them for, will it be success or failure? We all use our inner faculties of imagination, will, determination to navigate the vicissitudes of life what William Shakespeare called the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. No one escapes them they are a part of the life experience. Our dreams goals and objectives need to be fueled by passion, enthusiasm and confidence to help us transcend the challenges we will all face in our lifetime.

Champions are not always the most gifted but they are always the most determined and the most focused. Champions manage their time wisely, they learn from their experiences and they find the inner resolve and stamina to press on in the face of defeat, failure and also success. Champions do not rest on their past failures or accomplishments they use them to fuel them in the now, the present. This is true in sports and the game of life. We’re all in the game of life, which arena will you become a champion?

                                                                             -30-

posted by Junious Ricardo Stanton @ 7:09 AM