Month: October 2022

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27)

When people ask if I am religious, I must do a lot of soul searching before I can answer. I want the answer to be “yes” but…. It is easy to say “I am a person of faith” but does that faith manifest as action? Because I go to church, I am not religious. Perhaps, only those with whom I interact on a regular basis are the only ones who know?

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation.”—James Allen

We are the product of our circumstances, but only to the extent to which we determine they will make or break us. We hold the key.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Our visions are the plans of the possible life structure, but they will end in plans if we do not follow them up with a vigorous effort to make them real, just as the architect’s plans will end in his drawings if they are not followed up and made real by the builder.”—Orison Swett Marden

“Execution” is an interesting word. If can suggest completion or termination. When it comes to the execution of one’s goals and vision, it is one’s decisions that determines the outcome.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“It is hard to fail but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”—Theodore Roosevelt

Taking a different spin on the word “hard”, I would contend that it is hard to fail when we don’t try. In other words, inaction breeds neither failure nor success. It just forever stalls us in the same place. The bold and ultimately successful dare to fail. They embrace failure as a lesson to guide them toward success. Failure is inevitable if one truly desires to succeed beyond reasonable expectation. But as Vince Lombardi said:

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.”—Dan Gable

I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach strength and conditioning for the last four months for my son’s high school wrestling team. Minus the football players who have been in their preseason/in-season training, the bulk of the participants have been the younger wrestlers and those one might consider more the “underdogs.” They are not the more seasoned (perhaps “elite”) on the team—the “best technicians.” Some of these, in fact, have even given me a sense of scoff. The kids who have shown up are those who are likely going to see much more improvement in their technique this season and will start the season winning the 2nd period. They have worked hard, and it shows. They have trusted the process and it is notable.

Preparation is essential to success. Some see a level of success trusting in their genetics and technical practice. Most see no success because they lack the natural endowment and the will to try. Some surprise is because they focus on the fundamentals and develop their ordinary genetics to do (extra)ordinary things.

In the end, it will come down to heart. Practice and conditioning will get us through the first two period, but, in the end, it is all about heart.

Life is no different. Therefore, Dan Gable also said that “once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” Gable set the bar for effort in wrestling. Few have conditioned more than he did (and continues to do). He set high expectations for his wrestler. We may not wrestle (or have wrestled), but we can have the work ethic and heart of a successful wrestler.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!