“How do you beat an individual who hasn’t been beaten in 13 years? With the help of others.”—Rulon Gardner
Today is the second to the last day of a challenge to write a blog post a day for the rest of the (wrestling) season. This adventure began November 14th. I am grateful for the challenge. It pushed me to write. As another friend recently reminded me, “Inspiration involves perspiration. If can’t write well, write badly. But write.” (Thank you, Ed!) In the last five days of this challenge—set to end with the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis (which is appropriate, since this was the destination of Coach Andy Lausier’s, who inspired this ride, 7-day, 1700-mile bike ride to raise money for the Sacred Heart University Wrestling program)—I have taken up a theme of writing to some inspirational quotes from wrestlers. Through it all, I was buoyed by the support and encouragement of friends and family.
The above quote of Rulon Gardner resonates with me. We are not successful in insolation. We need the support of others. This quote refers to Gardner’s defeat of Russian Aleksandr Karelin to win the gold medal Greco-Roman Wrestling in the 2000 Olympics. This was an amazing and inconceivable feat.
So, how does one achieve the unbelievable? With the support of those who dare to believe. We are all capable of far more than we, alone, can ever achieve. If we are successful, we must give thanks to the family, friends, coaches, teachers, and even our opponents—our adversaries—who continually pushed us to get better.
Gratitude leads to success. We get nowhere alone.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!
Carpe momento!