"Run it Out!"

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” Gail Devers


It was about 8pm in early March as I was leaving my daughter’s softball game at Clear Lake High School when I suddenly stopped in my tracks at the site of an unknown high school athlete that started a flood of thoughts. Across the street, just outside the running track was a high school athlete practicing the pole vault in the dark with only the light of a street lamp. The thought of this kids dedication to get better and practice at a late hour after school in the dark impressed me deeply. How could this kid not achieve his goals in life with a work effort like he displayed and a cool breezing night, alone, with only himself, the pole, and the goal to improve his abilities?

On the drive home, and hours afterward, the thoughts of this kid, his determination, and how it relates to being successful in life made me think about how some of us are fortunate enough to be exposed to certain events early in life that stay with us and help us realize our potential.

On the baseball field, I can’t tell you how many times I was told to ‘run it out’. Whether it was a sharp ground ball back to the pitcher with the chances of making it safely to first minimal, or a slow grounder to short where you had the chance to beat it out for a single, it was always drilled in me to ‘run it out’. Run you fastest, no soft jogs, give it your best with the hopes something will happen in the play which will allow you to make it safely to first.

‘Run it out’, ‘practice as if you were playing’, ‘visualize success’ are common themes that condition athletes minds for success. These are the thoughts that separate those who realize their capabilies from those who seem not to get anywhere in life.

As we look at ourselves, our co-workers, family members and friends, the effort we see people put in what they do is sometimes pretty evident in where they are at. There are those who feel like they are accomplishing goals, while others are somewhat miserable wondering how to get from here to there. The answer lies within each person’s decision to ‘run it out’ or lightly jog down to first base if you think out automatically. It’s in the effort; the continued unceasing effort.

I will never forget that image of the lonely teenager practicing the pole vault on a cool chilly night with only the light of a nearby street light. It stirs the memory and emotions of ‘desire’ and ‘giving it all you got’. It’s about the passion to do you best, improve, and improve from there. Whether it’s improving a relationship, business, or other personal goals, if you don’t learn to ‘run it out’ you’ll watch the game.

The One-legged Grackle

“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” Zig Ziglar



"I would not have noticed if I didn't keep looking." I said to myself afterward deep in thought.

There were on a few common grackles on the grass pecking away on the ground as I noticed them as I was seated in the car. They were all feverishly pecking through the turf eating up whatever they can find on on a small parcel of lawn.

My eye caught one of the birds for some reason. Maybe the uneveness of it's movements compared to the others; the hopping from spot to spot with it's head up versus walking with it's head down and beak in the grass like the others.

This grackle, it's blue-bronze feathers, shining and full as the other five or so, had only one leg.

Within seconds after watching the one-legged grackle work for it's food as hard or harder than the others a loud noise scared the volery of grackles and almonst in perfect sync they flapped their wings and flew eastward.

That one-legged grackle had to work harder than the others in his fleet. Where the others were covering the ground with their head constantly down, this one had to pull his head up for balance and hop from spot to spot.

Did that grackle know he was different or did he just know what he needed to do to survive, to be successful? Looking at them all, it appeared he was as healthy as the others in his little group.

Why do we as God-gifted beings look for excuses not to be successful? Why do we hang labels and feel we need to take care of those who may be a little less fortunate that the person next to him or her? Why has our society allowed people to not work hard and realize their full potential, which ultimately weakens them even further.

Don't mistaken me, there are people who can't care for themselves, and we should. My point is this - we are not equal in talent, ability, information, intelligence, and physical characterists. All of us must work hard at different levels to be successful. We can't give ourselves excuses or enable others to lose their vitaily, their force, because we've labeled them.

When those birds took off at the bang of that door, and when I watched the one-legged grackle flap and fly, he was no different than the rest. God gave those birds the gift to fly and soar, and that grackle, with that one-leg, flew as well as those in his volery.

We all have that power in us. We have been built to soar in our own ways and fly high. We shouldn't expect anything less from ourselves, our friends, or family. It's the effort we put into life that rewards us emotionally, knowing we gave it all.

No excuses!! Take a lesson from the one-legged grackle and work hard; work harder. Hop along, scratch it out!! You were built by God to fly, to soar. Don't think anything less. Now go!!

Life's Thought Provoking Moments

“The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, she becomes an adolescent; the day she forgives them, she becomes an adult; the days she forgives herself, she becomes wise.”






Those defining moments in life…..the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a marriage, and in this moment in my life Sarah’s high school graduation. It’s these moments in our lives where we wonder where the time has gone and reflect on how we have spent it.

I think it’s these moments in life the core of our inner being is touched and we are given the opportunity to redirect our lives to spend our time more wisely. Like a sailboat with nobody at the helm, we can drift off course. That inner feeling pulling you to get back on course is only there for a brief time until you lose yourself back to the current forces pulling you along.

It’s this time we need to ride that wave of emotion and reach outside ourselves, break out of our routine, and begin travelling to the place we know we need to be so that when we have that next event in our life we are not wondering where the past few months or years went, wishing the time we spent was spent more wisely.

Did you ever have that empty feeling, wishing you did something you know you should have done? Maybe you read the obituary of a good friend who unexpectedly died, someone you have been thinking about contacting for months or years.

Why do we let time go without keeping those close to us close to us? Why do we let close relationships die? Does not our heart still care?

Life happens and we tend to listen less with our heart. We protect our emotions and guard ourselves. We get busy being busy.

Let’s challenge ourselves to live from our hearts…..call someone we haven’t talk to in a while but have been wondering how they have been doing. Tell our neighbors their yard looks good if we’ve been thinking it.

Live outside yourself today and you will not be worried you haven’t tomorrow.

NOTE: Picture of Sarah and Mom at Pete's house.

SARAH's VIDEO: Link under Links as well.
http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3002388750100508277LxncRw