Success. How bad do you want it?

    

      I have been in an inspirational mood lately.  There is nothing wrong with that, but if you know me well at all you know that I consider myself a realist and a bit of a skeptic, usually not an optimist.  I was raised to believe in myself and to value hard work.  I believe that hard work achieves success and think it is important that we try to surround ourselves with like minded individuals.  Nothing frustrates me more than to see someone who claims to want success but isn't willing to do what it takes to achieve it.   

     I love being around people who are not satisfied with where they are.  *Dont misconstrue this*  I am not referring to people who are not ever happy with what they have, rather I am speaking of people who constantly desire to do more with their lives.  It is inspirational to hear about elite athletes excelling after putting in countless hours of practice, missionaries who sell everything they have to live their lives for others, people who are ill and give us the courage to fight while they fight daily for their lives, and soldiers who risk it all to protect what we do on a daily basis. 

     It is that 'what we do' that has inspired me lately.  We all know that we aren't guaranteed another day but how often do we think about that as we complain on our way to work/school in the morning or complicate relationships over meaningless things?  I believe that each of us has an innate desire to be successful in almost everything we do.  Most of us just don't want it bad enough.  We worry so much about how other people are living their lives that we forget to focus on our own.  What are you doing to be the best you that you can be? 

    I was given this video by one of my athletes and wanted  to share it with you.  We used it as a motivational video prior to a basketball game last week.  It is particularly inspirational to athletes but it's message can be applied to all.  Listen carefully as Eric Thomas (aka The Hip Hop Preacher) tells the story of a man who thought he wanted to be successful.  It is a challenge to all of us to take a look at ourselves and decide how bad do we want to be successful?...as a student, an employee, an employer, a parent, a son, a daughter, a wife, a husband, a Christian, the list goes on and on...How bad do you want it?