2 Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 18.
From November 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 18. From November 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com
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Brian Oldfield was a shotputter and Highland Games competitor known for his freakish athleticism and unconventional ways. He was at or near world-record levels for over a decade and popularized the spinning method of putting a shot. At his peak, he was the most explosive and dynamic thrower in the world, capable of a 9.6 100-yard dash and a jumping snap kick as high as a basketball rim.
It was said that he personified mankind’s tenuous grip on civility and that he displayed every potential trait from savage to barbarian. He was often loud, obnoxious, aggressive, and overpowering. He lived his life, and competed, with the same mindset. It was all-or-nothing, all the time, pure non-stop craziness. Uninhibited mayhem ruled the day. He approached his sport with a level of seriousness within the competition circle that was off-set by the care-free whimsical approach he adopted outside the field of competition. All-out, simultaneous pursuit of both serious sport and frivolous fun means a life of balance and moderation, achieved through excess and imbalance. Unique, but it worked for Oldfield. He is now a respected coach and imparts his wisdom of experience to many throwers (shotput, hammer and discus). In spite of his wild image and his life of extremes, Oldfield was a dedicated and diligent compiler and documenter of his athletic training regimen. He believes that his passion for pushing boundaries, combined with his attention to detail, transmute his mastery of sport into a science that is duplicable. He’s searching for athletes who want to break barriers and assail records untouched since his heyday. He wants to train legends, and create heroes. If becoming a hero and a legend is not your intent, it should be. From November 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com A great athlete, surrounded by peers of equal ability, may at times forget his way. He may lose his sense of purpose and begin to doubt his capability. His confident and attacking mindset may atrophy and disappear under the weight of hesitancy and doubt. In an effort to be a great teammate, he may forget to first be a great individual. He may drift back into the pool of sameness and lose the unique style that propelled him to success. This is not uncommon in the ebb and flow of an elite athlete’s career.
It takes significant energy and wherewithal to restore what is lost. Although difficult, it is possible. Mike Conley of the Memphis Grizzlies has returned to his aggressive ways in this, his 4th season in the NBA. In his brief college days at Ohio State, the lightning-quick point guard was known for his attacking, penetrating style. He had excellent court awareness and was adroit at distributing the ball to open teammates; teammates that were often open as a result of Conley’s slicing forays into the paint. When the defense adjusted, Conley hit an open teammate. When the defense hesitated, Conley nailed an assortment of running floaters and driving lay-ins. His performance in the NCAA Tournament his freshman year impressed most observers so much, he became the 4th overall pick in that year’s draft. Once he got to the Grizzlies, even if on a subconscious level, Conley acquiesced and deferred to his (mostly veteran) teammates. He became content with drifting around the perimeter on both offense and defense. Only on rare occasions did he demonstrate the same verve, fire, and scintillating dynamism so prevalent when he was a Buckeye. He lost confidence in his shot, which made him even less aggressive, which made him more hesitant to shoot, which made him uncomfortable on the court. It was a vicious downward spiral that was akin to being caught in a whirlpool of sticky tar: why resist? He was going to fail anyway, so he rarely shot. Conley is intelligent and saw his diminishing results and determined their cause. During the off-season he studied tapes of games in which he was at his most aggressive, and conversations with his coaches assured him that he could afford to be more selfish with the basketball. The most effective point guard is always a threat to score, as well as pass, so Conley upped his looks at the basket and his shot attempts. This season, he’s played some of the best basketball of his life and has led his resurgent team to a solid spot in the standings. When in doubt, attack! If uncertain, attack! It is far easier to decrease aggression than to increase aggression - stay at maximum aggressiveness until your coach tells you to dial back. Chances are, he never will. From November 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com “Incandescent” is a word often associated with the bright, glowing, brilliant light produced from a light bulb. A figurative description of incandescent is applicable to the man who works himself into a white-hot lather of energy in his pursuit of excellence. The incandescent man is aglow with a clear, overpowering purpose and pursues its achievement with a burning ardor and a flaming intensity. His efforts shine with brilliance and his results are masterful. The vitality of his pursuit sheds new light on circumstance, information and ways of acting that light the path for others to achieve in a similar way. An incandescent man is inexhaustible and his source of power never-ending. He illuminates and inspires. To be incandescent is to be extraordinary!
Light up your world and be great! From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com The Civil War was not going well for the Union. General William Rosecrans was a blunt, outspoken and quarrelsome man albeit a respected civil engineer and a capable military strategist. He was in command of a large portion of the Union Army, and had acquitted himself well, although he had let a large enemy force escape from the grasp of his troops. Rosecrans met in private with his supervising officer, the formidable and aggressive Ulysses S “U.S.” Grant, soon to become Commanding General of all Union forces.
Rosecrans spoke with eloquence and knowledge during the long and detailed strategic session. He made several astute, applicable and acceptable suggestions and anticipated Grant’s approval. Instead, Grant responded with vehemence and dismissed him with a curse comment. Within a short time, Rosecrans was replaced as a commander and re-assigned to a position of far less responsibility. Later, Grant spoke of his reasoning. He indicated his pleasure with Rosecrans’ well-thought presentation and high-level plans. “My only wonder was that he had not carried them out,” said Grant. He needed a man of action at the helm, not a man of excessive contemplation and delay. Be a man of action. Plan well and acknowledge that no plan is ever perfect or fool-proof. Arrive at a decision then proceed with its execution. In most cases, understand that it is better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission. Grant, and an aggressive command group of Generals, preserved the Union and won the Civil war in large part because they had a bias for swift action. Be as decisive as Grant, in matters large and small, and you will win your fair share of battles, too. From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com “Anything, I don’t care what it is … if you really believe that you can do it and you believe in it enough … you can do it … let me tell you something, you’re only gonna be here one time so get the most out of it.”
Evel Knievel, daredevil. From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com U.S. Naval officer “Bull” Halsey commanded ships at sea on the first day of World War II, and the last. He was a brash officer popular with both the men he commanded and the public he served. A fellow officer said, “He applied himself to what he thought important and avoided what he thought frivolous.” Of importance to him was spirit, bold action, and swift execution. He prized individual initiative and praised creative solutions that went beyond convention. He was a free spirit who loved the chaos, danger and opportunity for greatness offered on the high seas. He relied on guts and intuition and relished any chance to formulate new plans and discover fresh ways of fighting. He demanded bold, aggressive and swift action from his men and stirred their emotions with rousing speeches which advocated reckless violence, a capacity sometimes lacking in his military contemporaries. Urgency and a sense of impending purpose fueled his every move.
He was viewed as a sea-going version of his Army equivalent, the equally bold and impetuous George S. Patton. Halsey was terse if supportive in his orders. He trusted his men to know their objective then utilize their skills and available information in order to devise and implement a best course of action. “Proceed. You know what to do, ” he said. “{I’ll} tell him what to do, but not how to do it,” Halsey said. He was not a perfect man, of course, and he suffered his share of misfortune and made his share of mistakes. He never wavered from his path, regardless. He lived, commanded and fought with his personal battle cry foremost in mind. “Hit hard. Hit fast. Hit often.” He was a man of greatness and will always be remembered. From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com Joseph Greenstein was a professional strongman for over 60 years. He performed world-class feats of strength in his own inimitable style until he was almost 85-years-old. The 5-foot 5-inch, 145-pound powerhouse astonished onlookers and amazed audiences with his unique look, presentation and delivery. Dubbed “The Mighty Atom,” he always stressed that his prowess came from his mind and not his body. Greenstein believed that when his mind was trained to a proper pitch, that he could exceed perceived limitations of the corporeal body. Anyone privileged to witness his act tends to agree.
Greenstein was obsessed with maximizing his athletic potential. Years of specific and focused training led him to make the astounding statement, “… there is no such thing as an involuntary response.” Meaning, Greenstein linked his body and his mind to such an extent that he was in control of usual autonomous functions such as breathing and heartbeat. “The brain rules the heart; not the other way around,” he said. This sounds impossible; Greenstein insisted it was. His most ardent supporters, with the exception of only his strongman protege, did not and could not believe that even the Mighty Atom had the power to quell, at will, his beating heart. Greenstein hired a registered nurse and vowed to provide verifiable proof during his next act. The nurse accompanied him on stage and monitored his heart-rate. Greenstein proclaimed to the attentive audience that controlling the body was an example of mind over matter, and placed himself in a type of meditative state. The nurse measured his pulse. Greenstein sank deeper and deeper into a certain suspended animation - his breathing stopped, his skin turned ashen, and his eyes went dull. The nurse informed the audience that the pulse was slowing. Greenstein entered his zone of control and the nurse decreed that he no longer had a pulse. Interminable seconds elapsed and the nurse began to panic. Greenstein’s heart had stopped! She ceased her monitoring and moved into position to revive Greenstein. As she began her ministrations, Greenstein snapped alive, leaped out of his chair and said, “Now you know.” Learn from the Atom. Be mighty, and take control! From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com Ask an average ballplayer about the field on which he plays and the response is, “it’s just a field. The players may be special but a field is just a field; it’s all the same, wherever it is. It’s just a game, anyway.”
Ask a man of greatness about the field on which he is privileged to compete and the answer is different. A man of greatness believes, as did the most esteemed gladiators of ancient Rome, that the field upon which he battles for honor and for dignity and for the love of being pushed to his limit, is sacred and holy ground. Treat your playing field with respect. Take a moment and reflect upon all the great players who have stood on the same hallowed ground. Honor them with your effort. Each drop of your precious sweat (and perhaps a few drops of your even more precious blood) germinates the ground on which you stand. Your investment enables growth, improvement and full realization of your potential. Play as if one day the field will be named after you - then go forth and make it a reality! Your field serves as a testament to your greatness; defend it with your life. From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”
Winston Churchill, statesman and Prime Minister. From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com |
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