UNIT 15

1	One year my son Stephen, who was an outstanding football player and captain of his high school team, decided that he wanted to start playing basketball.  He made the team, but to his disappointment, he was only average and spent most of the year on the bench.  A month before the season ended, he hurt his shoulder, and the doctor said he would not be able to play anymore that year.  His initial response was to quit the team.  He was injured and he wasnft going to play, so in his mind, there was no reason to stay.
2	But my wife and I had another view.  To us, there was something more important.  Stephen was on a team, and the team was still playing.  Whether he played or not was not a matter of great importance; the team needed his support.
3	At first, Stephen grumbled.  He said it would be a waste of time.  Then, he went for the ultimate words of persuasion: gBut, Dad, I could be studying!h  But in the end, he stayed on the team until the season was over.  He helped out at practices.  He supported the team.  And both his coaches and his teammates appreciated him for it. 
4	After he graduated from high school, he gave a speech in which he thanked his coaches and said that, as a result of sports, he had learned two great lessons in life: The first was to work hard; the second was to finish strong.  And wefve seen the positive results of those lessons influence everything hefs taken on since.
5	Results are all about finishing.  Youfre probably aware of the old saying: Beginners are many, finishers are few.  Increasingly, it seems, we live in a society of victims and quitters.  The sheer number of people quitting their jobs, fathers abandoning children, and teenagers who donft even graduate from high school indicates that, at least in some situations, when things get difficult people simply quit.  Of course, there are circumstances in which making some of these decisions may be the best thing to do.  But in many situations, and for no good reason, people just donft have the motivation and stamina to finish strong.
6	My motto is: Whenever possible, finish, and finish strong.  A colleague of mine who was training for a marathon shared some excellent advice he received from a world-class runner.  gWhen you ehit the wall,fh the runner said, gand you feel like you canft go on, instead of focusing on your exhaustion and going into survival mode, lift up your head and pick up your pace.h  At first glance, that advice may sound ridiculously impractical.  But on reflection, it makes great sense.  By picking up the pace, youfre really saying to yourself that youfre not just going to finish; youfre going to finish strong.