Success Stories

School OF Hard Knocks

A strong belief and perseverance can help anyone go a long way!

Back in high school, I preferred hanging out with the guys on the corner and shooting pool after the final bell, believing I had neither the talent nor the physique for athletic success.  Though I participated in an occasional blacktop game of hoops, I was merely adequate, never pushing myself hard to get better.  Nor caring to, for that would have meant digging deep to alter my sense of self.  I wasn't yet ready to accept that all success is preceded by belief in that success.

Conversely, one of my acquaintances at the time, a good four inches shorter than my 5' 11" frame, would endlessly practice dribbling, shooting and so on.  He lived and breathed basketball, so much so that he nearly always carried his ball wherever he went.  Many of us laughed at what we perceived as misguided effort.  He was too short to make any real team, and thus he was wasting time.

Eventually, John did make the high school varsity team, but barely, and for most of the season he warmed the bench.  I still remember the final game of the season.  John sat on the bench yet was not disappointed.

That same year I moved 20 miles from where my old town.  It would take three years to visit my old friends from High School.

It was like old times when I met my friends,  seemed as though time had stood still, nothing had changed.  My friends still looked and behaved alike.

Then one night, during a final game of the basketball season, all of us laughers ate our lives.  My old High School team was so far ahead of the competition thanks to a 6' 5" monster!  This guy was BIG and strong and the best player on the team.  It was John.

After the game we could not resist approaching and congratulating the team.  I will never forget when John shook my hand.  I felt awkward, like a small kid.  I could not believe how much he'd changed.  And that's when it dawned on me that for all of my scoffing at John's relentless practicing and visualization, his undying belief in his abilities was suddenly paying off, not only for him, but for the entire auditorium.  We all believed in possibilities for those remaining moments as we stood there gazing with disbelief at John.

Over the years, I've come to believe increasingly in the power of belief, in the idea that it precedes success.  John proved this to me years ago.  If you want to develop a similar mind-set, especially as it relates to your fitness goals, let me suggest you start by believing in yourself, then the rest will follow~*