A Sense of Purpose

It is never too late to be who you might have been.

~George Eliot

Today’s Blogger I Heart is a fellow I first followed in fragments, before my visits moved to frequent.  We officially met in the middle of a series of sticks and stones barely missing our bones, about three weeks back.   In the aftermath of the scuffle, I believe we both found ourselves with a sharpened respect for the other.

Tim is a life coach. I know, I know, time out, right?  Being a life coach has to be the single best job in the world. Not only to you get to tell people what to do, they actually pay you to do it. When I try to tell people what to do, not only do they NOT give me money, they immediately change the subject .

Tim lays it down well. His posts are a wonderful mix of words and photos, piling together to prove a point.  He goes on Daring Adventures often, you can check them out here.  Without further ado, Tim Brownson:

A Sense of Purpose

Do you have some massive goals and dreams? I mean the big muvva’s that leave other people snickering or saying you need put the crack pipe down and return to reality at your soonest convenience? Do you want to be the first person on Mars, run a mile in under three and a half minutes, or discover the cure for cancer?

Huge goals are great, and I applaud you for having them, but if you’re going to achieve them you need a bit more than the ability to sit and daydream. You’re going to need plenty of self-confidence, a belief that you can do whatever it is you want to do and possibly the most important of all, a sense of purpose. Why it is you want to achieve whatever it is.

It’s a sense of purpose that drives the truly great. Do you think Bill Gates has a sense of purpose? What about Tiger Woods or Barrack Obama? You betcha they do, that’s what  keeps them going when things get tough. Gates doesn’t need any more money, Tiger any more trophies or Obama to put his life on the line. They could all retire and take up the quiet life if they wished, but that would leave them empty and unfulfilled.

A sense of purpose is equally important with other less world-shattering goals. You could try and quit smoking, or be determined to quit because you want to play with your grand kids without an oxygen mask in 30 years. You could go on a diet and see what happens, or you could be determined that you’ll lose 25lbs for your high school reunion next year and show people how great you can look.

It really doesn’t matter what it is you want to achieve, a sense of purpose will make it infinitely more likely.

The Georgetown Coach Lou Little stood on the sideline watching the players practice shaking his head in disbelief. It was a Monday morning and to say that some of the guys were tanking it in would be an understatement. He blew his whistle, called everybody together in the center of the field, and started to let them know his feelings.

After ranting about commitment and desire he turned and pointed to Henry Peterson. “Look at this guy” the coach, said “He’s been on our team for four years and never played a down. He’s first at practice and last to leave. He studies film, works out in his spare time and never complains when he doesn’t start. This guy is the glue that holds our team together. I wish you guys could follow Henry’s example more often.”

In Henry’s senior year, Georgetown had the best season in the school’s history. They were due to play Fordham University with their last game to win the state championship. This was the biggest game in the schools history, and excitement was at fever pitch.

The Monday prior to the game Coach Little was walking off the field after practice when Henry approached him. Henry said that his father had passed away that weekend and that there was to be a memorial service for him that Saturday. Much to the coach’s amazement, Henry apologized and said that he needed to be at the service.

Coach Little told Henry to go with his blessing and as a mark of respect the team would say a prayer for his dad before each practice and they’d also dedicate the game to his memory.

On the morning of the big game the Coach was in his office going over some last minute plans for the game when the door burst open and Henry walked in.

“Henry, what are you doing here, I thought it was the memorial service this morning.” Coach Little said.
“It was coach, but I felt like I had to be here. This has been my family for the last 4 years and I know my dad would want me to be here”
“Well ok, if you’re sure. Of course it’s great to have you”
“Coach, can I ask a favor?”
“Sure Henry, anything for you, you know that”
“Coach, I want to start today”
“Well Henry, I know I said anything, but I’m really not sure about that. This is the biggest game in the schools history”
“If you start me coach, I promise that the first missed assignment, dropped ball or mistake of any type you can pull me out the game.
The Coach looked hesitant, but he could see something in Henry’s eyes that made him believe that this young man wasn’t going to let him down.
“Well, ok Henry, but one mistake and you’re out, ok?”
“You got it Coach” and with that Henry turned and left the coach looking rather bemused.

That day Henry Peterson made 15 tackles and assisted in 11 more. He caused one fumble, recovered another and had an interception for the winning touchdown as Georgetown beat Fordham. He was voted Most Valuable Player and in short played the kind of game that people are talking about 60 years later.

After the game Coach Little ran onto the field and hugged Henry.

“Henry, why didn’t you tell me you could play like that, I had no idea. I could have used you for the last 4 years, but I never saw it in practice.”
“Did you ever meet my father Coach?”
“No, I didn’t have that privilege. I saw you walking round the field arm in arm with him a couple of times and I’m sorry now I didn’t come and say hello”
“Well coach, my father was blind and today was the first time he got to see me play football”

That’s a sense of purpose and that demonstrates what YOU can achieve if you tap into your own.

If you’d like to visit Tim, you can do it here. If you’d like to cut to the chase and subscribe to his feed, you can to that here.

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