A game plan that is sure to defeat even the most difficult opponents.
At age 46, legendary basketball coach, Jim Valvano, was diagnosed with cancer. The disease would eventually claim his life, but not before he was able to form “The V Foundation for Cancer Research.” Just eight weeks prior to his death, “Jimmy V” was somehow able to muster up the strength and courage, and he delivered one of the most powerful and iconic speeches in the history of American sport. Using the platform of the 1993 ESPY awards, he brought awareness to the lack of money provided for cancer research and urged his audience to make charitable donations. “It may not save my life. It may save my children’s lives. It may save someone you love,” said the coach. Less than 30 years after his death, the organization he started amongst the worst of circumstances has raised over $250 million for cancer research.
Similarly, when Pete Frates discovered he had developed ALS in 2012, he chose to take the same optimistic point of view, aiming to use his condition to help others. “The man upstairs has a plan for me,” he said. “This is the hand I’ve been dealt and I’ve made peace with it. There are people out there who do not have my support system or advantages, and I want to help them.” Frates went on to create the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” an important turning point in the fight against ALS that raised over $200 million in research for how to battle Lou Gehrig’s disease.
These two men are living proof that how we choose to respond to the events that occur in our lives will determine the final outcome. No one would have blamed either of these men if they had reacted a different way. If they had chosen to sulk or feel sorry for themselves, the result of their death still would have been the world losing a really good person. However, because of their reaction and choice to be positive instead, the end result is 450 MILLION dollars that has currently been raised in the pursuit of finding a cure for these horrible diseases!
Coach Valvano once said that he considered himself an ordinary man, but he also more importantly believed that “ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things”. He was right. However, not all people will achieve such success and leave such a lasting legacy In order to do so, you must choose to react positively to whatever obstacles life throws in your path. Although the choice to be positive does not guarantee success, reacting negatively to adverse situations will guarantee that you will never achieve your true potential. We all have the formula to win, even against the scariest opponents. The question is, will you implement this game plan or will the size of your opponent intimidate you, distracting you from your ultimate goal?
Quote of the Day
Even in the midst of a Nazi concentration camp, he said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” -Dr. Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor
To make a contribution to either the The V Foundation for Cancer Research or the battle against ALS please visit:
Coach Nelson holds a doctorate in sport and performance psychology and currently serves as a high school football coach. He has worked for multiple professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company, a division 1 athletic departments and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities.
His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!
