THINGS TO REMEMBER

I hope you enjoyed your holidays and are ready for the New Year.  This past month, I heard dozens of times, “Happy New Year!”  But here’s a question for you:  Is it really a new year or merely an old one recycled?  What do you plan on doing this year that is different from last year?  The difference between a new year and a recycled year is vision.  Without a vision, this really isn’t a new year, but just one more time around the sun.  With a vision, however, you can grow past your past and do what you thought you could not do.

When I was twelve, my parents bought me a set of binoculars for Christmas.  Binoculars are optical instruments that give you the ability to see things that are far away and make them appear as if they are within your reach.

Faith can be like a pair of binoculars.  It reaches out into the future and allows you to see things as they can become.  If you can see it, you can believe it.  If you can believe it, you can achieve it.  I want to begin this New Year with a simple reminder, and that is: have faith.  It has been said many times that one of the great things about swimming is that it mirrors life.  It is hard work, it can be very fulfilling and rewarding, and it can hold great disappointment.  As in life, in swimming you must have faith to get through the short-term disappointments and press on toward the rewards that often appear very far away.  Faith in your coaches; that they truly desire to help you achieve your goals and have the tools to do so.  Faith in your parents; that they truly want what’s best for you and have a great deal of life experience you can benefit from.  Faith in your teammates; that they want to see you succeed.  Faith in yourself; that if you hold tight to your dreams and persevere you can become who you want to be and reach your goals.  If you have a vision, you can have a new year and not just recycle your old one.  If you have faith, you can have your best year ever and reach those things that previously seemed beyond your grasp.

Here are some things to think about; Things to Remember:

1. “There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs.” –Unknown

2. “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” -Will Rogers

3. “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” –Unknown

4. “If you think you can or you think you can’t; you’re probably right.” –Unknown

5. “Few things are impossible to diligence and skill…great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.” -Samuel Johnson

6. “We accomplish in proportion to what we attempt.” –Unknown

7. “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” -Helen Keller

8. “If you are not where you’re at, you’re nowhere.” –Coach Rout

9. “Have faith.” – Coach Russ

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark... One: Don't miss the boat. Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat. Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. Six: Build your future on high ground. Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs. Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. Nine: When you're stressed, float a while. Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back......every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are   still telling the story,. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle"