How Track & Field Shaped Me Into Who I Am Today – Part 3

How Track & Field Shaped Me Into Who I Am Today – Part 3

If you’ve never watched a video compilation of athletes celebrating prematurely, do a Google search and watch a few.

You’ll see cyclists and runners raising their arms in celebration and slowing down right before the finish line as the athlete behind them comes up and passes them.

You may see a goalie leaving his post after blocking a shot, only to realize too late that the ball did not come to a complete stop and instead rolled in for the goal.

You may see a football player running toward the end zone with arms stretched out as he approaches, only to have the ball knocked out of his hand before he gets in.

The list goes on and on.

While the immediate lesson learned is not to celebrate too early, there’s another lesson that can be learned. It’s the one you find when you take the focus off of the would-be winner and on to the winner in the end.

In short, it’s this: When you feel like you’re going to lose, when you feel like it’s hopeless, when you feel too worn down to give it your all, don’t give up. Don’t let up — not until it’s really over.

One of the many life-applicable lessons I learned from my time in Mt. Pleasant High School’s Track & Field program was to run past the finish line; not just run to it. Give it your all — all the way through — even when it feels like you have nothing left. Even if your body feels like it can’t take it anymore. Even if you want so much just to start shutting down before it’s time to.

Sports programs such as MP’s renowned Track & Field program help young people to win by training them to get out of their comfort zones and past whatever their limits are (or seem to be).

If you try working out by yourself, you’ll usually limit what you do to  where it begins to hurt. Or maybe a little past that mark. But when you’re in a program such as the Track program, you’re led to do much more than you would normally do yourself.

You’re told to do 20 sets of a workout that gets you feeling close to death after 10. Sounds dangerous, but it’s not when you’re under the guidance and care of an experienced and effective coach like MP’s Track & Field Coach, Steve Nelson.

You’ll constantly find that you can actually do more than you thought you could do — and, over time, more than you once did. You’ll come to realize that you don’t get significantly stronger, faster, or better by doing whatever. It comes from pushing the boundaries — going past the finish line, so-to-speak.

That’s true when you’re training. And that’s true come game time.

You get the most when you attempt/give the most.

Imagine running a 400-meter race and slowing down the last 10. Even if you win, in some ways, you’ve lost.

And if you just work out up until it feels like you’ve reached your limit, you’ll get stronger, but not as strong as you would if you pushed further.

They say your mind will give up long before your body does, and it’s true.

And learning to “run” past the finish line is a lesson I carry with me to this day, thanks to Coach Nelson.

Coach Nelson trained us to go past our limits — and, in doing so, not only made us into better athletes, but instilled in us the idea that we could do more. We could be more.

We were taught that races are won and lost long before the gun goes off or before the event begins. How we trained in the days, weeks, and months before the competition would determine that. On the track and in the weight room, hours of rigorous training and temporary discomfort/pain may only make a difference in minutes, seconds, or even fractions of a second, but that could mean the difference between a win or a loss on the track. And once the race is over, it’s one for the record books. You can’t run that race again.

So as tough as the “now” is, what we gain from giving our all can make it worth our while — and that can be hard to see or keep in mind when we’re struggling in the moment.

In watching the videos I mentioned at the onset of this article, I’m reminded of how bitter the defeat is when it’s the result of letting up too early — during the race and before the race (in training). Those defeats will surely stick with those who suffered them.

But how sweet is it for those who snagged the victory in the end? For the ones who didn’t give up? For the ones who gave “110%,” as the saying goes?

To conclude this post, check out the two videos below: one illustrating the consequences of letting up, and the other illustrating how sweet it can be when you give your all — even when it seems like a lost cause.

And I hope you’re encouraged — no matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing, no matter what you’re feeling — to “run your race” until it’s really over: past the finish line.

Editor’s note: I originally wrote this post for my high school Track & Field program’s blog as part of a series, but upon submitting this piece, I discovered that the program is currently on hiatus. I was thinking about just waiting until the status changed, but since I’m not sure when that will happen, I decided to just post this here, on my personal blog. For the other two parts to this series, click on the links below:

An Investment for Life

The Keys to Becoming “Super”: How Track & Field Shaped Me Into Who I Am Today – Part 2

 

I received the following news release yesterday from Fresno Pacific University about Francis Chan‘s talk during the 2012 Central Valley Ministry Forum (organized by FPU).  I couldn’t find any news coverage yet about it so I thought I’d just post it here to share some of the things he said and give others an easy way to share it too.  Hope you’ll find some encouragement and inspiration, as I did.  (BTW: Francis Chan and I are not related – at least, to the best of my knowledge, not closely)

Francis Chan urges FPU Ministry Forum attendees to take risks for God

Francis Chan believes in just trying things—in life, in ministry and in front of 1,300 pastors, lay church leaders and nonprofit agency staff members.

“I look back at my life and all the great things that happened were things that just happened. I was just trying things,” the author of Crazy Love, founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA and co-founder of Eternity Bible College said at the 2012 Central Valley Ministry Forum, organized by Fresno Pacific University. The event took place February 16 on the main campus, 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno.

To accommodate by far the largest audience to attend the annual Ministry Forum since it began in 2004, Chan spoke from the middle of the Special Events Center gymnasium. The square stage set with only a café table and two chairs was perfect for Chan’s enthusiastic, conversational style. Screens above the stage captured his animated facial expressions and often expansive gestures as Chan’s voice rose with laughter or fell to a hush.

Despite notes, Chan was clearly open to the inspiration of the moment, even to admitting discomfort. “You’re sitting at tables and going to taking notes,” he said with a laugh. “That means I have to have something to say.”

What Chan said in “Living by Faith,” the first of the day-long event’s three sessions, was that to follow Christ is to trust him, and him alone, even in the middle of every action. “My whole point right now—and which wasn’t the point of my sermon—is that I don’t know what I’m doing,” he said.

Instead, Chan figures God looks down and says, “Francis, you have no idea what I have planned for you.”

Among the things God has so far planned for Chan have been quitting work three weeks after his marriage to start a church, starting a Bible college over a burrito lunch, selling his home and traveling the world with his family while wife Lisa was pregnant with their fifth child, hosting a steak-and-lobster feast for the poor in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District and starting a seven-week “Taste of God” series where 50 Christians meet with 50 nonbelievers. In its fifth week as he spoke, Chan reported “Taste of God” had six baptisms in one week; due to space problems, those baptisms took place in a wading pool atop a building.

What stops other from doing what Chan does? Forgetting to trust God and be courageous. “If you’re going to try things, you’re going to fail,” he said. The risk of failure is that criticism comes fast and hurtful, especially in the digital age. “Every time I make a mistake somebody tweets it,” he said.

But there’s also a risk in not failing. “Once something is successful, people try to protect it,” he said.

Either one, “can take away the courage the Holy Spirit gives you,” Chan said. The answer is to ask yourself: “Am I letting expectations get to me? My reputation get to me? Or am I being real before God?”

Ministry Forum sponsors were Chick-fil-A, Dumont Printing, Spirit 88.9 Christian radio, Growing Healthy Churches, Link Care Center, Mennonite Insurance Services, the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, Frito-Lay, Producers Dairy, Seattle’s Own, Uncle Harry’s and Wawona foods.

Well, it should be obvious by now that I probably won’t get to writing in the blog regularly for a while longer.  First of all, I’m pretty busy with work.  And, well, I guess that’s the only excuse I really have.  So as of now, if you want to know what’s on my mind, Twitter is the best way to do it. Twitter works out really well for someone like me.  I can quickly look over other people’s tweets when I have some time (especially if I’m waiting for someone or waiting for something).  And I’m more likely to share frequently because each post is very short.  Takes very little time to post.

So please follow me on Twitter.  Would love to share with you what things I come across.  And one day (perhaps when I retire), I’ll write lengthier posts – in this blog or another.  We’ll see.  

Hopefully I can still drop by here from time to time to post a thought or two.  Here’s to hope!

(BTW: A link to my Twitter account is in the right column.  Some of my latest tweets are there too)

I’ve decided to start writing in my blog again.  And I’ll be honest.  I am a bit hesitant because I’m a bit intimidated by all the prolific writers who are out there.  I was just introduced to another one – Jeff Goins, whose self-description pinpointed three areas that I feel I’m really good at … though – as I’m finding out more and more – not nearly as good as those who have risen in renown.  BTW, the three words are writer, idea guy, mobilizer (more on this another time).

Still, I’ve decided to write.  Why?  Well, because honestly I do love writing.  And while my writings may not be as deep and compelling as a lot of others, I feel called to do this (to write, to share my ideas, and to mobilize/inspire).  Plus, everyone has to start somewhere, right?  Few just start something and immediately excel in it.  Most of us, I believe, start off wet behind the ears.  And as we keep at it, we get better.  I know that’s how it was for me and my studies (went from a 2.67 GPA to a 4.00 GPA).  Was also the case for me and track & field.  So even though my writing is not all that great.  Even though my ideas might not be revolutionary.  And even though I’m not widely read (and thus have little/no influence), I’m going to start.  I do believe I have a gift. And it’s a gift I’d like to invest more in.

All that said, I’m going to (hopefully) start writing more regularly.  I’m also considering a different platform.  Maybe even my own URL like other big time bloggers.

Gosh, there are really so many bloggers out there.  Easy to get lost in the crowd.  But yeah … I won’t be intimidated. I’m a writer. I know at least that much. And I love to preach and teach.  I love sharing what I know.  And I really want to help people – inspire them, assist them, etc.  How God intends for me to do this, I’m not clear about yet.  But, well, in the past, it’s helped me to write things down.  Writing helps to organize the sometimes jumbled thoughts I have.  So yeah, my conclusion was to start writing in my blog again. Every story has a beginning.  Maybe the new story that I’ll be telling starts from here.

One of my favorite television shows growing up was “Quantum Leap.”  And I think one of the reasons for that was my own personal hope to make a difference in the lives of others through my own life.

I’ve recently been watching episodes I’ve missed thanks to Hulu.  Also revisiting some I already watched.  While entertaining, I also find the episodes inspiring. They’ve also been a reminder to me that while I may want to make a big, positive impact in this world while I’m in it, sometimes that big impact comes from a number of smaller impacts.

In one episode of Quantum Leap, the body funding the project is considering whether or not to continue supporting the expensive effort.  And while the folks behind the project present the lives that have been changed as a result of the project, the body thinks little of them.  They want to see something big.  Interestingly, a change in the life of one person actually results in additional funding for the project. Anyway, the point is, sometimes even one life changed trickles in profound ways.

So, though it may not be apparent, we really do all have the potential to make a profound difference in this world.  It’s not just the world leaders, CEOs, etc.  We just all need to be willing to invest parts of our lives for the lives of others – even if it’s just for the life of another.  That’s food for thought.  Any how, I want to conclude this with the final scene from the series finale of Quantum Leap.  I think it summed up the series pretty well although I wish the show had gone on longer.  Don’t really like how Sam Becket never returned home either.  I think the producers didn’t have to put that in – although it did add to the sad closing. Anyway, hope this inspires someone as it did me:

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In the past year or two, I’ve come to see more clearly one of my defining characteristics – not to the point where I can state it simply in a word or two, but enough to talk about how much it influences me.  To put it simply, I love problem-solving.  My favorite types of books growing up were mystery novels.  I was deeply fascinated by math.  I often forgot math formulas, but somehow could derive them when needed.  When I first started studying the Bible, I was amazed by how things fit together and how a book with so many authors could have its words so in sync as if written by one.  A potential enigma on its own, but something that makes so much sense when probed – like a dark cave just waiting to be explored.  And, I love organizing (which is tied closely to problem-solving).  Love sorting, categorizing, organizing, all of that.

Anyway, I brought this up because I recently saw someone on Facebook ask why 0!=1.  Having forgotten myself, I looked around a bit and found some well-worded explanations to remind me (oddly enough, the person who explained why x^0 = 1 did a poor job at explaining why 0!=1, so that’s why I only include his explanation of x^0=1 and not his explanation as to why 0!=1).

Just thought I’d share in case anyone was as fascinated by numbers as I was.  Oh, and I should also note.  At UCLA, learning the application of these seemingly inapplicable truths was really quite exciting for me (yeah, I’m a nerd).  But these days, I’m less interested in the application of mathematical truths in the world as we see it but the application of biblical truths in the areas we can’t see (i.e., the heart, the mind, the spirit).  Anywho … here are the two well-worded explanations (in my opinion) for those nerds-at-heart:

Why x^0=1

=========

0! = 1 for reasons that are similar to why x^0 = 1. Both are defined that way. But there are reasons for these  definitions; they are not arbitrary.

You cannot reason that x^0 = 1 by thinking of the meaning of powers as “repeated multiplications” because you cannot multiply x zero times.  Similarly, you cannot reason out 0! just in terms of the meaning of factorial because you cannot multiply all the numbers from zero down to 1 to get 1.

Mathematicians *define* x^0 = 1 in order to make the laws of exponents work even when the exponents can no longer be thought of as repeated multiplication. For example, (x^3)(x^5) = x^8 because you can add  exponents. In the same way (x^0)(x^2) should be equal to x^2 by  adding exponents. But that means that x^0 must be 1 because when you  multiply x^2 by it, the result is still x^2. Only x^0 = 1 makes sense here.

Why 0!=1

========

In general any factorial number (call it n!), may be written,

n! = n x (n-1) x (n-2) x (n-3) x … x 2 x 1

This is the general definition of a factorial number.

If you want it in words; a factorial number is the product of all positive integers from 1 to the number under consideration.

The main place it is likely to be encountered is when considering those groups and arrangements of objects mentioned above.

So where does all this 0! stuff fit in?

Nobody has trouble in stating 2! = 2 x 1 , or even that 1! = 1, but 0! appears to make no sense.

It does however, have a value of 1. This is rather counter intuitive but arises directly from our general definition.

n! = n x (n-1) x (n-2) x (n-3) x … x 2 x 1

Notice this may be written,

n! = n x (n-1)! Still exactly the same definition.

If the left hand side (LHS) = the right hand side (RHS) then dividing both sides by n should leave them still equal, so it is still true to write,

n!/n = n x (n-1)!/n

The (n-1)! in the RHS is being both multiplied by n and divided by n. These cancel leaving,

n!/n = (n-1)! If you doubt this, try it with real numbers, e.g. 4!/4 = 3! or (4 x 3 x 2 x 1)/4 = 3 x 2 x 1 = 6

The equation we now have is,

n!/n = (n-1)!

It is still our original definition in are arranged form. For convenience I shall write it the other way round.

(n-1)! = n!/n

We also said that our factorial uses the positive integers 1 and above. Try the value of n=2 in our rearranged formula and we get,

(2-1)! = 2!/2 or 1! = 2×1/2

The RHS calculates to 1, so we have the statement 1!=1That is what we guessed intuitively above. It is now confirmed. But look what happens when we substitute the legitimate value of n=1 in our formula.

(1-1)! = 1!/1

Evaluating this statement gives

0! = 1!/1

We have just shown 1!=1 so the RHS is 1/1 or 1.

Decided not to continue with the ‘Thoughts of the Day.”  Since I mostly ramble when I write, I figured my “thoughts” would just lose or bore people.  When I feel moved to write, I’ll write.  That tends to be a better time to do that.  So … yeah.  We’ll see how often I’ll be in here then.  Likely won’t be much, but who knows?  Anything is possible.  TTYL then!

So, it looks like I probably won’t be writing something every day (M-F) as I thought.  Oh well.  At least I’m writing.  Shouldn’t expect too much I suppose.

Anywho … on to today’s thought: It’s much easier to go down a slide than to climb the ladder that gets you to the top.

Um … so (without preaching), I was basically just thinking recently about how good things (aside from those received by grace) come through hard work and toil.  And, while we may enjoy working (doing something) to some extent, most would rather just play around and just have fun.  But honestly, while the “slide” might be fun, exhilarating (etc.), in most cases going down is a bad thing.  Maybe “falling” is a better word to describe what I’m trying to say.  Meanwhile, going up is almost always a good thing (though it requires more sweat and labor).

Sorry, I’m typing this while chatting with people so I’m not focusing too well.  Wonder if the brevity and quickness with which I type these will make me sound like someone with disorganized and superficial thoughts.  Might be shooting myself in the foot.  I mean, at this rate I might type something that will bite me later.  =)  Oh well, might as well post this one since I’ve written it already.

Maybe I should switch to Thought of the Week. =)

Well, I think I might have finally found a way to be more consistent in my blogging.  Since I have something in mind each day, it shouldn’t be hard to share something each day.  Call if ‘bits of wisdom’ or just thoughts – whatever.  In any case, I hope whoever reads this will gain something from it.  Maybe I’ll compile this for a book or something.  Or just come up with some catchy sayings like Pastor Rick Warren does (he’s been saving his little bits of wisdom for years and is now releasing them via Twitter.).  Anywho …

Thought for today.  About being methodical.  I think it’s easy for any of us to just go each day without a clear aim.  Just taking care of what comes along.  Just doing stuff.  I don’t know how to describe it better.  But, I suppose I should skip to the point.  Each day we should be strategic, methodical.  Know clearly what our goals are for the day.  Know clearly what our goals are for the week, and then move forward to executing them.  Reminds me of what the late John Wooden had said – “Make each day your masterpiece.”  Also, I am reminded of something Michael Hyatt (CEO of Thomas Nelson) had said – … well, I can’t quote it exactly, but he basically said … or just a sec.  Let me find the actual quote so I don’t slaughter the message.  =)

…

OK.  Nevermind.  I couldn’t find it.  Starting to wonder now if it was really Hyatt who said it. Anyway, the advice was to not end up just doing what others present as important, but to do what you determine to be important.  I, for example, get a lot of requests for this or that to be done. And often times it takes away from what I need to do.

OK, this entry is starting to get long and disorganized.  Ironic considering the topic.

So – to get to the point:  Make your goals clear.  And go after them! =)

(this post was really, really, really ironic)

And one more thing:  Stay away from bunny trails.  Might get you lost.  =)

Wow.  It’s been almost half a year since I last wrote here.  Well, that may change now.  I was looking through the blog of Bishop T.D. Jakes today and noticed that it was mostly brief entries filed as “Thought of the Day.”  I figure it would be good for me to do so the same since I have lots to say and share but not so much time to do it.  So … yeah.  I’m going to give this a try.  Is a thought a day too much?  Hehe.  Really not sure if I can really commit to this.  Oh well, let’s give it a go!

(although I should mention that this will be, at best, a M-F thing)