Champion Road

With the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl happening in the same weekend, everywhere we look we see champions. We’re surrounded by athleticism, grace, tenacity, and a never give up spirit.

For every champion out there, there are countless moments when they could have given up, could have thrown in the towel. But they didn’t. They kept showing up, despite what others said. Despite being told that they weren’t good enough, weren’t smart enough, that they weren’t fast enough or clever enough. And even when they were clearly outmatched, they got back up. They kept going.

There’s a Hallmark movie—hear me out, now—where a retired football player goes on to host a TV morning show. His cohost is his love interest, of course. And she’s under the impression that his life has been a breeze and that everything’s been handed to him. She makes a snide comment to this effect and he points out, kindly, that he had to work hard to turn what little talent he had into a “bankable skill” and that every workout was measured, every calorie counted, for years. It’s a conversation where she looks at him and really sees him for the first time. It’s just a beat, really, but it’s the beginning of everything.

I collect scenes in my head; this is one of them. Even writers can forget something as basic as inspiration, so we have our go-to places. Need food? Go to the grocery store. Need gas? Go to the gas station. Need inspiration? Put the subtitles on and read a movie. Or listen to music that gives you goose bumps. The point is that when you experience something well crafted, or a moment with such precision and timing, the cobwebs tend to scatter from your mind.

Maybe we’re not all measuring every calorie, every workout, but I bet we’ve all been told we weren’t good enough for something we truly wanted. Did we give up? Did we let someone else’s shortsighted comments get us down? Maybe at times we did exactly that. Sure. But not today.

No, today we’re surrounded by greatness on all sides. And we can see where the road goes if we stay on it.

So we get back up. We keep working. Because we’ve got plans that even the naysayers can’t stop.

~

The Hallmark movie is Good Morning, Christmas! Check it out, and watch for the scene I mentioned.