Written by James Townsend
“I’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot…and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan
Do not hesitate to exercise your WILL in order to take the actions necessary to shaping your life the way you want. Remember, this is your life, not your parents’, teachers’, church authorities’, neighbors’, friends’ or boss’s. Take control now so that when you are older, you won’t let everyone walk all over you and make you subservient. You are equal to any other person, and nobody is better than you. We all have the same blood, we are of the same species, and that means nobody is greater than you. It’s all a frame of mind. I have been on the same field or track with amazing athletes who are worth millions of dollars and have accomplished impossible feats. They are no different nor any better than you or I. The only difference between them and the average person is that they took decisive action and “went for it.” To make their dreams reality, they persevered through all the hard times until they got to where they are today. That’s it! Their great success came from simply following things through to the end.
Don’t let stress or pressures consume your mind and overwhelm you. Don’t think doubt and fail, think success and have victory in your life. If you can not grab ahold of your “Mental Edge” and make that your focus, it’ll be hard to get back. I’ve been there. I’ve walked away from thousands, potentially millions of dollars because of someone’s selfish desires that plagued my mental edge. By adding pressures upon pressures, and realizing how these pressures add up to create a massive burden, I finally come to recognize the ways in which my mind continually acts like a broken record. In fact, I was constantly trying to dig my way out of a ditch. I constantly felt overwhelmed, like I never accomplished anything. I found myself “ping-ponging” through life, lost in the maze of my mind. You go through the routines of life like a zombie.
So much of our energy is spent dealing with the daily pressures that we may never take the time to do what we want to do, and that is accomplishing our dreams. In fact, when God has a plan for you, that plan has to be fulfilled. I always thought his plan was for me was to be a successful NFL player, but I realize now his plan was for me to utilize my God Given talents for his glory. My talent alone was God’s plan for me. Who I am now and what I’m doing is his plan. If something doesn’t go one way, there’s always a second, third and fourth way to achieve something different and something better. Furthermore, use that next adventure to become the best that you can be. It is not about me. Win or lose, I will strive to give it my all and glorify God through my actions, effort and attitude.
In summary, use your WILL. The notion to “REFUSE TO BE ORDINARY”. We all have it somewhere buried in our hearts. To me “REFUSE TO BE ORDINARY” is the “Holy Grail” of building the life you’ve always wanted. It separates the achievers and those so-called “dreamers” who are unwilling to take action. I “REFUSE TO BE ORDINARY” because God has given me a gift that was meant for me.
If you lack the WILL, you get the leftovers of what life has to offer. Go out into this world of limitless possibilities and Refuse to be Ordinary!
