Blog

On Facebook, we ran the "Finish Strong 2009" Contest. Of all the submissions we received, we felt that Rae Alexander's story about her son described the Finish Strong attitude perfectly. Thank you for sharing this amazing story, Rae!

My story involves my son (Colby) who overcame a number of obstacles during his high school running career. Fighting through injuries and barriers became the norm for him. He spent countless hours cross training and fighting his way back from stress fractures and other obstacles to his running goals.

This fall, as the cross country season progressed, Colby was progressing toward his goal of the State Championship. The morning of the Regional Championship which qualifies to the State Meet, he woke up feeling miserable. He had a case of the H1N1. He ran the race and barely qualified but crashed for several days following and started on the antiviral medication prescribed to him.

He attempted to work hard and maintain a positive attitude going into the State Championship meet, but as his coach, it was difficult to offer reassurance and accept his plans to strive for the top place he could have achieved when healthier. He ran the race and finished well behind many competitors that he had previously raced and beaten.

Colby didn't give up his other dreams of racing in a senior all-star meet and the Footlocker Midwest Regional which is a qualifier for the Footlocker National Championship. It was obvious that he felt better the weeks leading to the All-Star meet and he again kept his focus on his goals. He ran well, felt better, but again fell short of his finish goal.

Once more he stuck to his plan, and the goals that were plastered all over his mirror and walls, and trained to race at the Footlocker Midwest Regional.

We focused on keeping him positive, almost preparing him to settle for an All-Region finish and to be part of the Ohio scoring team. He refused to settle and despite some workouts that were not as promising as we hoped he stayed positive and goal driven.

Colby got on the starting line with champions from thirteen states that day. His dream was to be a Footlocker Finalist and be in the top ten qualifiers. He was an underdog and he was clearly not in anyone's list when predicting potential qualifiers to the National Championship.

Colby ran the race of his life, he was focused determined, and he had fire in his eyes. He finished seventh and lived his dream.

He was a National qualifier.

Since then, he achieved another goal. He has always wanted to wear the "O" of an Oregon Duck. He is a recruit for the University of Oregon and will sign a letter of intent in a couple of days.

Despite setbacks and obstacles and injuries, Colby's dreams keep coming true. He keeps his sights on the goals and will do what is necessary to reach for stars. He will always "finish strong" because he has a positive attitude and can focus on his goals.

Yesterday I was thrilled to see the New Orleans Saints win their first Super Bowl! (The Colts gave a good effort, though, kudos to the team and coach) However, I was even more thrilled to know that Drew Brees and his crew used Dan's book Finish Strong to motivate themselves all the way to the Super Bowl!

I am also excited to announce the winner of our "Finish Strong in 2009" Contest from our Facebook Page. Rae Alexander wrote a fantastic story about her son finishing strong in his running career despite illness. Stay tuned this week to read Rae's amazing story!

To Life,

Mac Anderson

In case you haven't heard it on the radio, seen it on T.V., or read it in our newsletters, Simple Truths is in the Super Bowl! Now, we won't physically be on the field, but I know we'll be in the minds of the New Orleans Saints. Read more about that from the Chicago Tribune. Drew Brees and his team adopted the Finish Strong attitude, and it has helped them to the the biggest football matchup of the year!

To celebrate, we have three videos to share. The first is Finish Strong, so you can feel motivated to achieve your goals! The next one is for all the Colts fans out there (we didn't want you all to feel left out), a little music tribute. The last is a classic music tribute to the Saints. Even though it's from 1983, it seems to never get old. Enjoy!

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. ~Robert F. Kennedy

I used to work in finance, helping people decide where to put their savings. Even though we had many different ways to measure the various financial options, it mostly came down to one measure: how much do you want to risk? I would tell them, "The bigger the risk, the greater the reward." Some folks were in a position that they could tolerate a little more risk, others a little less.

Those financial lessons turned into life lessons for me. As I thought about challenges that intimidated me, I mentally stepped back and thought about the rewards. That motivated me to follow through on decisions like getting married, moving jobs, competing in sports, etc.

So, what is your inspiration when it comes to overcoming the fear of failure? What times have you looked past the risk for the reward?

Here's a video I'd like to share from the introduction to Learning to Dance in the Rain by BJ Gallagher and me.

The date was July 16, 2008. It was late in the afternoon, and I was sitting in my hotel room in Louisville, KY. I was scheduled to speak that evening for the Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA). I was feeling a little "down in the dumps." I hadn't gotten to exercise lately because of my travel schedule and recently I'd experienced some mild bouts of vertigo (that inner ear condition that can cause the room to start spinning.) You got it... speaking and "spinning" are not good partners!

My keynote presentation was scheduled for 7:00 PM, but I had been invited to show up at 6:00 to see a performance they said I'd enjoy. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget. They introduced the young musician, Patrick Henry Hughes. He rolled out onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play piano and sing. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful music. For some reason, I knew I was seeing something special. There was this aura about him that I really can't explain and the smile... his smile was magic!

About ten minutes into Patrick's performance, someone came on the stage and said, "I'd like to share a seven-minute video titled, The Patrick Henry Hughes story." The lights went dim, and this was the video:

We all face adversity in our life. However, it's not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude... learn how to dance in the rain?

It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but one word...gratitude, can change your attitude, and thus your life, forever. Sarah Breathnach said it best, "When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present... we experience heaven on earth."

What do you have to be grateful for? Who is your hero? How can someone increase their gratitude?