By Kay Caldwell
I read the following caption under a photograph of the Varsity Cheerleaders for Plano High School which is in Plano, Texas:
“I trade sweat for strength,
I trade doubt for belief,
I trade cheerleading for nothing!”
You may think that is just a little bit over the top but you have to remember that cheerleading — and football — are very big in Texas. And Plano has one of the most successful football programs in the country. Something stirred inside of me as I read this. It is a youthful mantra of commitment where fear is gone and there are no limitations. Do you remember a time when you set your dreams so high that nothing could stop you? There is that feeling of passion and fortitude that seem to go hand in hand. The desire is greater than anything you can imagine and above all it is personal. The personal side is the challenge to “bring to the table” the best you have in you. Multiplied by every member of a team the effect is even greater. Can you even dream the type of team you would have if everyone brought their best to the game? What about your company or your family?
We can do this but sadly we limit ourselves. Why? In Life 101, Peter McWilliams writes “that almost all excuses and reasons are motivated by fear — fear of fatigue, fear of not doing it perfectly, fear of looking foolish, fear of mistakes, fear of losing, fear of being let down, fear of facing unworthiness, fear of getting angry; in short, fear that we might be uncomfortable.” The section of the book is called “get off your buts.” The meaning, stop saying I can do this “but.” It is a fallacy of human nature to allow the “buts” and “distractions” to keep us from being the incredible person we can be.
Let’s say you are writing a book. You have a choice to go to a fun party or write the last chapter of that book. Will you allow the distraction to stop you from accomplishing what could very well be the book that could change your life and the lives of others? The accurate question to ask yourself is, “Which is more important, the party or the book?” instead of, “Which is more appealing, the party or the book? When it comes to do what is more appealing the party wins every time. You have to make a trade. Remember the Plano Cheerleaders — they trade cheerleading for nothing!
When belief in yourself is powerful enough you can do anything or be anything your heart desires. In his book, The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav, writes, “If you are not home in the world, you live in the fear of one who can never truly relax and enjoy life. Is this power? You’re only as powerful as that for which you stand.” Lose the fear, decide that for which you stand and go for it! Otherwise you will have a desk full of fun party favors and no book.
What are you committed to? You are created to fulfill your purpose. When you are committed to that purpose you unleash the “powerful you” inside that listens, loves, laughs and is determined to bring the best that is in you to the table always. I challenge you to enjoy your life. Love like you have never had a broken heart, laugh as deep as possible, take time to really see the beauty around you in not only nature but in the people you come in contact with each and every day. Treat every day as a gift, that is why we call it the present.