R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

My alma mater won the NCAA National Championship basketball game last night! I was jumping up and down and yelling during the game along with everyone else. There was an amazing shot at the buzzer. There was victory in overtime. I called children and grandchildren after the game. There was dancing in the street. There was euphoria at all of the Kansas March Madness parties. But you know what, every single young man who participated in that tournament was a winner. Every young man who honed their skills and competed was a victor. Larry Bird put it this way: “A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, then uses these skills to accomplish his goals.” That kind of victory is available to all of us. We might not shoot any game winning baskets in our lifetime, but we can accomplish other feats that take just as much concentration and-leave-it-all-on-the-floor kind of determination. When you look at people today, think about what kind of hardships they have overcome. Think about the personal battles they’ve fought. Congratulate yourself on times you have “decided not to surrender” when you went through the terrific hardships and struggles of divorce. You are a winner every single time you put your mind to something and then keep at it until you accomplish a goal worth the effort. Going through the midlife divorce recovery journey is definitely a situation that demands the best of you… demands all the determination and fortitude and passion you’ve got. If you don’t give up and don’t look back, you will win this “race,” and the victory will be sweeter than you can even imagine.

“ You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” ~ 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 (The Message)