THE ENDING IS THE BEGINNING

Hey, sorry for the 'non-blog' the past few days.

Last night we had our final game of the basketball season. The mighty Lady Barricudas played marvelously!!! The improvement in all of the girls was really fantastic! Most of our girls had never played organized basketball before and to see them grow in their understanding of the sport was really fun.

The best part of coaching this age group is that these young ladies are competitive and sweet at the same time. They are great kids. They are moving from an ending to a beginning.

Some of them will go on and try out for their Junior High team next year and realize for the first time in their life, that not everybody makes the team. It's interesting. We put such a huge focus on 'making the team', 'being at the top'. Why don't we look at it as a new beginning if we don't fall into that category of 'making it'?

Success is not defined in a moment; when a person is at the pinnacle of their sport or business or craft. Peyton Manning wasn't a success when he finally won the Super Bowl nor was his kid brother a success when he won the Super Bowl. No, those two boys were a success long before that singular moment.

Success is when we do that which is required of us in the moment to achieve our peak performance at that moment. Getting up every morning and going to work. Loving your spouse. Being in the place you know you should be even when you might wish you were somewhere else. Giving your spouse a break from the kids when you know he/she is ready to explode. Success is defined and determined long before the lights and cameras and confetti and bulging bank accounts.

So, when you are faced with an area in your life that comes to an end, don't view it as the end, but rather as a course adjustment and a new beginning on your pursuit of achieving greater influence in your life. You may not make the Junior High basketball team, but you might just be on your new path of becoming a wonderful nurse or civic leader or pastor or mom or dad or general or president or doctor!

It's all just getting started!!!

MTC!
Mark