Don’t give up.
Posted by Andy CroffordEach year ESPN has a big fundraiser for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Mike and Mike (and I am sure other ESPN programs) always play his speech from the 1993 Espy Awards when he was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. The speech is a classic, very motivations, just a flat out great speech. Sadly, Jimmy Valvano passed away just under two months after giving this speech.
I could only hope to inspire and motivate people the way Jimmy V. did but I am going to give it my best shot.
Be Optimistic
I admit I am guilty of being a pessimist. Often times I will complete a project that I am excited about and tell my wife about it and usually say “but it probably won’t work” or “it will probably fail”. Now I am either the dumbest person alive or I am using this as a defense mechanism. If I truly believed I was going to fail then why am I even trying? I could use the resources I am putting into these projects on something else. So even though in my heart of hearts I don’t really think I will fail I need to stop saying it too. So if you use the “but its going to fail” defense mechanism stop doing it! That is what I plan to do. Be positive. When you are the sky is the limit!
Know the Difference Between Dreams and Goals
It is okay to dream just make sure you are not confusing dreaming with setting a goal. Basically a dream is where you hope to do something (e.g. I hope to travel around the world one day.). A goal is where you set out to do something and will either succeed or fail (e.g. I am going to travel around the world next year.). Write your goals down in a notebook, a text editor, or use 43 Things. The key here is to write your goals down and do everything you can to achieve them.
Don’t Be Afraid of Failing
This one may seem odd to you at first but think about it for a minute. When you fail you should learn why you failed so that you don’t repeat whatever caused your failure. Keep doing that and eventually you will find something works. The bottom line is if you are really passionate about something then you should keep at it, learn from your mistakes, and bask in the glory of your successes. Whatever you do, don’t dread failure to the point it keeps your from trying.
My goal with this post is to motivate at least one person. If I accomplished this please let me know in the comments and remember:
- Stay Positive
- Set Goals
- Learn From Your Mistakes
- Be Passionate
- Meet Challenges With Enthusiasm
- Most importantly; Don’t Give Up. Don’t Ever Give Up.
dcr Says:
July 16th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Great speech, and nice post. I haven’t seen that speech before, so it was new to me.
Sometimes, though, pessimism and realism can be confused, though it can also be because pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, making you think you were a realist all along!
I think a lot of people give up too soon. Maybe if they feel they should throw in the towel, they should just stick it out for one more day. Then, on the next day, repeat!
Andy Crofford Reply:
July 16th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I agree. Thank you very much for the comment.
guestonline Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 11:54 am
i always wish to be same as per points said above..but situations wont allow us to remain so…we easily become pessimistic over the things that happen around us…really inspiring one..