Champions of Character
By
Bruce E Brown, NAIA Special Presenter
Endurance is part of the Core Value of Respect
“In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm; in the real world, all rests on
perseverance.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Endurance is required to achieve almost anything worthwhile. Success is
a marathon, not a sprint. The people
who succeed are normally the ones who have learned not to give up easily. Setbacks and failures are part of the
learning process, and mistakes are the lifeblood of learning and
improvement. People who are so afraid
of failure that they do not attempt anything of significance are sentenced to a
life of little value. Too often people
only try things that they know they can already be successful in; if they never
challenge themselves, they will never know their true limits or abilities. People who can endure are dreamers,
believers and achievers – they may be the only people who truly reach their
potential.
Endurance requires mental toughness
– the ability to stay positive, enthusiastic and confident no matter what. These people have a spirit that cannot be
broken. They get knocked down eight
times and they get up nine. They do
whatever is necessary to stay the course.
Failure does not mean permanent damage but rather a new opportunity to
find a better way. Dr. Martin Luther
King didn’t say, “I have a problem.” He
said, “I have a dream”.
The ability to persevere is one of
the most positive habits a person can develop.
It is not whether, or not if, adversity will strike, but how often and
how we will respond. Although adversity
is seldom anticipated and never desired, it will eventually appear. The gift that adversity brings is the
process of striving, surviving, confronting and overcoming required to discover
our true abilities and to develop true confidence. The problems we cannot avoid must be faced with courage, the
problems that cannot be overcome we must bear with a strong enduring spirit. As the blade is sharpened with friction from
a hardened stone, individual character is sharpened through life’s
challenges. Each of us will be tested
and much of our character is formed by how we deal with these times of
adversity. If you are building your
team with people of character, you will never know for sure who has true
courage until they have faced some difficult trials.
We need to set and follow
priorities and make a disciplined lifestyle part of our personality. It involves a combination of work ethic,
determination and desire to see a task through to completion. Challenges are energizing for people with a
high level of endurance.
Endurance is different for everyone;
- To the
distance runner it may mean going another 3 miles when no one is watching
- To the
teacher, it may mean not giving up on a student who is struggling to learn
- To the
student it may mean asking for help a second, third or fourth time
- For
the parent, it may mean never giving up because the whole family is
depending on you
- For
the pastor it may mean staying positive and optimistic while helping
others in the face of difficult circumstances
- To the
person with terminal illness, it may mean choosing to positively live each
day to the fullest
Surrounding yourself with encouraging people can assist endurance.
Positive encouraging words to someone who is down can lift them up. Being a person with endurance may inspire
others, make them challenge their own excuses and defeat their own self doubt –
they will not only believe in you but also in your cause.
Our mistakes do not define us. Our reaction to those mistakes will reveal
who we are and what we will become.
Mistakes, failures and difficult times are simply tests of character. People of endurance come away from each
challenge more determined, smarter and stronger than before. It is your choice to listen to critics or
nay-sayers or to listen to your inner voice driving you on, not relying on
immediate success. Never accept the
concept that something cannot be done – it just hasn’t been done yet – nobody
with enough endurance has attempted it.
Endurance is built like a successful life, one day, one challenge, at a time. Everyday, promise yourself to go a little further than you did
the day before. There is a correlation
between successful people and sustained effort. The habit of endurance is the driving force in final
victory. This character trait begins in
your heart, is envisioned in your mind, clarified with your words and tested by
your actions.
“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks,
months and years they spend preparing for it.” T. Alan Armstrong
Core Value of Respect - Any individual who endures
shows respect for themselves and their personal mission, anyone who is part of
a team uses endurance to demonstrate respect for team members and for the goals
of that group.
Life is a journey of integrity – The NAIA prepares you for
it
For more information on NAIA Champions of Character
please visit www.championsofcharacter.org
or email us at championsofcharacter@naia.org.
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