Find a Way

I listened to an inspiring story the other morning on the way to work. It was about a football player who had his life changed by a cancer diagnosis sometime after his playing days were over. The intro to the book reads as follows:

"In 2003 former NFL player and current ESPN broadcaster Merril Hoge was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He's recently written a book entitled 'Find A Way', that chronicles his story, providing inspiration on how to navigate difficult times."

As I listened to Merril speak on the radio of his experiences as a boy growing up and then as a football player and father stricken with cancer, I was struck by the simple singleness of purpose that he followed embodied in three words--Find a Way.

He spoke about how when he was a boy and professed that he was going to play in the NFL, that people told him how hard it was and how few people made it to that level of play. Yet, that was when he discovered the phrase: Find a Way. And, he became an NFL played despite those around him trying to help break his fall should he not make it.

He then related how when he was depressed and down about the cancer and was telling his children about it, his daughter came to him and repeated the words that he had taught her about how to deal with life, Find a Way. It encouraged him to give 100 percent of himself to the fight and hold nothing back.

The interview resonated with me.

Why?

I feel that sometimes I forget to Find a Way when confronted difficult situations or problems in my life. I am content to find an excuse for less than spectacular performance in overcoming obstacles. I find that more and more I am not willing to expend the emotional energy to Find a Way.

I was so intrigued by the interview that I have purchased the book and will be reading it.