Did you watch the game?

Commitment

“Commitment is a big part of what I am and what I believe. How committed are you to winning? How committed are you to being a good friend? To being trustworthy? To being successful? How committed are you to being a good father, good teammate, a good role model? There's that moment every morning when you look in the mirror: Are you committed, or are you not?”

                                            LeBron James

I'll only say it once: How about that Crimson Tide? Huh? So, watching those young men play football should be a lesson to all of us about the power of hard work and commitment. Nick Saban puts his team through a harsh schedule, and expects them to achieve both on the field and off, and they rarely let him down.

I'll be honest with you, I was pulling for the Irish to get on the board last night. We tend to lose sight of the fact that this is a GAME, and it is played by the very young. There is nothing to be gained by humiliation of either the team, or their fans, or their University. They did, after all, win every football game this season until last night, and today, the University of Notre Dame is every bit as excellent as it was yesterday.

Winning and losing are opposite sides of a coin. One is meaningless without the other. In life, as in football, commitment and hard work are required in order to win more than you lose. Excellence in any arena demands dedication, whether in sports, or in the market place or in relationships. Being half-committed will, perhaps, get you half-way there, but there will always be someone ahead who is more dedicated to success, and more willing to go the distance to achieve it.

That great teacher and theologian, LeBron James, has it right. One has to be committed in order to be “a winner.” Setting our own bar high, and then striving to achieve the goals we set, makes us stronger, smarter, and more confident in everything that we do. Whether the task is losing weight, or getting a pay raise, or being a loving partner, commitment and hard work are the key ingredients.

                                                   In the spirit,

                                                       Jane