For the past few days, I have really been on it! I have gotten up early and went to bed late trying to make things happen for me. After today, I will be finished with one of the web pages that I am designing. I learned in college that you have to put in work and time if you want to get things done. I take this same concept with anything I do in life. It started in high school my sophomore year. My high school basketball coach told me to my face that I would never play for him because I was too skinny. I was hurt when he told me and I thought if the coach told me this, then I didn't have a chance in hell to play on the team. This thought lasted about a day and then I made up in my mind that I would make him eat those words. I was determined to make him want me to play for him. This was at the end of my sophomore year and school was about to be over. That summer, I discovered who Kelvin J. Swint really was. I didn't have a bike, so I borrowed my cousins (Genovia, thanks for the wheels!) bike which was a girl bike and I rode it everyday wherever I went. My daily routine consisted of riding the bike to the school, working out in the weight room,going back home for lunch (which consisted of two ham sandwiches and a apple) and then back to the school to play ball. Then at night, I would lift weights again and do push-ups before I went to bed. I did this everyday for two months. While I was at the school I would see the coach in passing and I wouldn't say a word to him. I was waiting for him to just see me in action.
My junior year was beginning and it was tryout time. The first 3 weeks of practice consisted of nothing but running. Well, I was well conditioned because I had been riding at least 10 miles a day on a bike during the summer. The running he had us doing was a cake walk to me. I finished before everyone else and I was not tired. This was my time to shine. I had worked extra hard and now it was time to reap the benefits. After every exercise, I would laugh and ask him is that all he had. I am not a cocky person, but I do believe in rewarding yourself if you have worked hard-this was my reward. He saw that he couldn't shake me in the conditioning area so he figured he would get me on the court. After the 3 weeks of running, it was time to start playing. We hit the floor and I was ready. What I didn't know was that by me doing all that I had done I was actually making myself a better ball player without using the ball a lot. I was faster and my endurance was unbelievable. My defense was impeccable. I was guarding guys that were ranked in the state and I was a nobody. It was like a dream come true. But then something else happened. We were running drills and on a fast break, I got the ball and jumped to make a lay-up and I noticed that I didn't stop going up. I was so high in the air that I scared myself, so I did the only thing I could do, I dunked the ball. Everyone in the gym was amazed. Not only because I dunked, but because of how high I jumped. I didn't know I had this ability. this was all new to me. But it all came from pushing myself to a limit that was unlimited. After practice was over, coach sat us down to talk to us about our training. He made this long speech and at the end he said, "you all had the whole summer, to practice and get ready for the season. Did you all do it? No you didn't because I can see it on the court. The only person that has improved himself is Swint." When he said this, I thought I would be happy and have that I told you smurk on my face, but I didn't. My mind was on another level. I was determined just to finish what I started. This was not about proving something to the coach, it was about proving something to myself.
This is how I treat everything in my life. My marriage, my goals and my obstacles. I am not out to prove anything to anyone but myself. I will wake up early and stay up late to make things better for me and my wife. Even if she doesn't understand what I am doing, it doesn't matter. It's not about her, it's about doing what I need to do to make things happen. I have to do what God has given me the ability to do. It's either I listen to her or listen to God...I think God knows best because he would not let me do anything crazy to harm our marriage. I don't care what others are doing or how they are doing it, I am my own person, I make things happen in my life. Like I said yesterday, I paint my own picture.
Pick up your paint brush and paint the picture that you want; not what everyone else is painting. Forget about what others think. Forget about what others may say or are saying. This is your life; live it like you want. You only get one life, but several chances to live it to the fullest. Take advantage of the best gift that God has ever given us. I know I am!
"You only have one life but several chances to live it to the fullest; make one of those chances now"-K.J Swint
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