Jim Valvano. A man I do not know enough about. I know about his battle with cancer. I know that he has had a major impact on the sport community. I know that he has had an amazing impact on the world wide battle with cancer. I know that his name has lived on even after he has passed. I know that every year ESPN has a fundraiser in his name to raise money to continue the battle with cancer.
I also know, that he understood what it means to needMORE in his life.
In this unimaginable speech that he gave at the ESPY awards in 1993, he talked about what we all need more of:
1) Laugh.
When was the last time you had a good laugh? You know, the laugh that makes you fall flat on your face because you can’t stand. The laugh that makes you feel like you need to go to the bathroom. The laugh that becomes contagious with anyone that you are around.
I can’t quite remember the last time that I really laughed. I know I have, I know I will again. What I do know is this;
The art of laughter is not taught, it is experienced.
2) Think.
I like to think. I like to think about a lot of things. It could be something as dumb as ‘man that grass is really green.’ Ok that may have been a comment made by Lee Watson when seeing the fairways at Augusta National golf course on the tv. However, taking time out of your day to think about whatever it is that might come to your head, could be the best thing that you do throughout the day. It could be in the wee hours of the morning, it could be at your lunch break, maybe it is during your first cup of coffee. Whenever it might be;
The art of thought is a powerful tool to be successful.
When you think about your life in a meaningful way, it can bring light to darkness and bring hope to a scenario where there is no hope.
3) Cry.
I am known for being a crier. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, but I do love a good cry. I love the way Dane Cook describes it in one of his stand up acts. It is almost more funny because the way he acts out the “good cry” while describing is absolutely perfect. Search it, it’s awesome. I have had many of those cry’s. They were good, whether the reasoning was good or bad, having a good cry for some reason always makes something come into perspective. I once was asked the question: when do you see who someone really is? My answer…..
When someone cries, you get to see what makes them tick, what makes them emotional and what makes them get fired up.
If you are walking through life with no emotion, no urge to get something done, no urge to advance in life, then what are you living for? Every person that walks on this planet, has a chance to do something good with their lives. A good cry, can help enlighten yourself or maybe someone around you to what it is that they might be looking for.
I am not sure about you but I love the world of sports. This is one of my favorite weeks in all of the sporting calendar. Outside of maybe the World Cup that doesn’t happen every year, this week is National Championship basketball, the start of the MLB season and of course…The Masters.
Like Lee said, ” the grass is really green.”
Life can seem just as bright and fruitful as great kept grass or landscaping or a perfect scenic mountain picture.
It is whether or not you chose to make life successful. And like Jimmy V says:
” If we take time to laugh, think and cry every day, then we are going to live an incredible life…….Never give up, never give up.”
