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| 26 Nov 2009 01:15:41 am |
| NGUYEN THI CUC, Vietnamese Paralympics Athlete |
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“I practice hard, very hard.”
Although there is simplicity in today’s words, there is nothing but courage and inspiration behind them.
In 1986, Nguyen Thi Cuc stepped on a land mine in Vietnam. In the aftermath of the explosion, she lost both legs, her livelihood and worst of all, her will to live. It was only, as she so eloquently shares, the “tears of her one-year-old son” that gave her the strength to overcome this tragedy.
As Ms. Cuc recovered, she discovered a new future for herself – becoming a paralympic athlete. With heroic effort and determination, she succeeded – winning medals in the shotput, competing against athletes half her age. In the process, Ms. Cuc regained her self-confidence and her zest for life.
Let’s return now to Ms. Cuc’s words, “I practice hard, very hard.”
For many of us, at least compared to Ms. Cuc, life arrives on a silver platter. We’re pretty good at what we do; we can wing our way into success, and we face very few hardships.
Yet, Ms. Cuc’s hard work and determination birthed a miraculous, unpredictable future. What miracles might be available for us? Who might we be, what might we accomplish, if we practiced harder than we’ve ever practiced? Prepared more than we’ve ever prepared? And gave our all to maximizing the talents we have?
The short answer? I believe we’d begin experiencing one miracle after another.
To read more on Ms. Cuc and the generous contributions of Peace Trees Vietnam, the organization that provides Ms. Cuc with her home and the means to compete as a world-class athlete, please click below.
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I’ve said many times that the way I find the inspired athletes of the world is the result of amazing serendipity and good luck.
My very good friend, Jerilyn Brusseau lost her brother, Daniel Cheney, a helicopter pilot, in the Vietnam War in 1969. Rather than reject Vietnam and all that it stood for, Jerilyn determined that her brother would not die in vain. With her husband, Danaan Perry, she founded Peace Trees Vietnam, a nonprofit organization.
From the organization’s website:
In 1995 PeaceTrees Vietnam was born as a grassroots effort to bring healing, peace and renewal to one of the most war-torn provinces of Vietnam. This is accomplished through the sponsorship of landmine clearance, citizen diplomacy/tree-planting programs for American and Vietnamese citizens on cleared land, victim and survivor assistance and landmines awareness education programs for children.
This year, at the organization’s annual fundraiser, I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Cuc and listen with rapt attention as she shared the story of her near fatal accident and the long road to recovery.
Were it not for the generosity of Peace Trees Vietnam, Ms. Cuc would not have a home, a way to earn a living or the means to fulfill her dream of competing in the Paralympic games.
In our acknowledgement of Ms. Cuc as our inspired athlete of the week, we also honor Peace Trees Vietnam as an inspired organization helping athletes like Ms. Cuc, and more importantly, transforming the lives of the people of Quang Tree Province every day.
In this week of Thanksgiving, one way to offer a heartfelt thank-you would be to donate time, energy, money, and prayers to the wonderful work of Peace Trees Vietnam. If you are so inclined. |
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Category : General
| Posted By : admin |
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| 19 Nov 2009 08:10:51 pm |
| ZACK GREINKE, 2009 Cy Young Award Winner |
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“Everything’s fun now.”
Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals ace pitcher, spoke these words after finding out he’d won the 2009 Cy Young award for being the best pitcher in the American League. To read the entire article.
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Zack Greinke is one of 2009’s comeback kids. His story is a reminder that the unpredictable does happen, that one’s life can get turned around, and that there are happy endings.
Three years ago, Zack, a supremely talented, but troubled young pitcher, walked out of the Royals’ training camp, not knowing if he’d return. What started out as a dream opportunity had turned into a nightmare.
Diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and depression, Zack spent months with a sports psychologist, getting straight with himself. He returned to baseball in late 2007. Had a good, not great, year in 2008, but the promise of the pitcher he could be had returned.
And this year? He’s been lights out – befuddling virtually every hitter who came his way. A 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts, pitching 6 complete games – one of which was a one-hitter.
Yet the real miracle is this – Zack Greinke is happy again. He has once again fallen in love with his game. That he can say, “Everything is fun now,” is truly a major breakthrough.
2010 is right around the corner. If we were to have our own breakthrough, what would it look like? What would we be saying – about ourselves, about life – as 2010 came to a close? I assert that it’s time to start dreaming – time to start creating!
To read more about how Zack’s comeback transcends athletics, please read on.
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Zack Greinke is an ace. Cy Young award winner at the age of 26. 242 strike-outs. Virtually unhittable all season, regardless of who was hitting. The best ERA in the league at 2.16.
Yet, in the end Zach may be remembered for something entirely outside the game of baseball. His legacy may be that he’s opened the door for others to admit to mental illness – an illness called social anxiety disorder.
[NOTE: Those with social anxiety disorder have an irrational fear of being watched, judged or evaluated, or of embarrassing or humiliating themselves.]
And he’s been a model of courage in how he’s handled his illness. According to Allard Baird, who was the Royals' general manager when Greinke's struggle with anxiety began:
“I think what doesn’t get talked about enough, whether he went back and pitched in the big leagues again or not, is how he dealt with these issues as a young man. He had to go through this private matter publicly; he had to open himself up. Just in life, in everyday living, to take some very private and personal issues that he had at a young age and work through it in the public eye is all to his credit.”
Other athletes have taken Zack’s lead: Dontrelle Willis of the Detroit Tigers and Khalil Greene of the St. Louis Cardinals.
And while the last thing Zack wants is publicity and attention, winning the Cy Young award serves as an inspiration to all young athletes – reminding them that success and accomplishment might also be waiting for them if they are courageous enough to tackle their problems. |
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Category : General
| Posted By : admin |
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| 12 Nov 2009 09:14:10 pm |
| MARIANO RIVERA, New York Yankees Closer |
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“We have this memory: LIFE.”
There may be no better closer in the history of baseball than Mariano Rivera. In post-seasons alone – he’s pitched in 88 games, has an era of 0.74 and 39 saves. He’s thrown the final pitch to clinch a World Series four times.
Mariano spoke today’s Real Zeal words as he escorted a TV crew through his famous restaurant, Mo’s New York Grill. Lining his restaurant walls are photos from Mariano’s life and his World Series victories – a hall of fame, so to speak, of memories. To watch the video.
Imagine walking through your own hall of fame gallery. What do you see?
Beware: It’s pretty easy to dredge up our failures. To think of the times you’ve screwed up. (I imagine that Mariano, himself, is not immune to failure. Very few of us live life without regrets or thoughts of what-if.)
So, as you walk through your gallery, I invite you to spend time viewing your victories. Visualizing those scenes where you stood for something you believed in. Picturing those occasions where you rallied through adversity. Seeing the times when you were passionate – about what you were doing, who you were with, and what you loved.
In the end, life = memories. I assert it’s time to remember the good times, not just the bad. The accomplishments, not just the failures. The passionate, honorable, persevering times that left your mark – not just on those you love, but on life itself.
To read more about why this inspiring athlete is so successful, please read on.
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Mariano Rivera represents all that I love about athletes. The great ones, the inspired ones, are people of honor. They follow their hearts, remain true to their dreams and persevere through adversity. They make the most of their God-given talent. And they love, love, LOVE the game they so passionately play.
Mariano is all of this and more. He’s un-matched in what he does. He is considered by many to be the best closer the game has ever seen. And unlike many closers, who come and go as fast as the short season, Mariano has been the best for a long time. Since he became a closer in 1997, he’s saved 527 games! His ERA is a ridiculously low 2.25 and he’s been selected to the All Stars 10 years out of the last 12.
And what’s truly amazing – Mariano has accomplished these results using only one pitch. ONE PITCH. He calls it his “bless pitch” because it “just happened.”
“Just three months into his new role as the closer [in 1996] for a budding Yankees dynasty, Rivera was suddenly unable to throw his signature four-seam fastball straight, not even during his daily toss with pitcher Ramiro Mendoza. Every catch a struggle, Mendoza told Rivera to knock it off, to quit making the ball dip and dart. Rivera assured his friend that he wasn't doing it intentionally. He was gripping the ball the same way he always had, releasing it the same way he always had. The wicked movement just ... happened.”
There’s nothing like peer testimony to provide credibility. Here’s what others say about Mariano and his pitches.
My favorite, from Seattle Mariner, Mike Sweeney: “You know what's coming, but you know what's coming in horror movies too. It still gets you.”
From Michael Young, star shortstop for the Texas Rangers: “I respect Mo more than anybody in the game. The guy goes out there, gets three outs and shakes Posada's hand. You appreciate someone who respects the game like he does, respects the people he plays with and against, and obviously his results speak for themselves.”
Not only is Mariano one of the best ever, he leads the younger players, he’s WAY more about team than he is himself, and he lives his faith.
Another inspired athlete, inspiring the world – Mariano Rivera. |
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Category : General
| Posted By : admin |
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| 06 Nov 2009 05:17:34 am |
| RAUL IBANEZ, Philadelphia Phillies |
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“You play the game the same way whether you're in first place or last place.”
The source of today’s Real Zeal.
Raul Ibanez – who fulfilled a dream of a lifetime by playing in the World Series – spoke these momentous words when he was playing for the ill-fated and miserable 2008 Seattle Mariners. A team dead last in its division and second to last in the entire major league.
Raul Ibanez doesn’t just say these words, he lives them. This year for the Phillies (he was traded last summer) he’s been lights-out. A star. Making a difference every day. But he was great for the Mariners too. Even in the face of that horrendous 100-season loss.
Raul is a quiet, lead-by-example player and he’s respected throughout the league. Anyone who knows Raul is thrilled he made it to the World Series.
So Raul’s words mean something. He’s got that been-there-done-that credibility. He’s been a loser and today he’s a winner. But, in a sense, it’s irrelevant to him. He plays the game the best he can every single day.
And so can we. While it’s easy to give up when we’re failing, to lose heart when things aren’t going our way, that just may be the time to give it our all. To live in the moment, regardless of outcome, and play our best.
For Raul, it’s turned out brilliantly. It might for us, too.
To read more about this inspiring athlete, please continue.
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Raul Ibanez is one of those inspired athletes who leads by example. Who inspires through his dedication and hard work. Who freely shares his wisdom with the younger players. Who plays the game the same way whether he’s in first or last place.
Because I live in Seattle, I had the privilege of watching Raul play for the Mariners for five seasons, from 2004 – 2008. And while our team wasn’t very good for most of those seasons, Raul was. So good, in fact that at the ‘old’ age of 36, he signed a 3 year, lucrative contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
And he’s just had the privilege of living every players’ dream of playing in the World Series – even though his team didn’t capture the title, I doubt if he’d trade this experience for anything.
The following three excerpts will give you insight into the heart and soul of Raul Ibanez.
First, a story written by Seattle Times columnist Larry Stone in March of 2008. Mike Morse (now playing for the Washington Nationals) was a player Raul had taken under his wing. They worked out together in Florida during the off-season. And Mike, just like Raul in his early years, was experiencing the highs of being called up to the big leagues and the lows of being sent down to the minors.
For Raul, it took ten years of ups and downs before he was considered good enough to stay in the majors. As you can imagine, Raul’s journey provides hope for those players wondering if their lifelong dreams of playing in the Majors will ever be realized.
Via Larry Stone:
Ibanez said he remembers standing in the outfield during batting practice in Seattle in 2000, ‘freaking out.’
"I wasn't playing, and I wasn't swinging the bat well when I did play," he said.
"Stan Javier said to me, 'Raul, you're going to play in the big leagues a long time. And you're going to remember I told you that, and you're going to be a really good player. Just relax and take care of the stuff you can control.' "
Ibanez remembers that his tension seemed to instantly evaporate after that conversation with Javier. ...
And what Javier told Ibanez, Ibanez has passed down to Morse, with hopes that Morse will be able to impart the wisdom to some other fretting youngster in a few years.
"That's kind of the way it works, the 'play it forward' part of baseball," Ibanez said. "Sometimes you try to give guys what other guys have given you."
The second excerpt (from an interview introducing Ibanez to Phillies’ fans) elaborates on that ‘stuff you can control.’ “The way I look at it, I’m gonna take care of the things I can control – my approach, my mindset, my attitude, and I’m gonna let the rest just happen.”
Approach, mindset, attitude – the things we can control. Then, let the rest happen. Once again, we’ve got an inspired athlete grounded in who he is.
Last excerpt: Raul was interviewed by CNN’s Soledad O’Brien for the special Latino in America:
“Our parents instilled a belief in us, that if you work hard here [in America], you can accomplish anything. That great things were possible and the unimaginable was possible. ... To have this dream, to envision it, and to accomplish it; to work hard for it and believe in it and get all these great opportunities because of this great land, there’s not much more that you can ask for.”
Raul Ibanez ... another Inspired Athlete inspiring the world! |
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Category : General
| Posted By : admin |
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