He said that growing up he wanted nothing more than to be a professional football player. He watched all the professional games, read all the books, lifted weights, ate tons of protein, showed up for practice earlier than everyone else, practiced harder than everyone else and went home later than the rest of the team. He did everything his coaches asked him to do.

He was in charge of the B squad of the defence and his day had finally arrived. The coach asked him to lead the defence against the A squad in practice. He had waited all his life for this moment. All his hard work would finally pay off and everyone would notice his talent.

The first play went to the right and he wasn’t able to get involved.

He had a feeling the next play would come his way and sure enough it did. The biggest running back got the ball and headed straight for him. This was his time. Everything he had trained for came back to him in an an instant.

He crouched down like he was taught and got ready to make the tackle. He got down low and placed his head right into the stomach of the running back………………………….and suddenly his world turned black.

When he came to, he realized that he was flat on his back but he still had hold of the running back’s belt and was being dragged down the field.

He was dragged for 40 yards before the rest of his teammates piled on and nearly crushed him to death.

After the game he realized that his dreams of playing in the NFL were over. He finally realized that because he was only 140 lbs and wasn’t very fast, his chances of ever making it were slim to none.

He wished someone had pulled him aside and made him look at the evidence. What evidence was he creating in his life that would lead him to believe that he would ever make it to the NFL? What were the indicators that would give him hope?

The moral of the story is that we should stop and take a look at the evidence we are leaving behind to determine whether we are on the right path? What evidence is there to suggest that we are heading in the right direction?

How much money do we have in the bank? How is our relationship with our family? How’s our health? How rewarding is our job? Have we accomplished our goals?

The evidence we leave behind will give us clues about where we are headed.

I love basketball, but I am 5’2″, and believe me, the truth is I will not be a basketball star. I know this. However, I do not yet know myself well enough, nor have I given myself credit for what I do well. Furthermore, I have a circle of people I love and from whom I cannot separate, that serve up comments that begin to sabotage my efforts in my pursuit of improving myself and my friendships.

The answer, I believe is to know myself, affirm myself, and continue to step positively forward, improving my environment for good health which in turn, influences my circle, and increases my circle of friends.

I am encouraged to know that there exists a reality of true friendships between people who are confident and honest in affirming real talents, not “fairy tale” yet still exciting and magical.

What is underestimated in general after all is that as soon as we change our mind pattern, and I mean really change it, preferably to our true core, the world will be different, including the sacred circle.

We also have to forgive ourselves as well as others as we move on.

The future is not written in stone and changes as we change.

-David