# 6

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the power to choose. It is what separates us from all of the other animals. Every day we are faced with many choices. Among these are life's three main choices:

1. Today is going to be the same as yesterday.
2. Today is going to be worse than yesterday.
3. Today is going to be better than yesterday.

You have the power to choose how your day is going to be--once you make the choice, it creates what your day will be like.

Several years ago there were three young men that played junior college basketball for me. They were teammates at Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College. While they came from different geographic areas of the US , they all came from similar inner city environments.

Player A: A talented basketball player from the east coast of the US . When we sent him his admissions paper work via an overnight delivery service, we were told that he would have to pick them up at the office; they didn't deliver in that neighborhood. He arrived in Lexington , MO to begin his junior college education. At 6:30 a.m. the next morning, I had a knock at my front door. Coach, this military stuff ain't for me. I want to go home. I told him to give it two weeks, and if it didn't work out, I would get him in another school.

Player B: Another talented athlete, however he was from the Midwest . He had looked at several other junior college programs prior to enrolling at WMA. And, like Player A, he had a hard time adjusting to life at a military academy.

Player C: Possibly the most talented of the three athletes, Player C was from the West Coast. He probably had the easiest time of making the adjustment of the three athletes.

All three athletes had the dream of playing NCAA Division I basketball. However, all three athletes made choices that affected their ability to go on and pursue their basketball careers.

Player A was given almost no chance of academic success. He struggled to make grades and stay eligible. And, he was a tweener, some where between a guard and forward. He made a decision to use his time at the Academy to prepare him for the Academic world that lay ahead. Basketball was still of major importance, but not an end-all. He graduated from WMA and had a nice career at a Division II school. He completed his Bachelor's Degree and went on to complete at Master's Degree.

Player B was an average student. He had the makings of a lower level Division I athlete. However, he had poor study habits. He set no academic goals. His only goal was to play Division I basketball. However, he was not a predictor out of high school, and had to graduate in order to play D-I. He had failed a class as a freshman. I told him he would need to repeat the course in summer school in order to graduate. He chose not to repeat the course. In the spring of his sophomore year, there were scholarship offers. But they were from D-II schools. He wouldn't accept responsibility for not graduating. He never did go on to play basketball after his two years. And, the last I heard, he was involved in things he shouldn't be.

Player C was a good student and a good leader. He set his mind to do what ever it took to play Division I basketball. He was a leader within the Academy. He won numerous honors. He graduated and went on to play D-I basketball. But, he never reset his goals. He did everything necessary to play, but, didn't do the things necessary to graduate. He was satisfied with reaching the highest level of college basketball. Each time I see or talk to him he tells me he is going to go back to finish his degree. Yet, it isn't important enough for him to get it done.

What is the difference in these three young men? It is the choices that they have made. Dale Brown, former LSU basketball coach writes about choice.*

The Power of Choice

Within each one of us lies a power. A power that can determine our happiness and success. A power that can help us realize our dreams. That power is the power to choose.

Basically, we have a choice every day on how we will react to life. And, it's up to us if that choice will be a positive or negative.

We can be anything we want to be by just making a conscious decision to choose. William James once said, "Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. The human individual lives usually far within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use".

We have a choice everyday on how we will react to life. We decide on whether of not to pursue an issue or ignore it; to persevere in times of trouble, or to buckle under. We have the power to choose to go for a life-long goal, or to be content to stay on the same level forever. We must decide whether we'll give it our 100% best or merely half try. It is our decision to be honest and good, rather than crooked and mean; to be eager and hardworking; instead of dull and lazy. In the face of the teat, it is what we do with our power to choose that determines the potential quality of our lives.

Take charge of your life. You have the power to choose--It's up to YOU!

Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend!

Contact Tom at: tomhughes@motivationNmore.com

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