You Can Have the Prize!

As I write this, I am watching my eldest son, Ben, train with his soccer team. Ben was selected to play for an under-15 NPL team, the highest-level club team. He has been training for a couple of months. Today was also the first training day for those in the lower divisions.

As I watched Ben and his first-division teammates train, I noticed that they had an intensity and purpose to their training. They all desire to be the best and hopefully go on to national and international representation. When I look across at the lower divisions, there is not the same intensity. Some of the second-division players have good skills but are not as fit or willing to push themselves, and they don't have the same desire and commitment in their training as the first-division players.

This had me thinking about life. As a trainer, personal coach, and pastor, I have met some very talented and gifted people. Yet the gifted and talented do not always shine. I have seen people with extraordinary talent in certain areas walk away from using and developing their gifts because too much work was involved. I can recall an extraordinary musician leaving a music school because there was a mix-up when they enrolled. I have seen a brilliant mathematician (averaging 97%) leave higher education because it was too much work. Just as at my son's soccer training, I have seen talented sportspeople leave because they didn't want to put in the effort to train.

Talent is not the answer to achieving in life. Being gifted does not guarantee becoming who you were made to be. Everybody has a God-given dream inside them. But having a dream and being gifted and talented isn't enough. We must understand that there is also a price to pay to be who God made us to be.

Ben decided he wanted to be the best player he could, so he started training. He wanted to play at the highest level, so at the end of last season, Ben began a running and exercise routine when everybody else his age was winding down. Ben was working on his ball skills when many boys his age were lying on the couch over Christmas watching TV.

To achieve the dream inside us takes dedication, sacrifice, and commitment. Talent and gifting may get us started, but character, commitment, and sacrifice will accomplish the goal.

No doubt there will be setbacks and disappointments. The first club Ben tried out for already had their roster full, so they said no. He tried other teams, and they were also already full. But Ben held on to his dream and kept training, thinking he would be ready when trials came up in a year's time. However, the unexpected happened. One of the teams suddenly had four spots open up, and because Ben had paid the price and kept training, he was ready and was selected. He didn't let the disappointments keep him from his dream. He kept preparing himself in readiness. This is the commitment, dedication, and sacrifice needed to fulfill our dreams, even when it looks like it can't and won't happen.

From the sidelines, people may think he was just in the right place at the right time. Yes, he was. But he was also ready because of the work he had done to take advantage of the opportunity. If he had stopped training, he would not have been fit or skilled enough to be selected. Several boys who trialed with him missed out because they couldn't keep up – they weren't fit enough.

What is your dream? What would you like to achieve? Are you putting in the time and effort to position yourself to achieve it? If the dream is worth it, then there is sacrifice involved. It may mean not buying items you want because you are saving for a house. It may mean having to study at night after work to get the job you desire. It may mean getting up early to exercise to become fit and healthy.

Everything has a price. Will you stand out from the crowd and pay the price, or will you settle and miss your dream? The choice is yours. No one said it would be easy, but when you achieve the goal, the sacrifice is forgotten, and you enjoy the achievement.

Make a decision today. Write down your goal. Work out the next step to achieving it, and go for it! Make the commitment, decide you will overcome the setbacks, push forward, and attain the prize.

For resources to help you with goal setting, overcoming procrastination, and achieving your dreams, go to Philkinney.com