Why You Show Up

April 24, 2008, 10:00 am; posted by
Filed under Articles, David, Featured  | No Comments

I read an article once, in a motivational booklet our company circulated each month, in which a boy was beaten up by a bully at his bus stop. The next day, the boy got to the bus stop early, and waited. As the bully approached, the boy set his books down, assumed a fighting stance, and said, “Let\’s go!” The bully, confused, asked, “What are you talking about?”

“We\’re going to fight again,” the boy said. “Today, tomorrow, every day until I beat you.”

The bully shook his head and walked away, mumbling, “I can\’t. I hurt my arm yesterday when we fought.”

And that is why you show up in life.

You never know what will happen tomorrow. Yesterday is dead and gone. Did you lose then? So what? That doesn\’t mean you’ll lose today. Some days, all you have to do is show up. In sports, it\’s called a forfeit, or a walkover. The person, or team, which was so unbeatable yesterday, may not even be able to perform today.

I know some of you are hockey fans, many of the Philadelphia Flyers, so you know just what I mean. The Flyers got off to a great start in their opening round series, going up 3-1 in games. Then what happened? The sleeping giant awoke in Washington, and the Capitals dominated for two straight games. They shut the Flyers down in Washington in game 5 (3-2), then came to Philly and shut them down again (4-2) to tie the series at 3 apiece.

Their superior skating and playmaking, and the explosive offense of Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin simply overpowered the Flyers for two straight games — and game 7 was back on their home ice. No one would have blamed the Flyers for not showing up Tuesday in Washington.

A funny thing happened, though. When you play two straight nights, and three times in four nights, people become fatigued — and as Vince Lombardi was fond of saying, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” So what happened? Washington didn\’t show up. They had nothing left in the tank. After spending 2 straight games checking the Flyers into oblivion, dominating the boards and winning every loose puck, the Capitals had nothing left to give. And the Flyers won the game and the series.

And that is why you show up.


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