Achievement Hunger

Watching the ’12 Olympiad from London has been quite an experience! I fast-forwarded through hours of recordings to see the interviews and the competitions that resonated with my temperament and personality. Once in a while, I saved a recording of the equestrian events or gymnastics for Sarah as well.  As I’ve watched returning athletes, like Phelps, May, Walsh, Bolt, etc…, I’ve contemplated about how they are able to win, and even return after four or eight years, and triumph again.  There are all types of components in being a ‘winner’, but what gives a person that intensity of desire of hunger? It’s that longing or desire that keeps a veteran competing, and helps a young athlete to rise to the occasion. That’s the theme that I’ve wondered about through the ups and downs of the games in London.  Disciplined and repetitive preparation, training, focus and even athletic ability all combine to make a champion, but an underlying, and even more important element seems to be a yearning to compete, and ultimately, win…

On a personal level, we all go out and, to a degree, contend in the marketplace. Some of us have a hunger to do what we do. There’s something deeper that drives us.  Yes, sometimes that drive is more passionate, and sometimes, unfortunately it languishes.

So, I’d like to ask a few questions and read your feedback. I’d love to write an entry someday with the thoughts that you have, since your responses may help provide expertise on the subject of that inner drive. What do you think feeds such a deep desire to win or triumph? Where do you think that get-up-and-go comes from?

Across the board, I think we’ve seen the athletes who lose that drive and the competitive edge, and all of a sudden, the medals and accolades no longer accompany their efforts. It happens in the work-world too.

I’ve also felt that the hunger and drive has an innate, divine quality. It is almost like a calling for each one of us. What do you think? I’d love to read your comments on my Facebook page about how to feed the desires that will help you accomplish and where you think that hunger comes from.

The Gift of Freedom (by my cousin, Lori Cameron)

Some years ago, I had a Cambodian student in my class. He struggled heroically with both speaking and writing English but finished with a C minus. In spite of his difficulty, he came to class every week wearing a big smile on his broad, beautiful face. I had warmed to him considerably during the term, so, when he stayed after class the last day—as he was inclined to do—I sat down and talked to ...him for longer than usual. Our conversation drifted to his home country, and he began—in his faltering English—to describe what it was like to live under the Khmer Rouge. I sat speechless as he described how people were driven from their homes and either killed execution-style or forced to march for days to slave labor camps where they were forced to work for the regime. He said one word of protest, one false move could get you killed. At one point, I stopped him and asked, “How do you LIVE in such circumstances? How do you survive?” He replied, “You do work the government give you, and you keep mouth shut.”

I could feel the strength leaving my body. My student then described his break for freedom. He said that Cambodians often rushed the Thailand border en masse, making it difficult for the soldiers to catch or kill them all. Some were caught. Some were killed. Some were severely injured, but many made it across safely. My student and the group he was in rushed the border under cover of night, and, while my student made it across unscathed, another man was shot. Once across, he helped the injured man make it to one of the refugee camps set up across the border where the American Red Cross was helping the sick and injured. The man was treated and lived. After some time, my student learned that some Americans had donated money earmarked for airfare so that some of the refugees could come to live in America. Against all odds, my student acquired a plane ticket and came to the United States. He said he lived here a while, got married, had kids, then decided to go to college and learn computer programming. He wanted to get a better job to provide for his family. I asked him later, “How did you feel when your plane landed? What did you do?” He replied, “I got off plane, got down on my knees, and kissed ground.”

I cried all the way home that night. I realized that sometimes I cloister myself into a tiny world of slights and imagined wrongs. Sometimes, I think I am the victim. That night, I realized that I lived in the greatest country in the world, and at times I hardly acted like it. I get impatient standing in line at the grocery store—a store filled with more food and greater variety than can be found most anywhere in the world. I get frustrated in traffic, but I’m driving a car with soft seats, music, and air-conditioning. I sigh heavily when my flight is delayed, but I can travel freely in this country, anytime I want, anywhere I want. I can speak my mind and worship as I please. I have an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I make my own choices and mark my own destiny. It seems to me that the people who come here from other countries—people who have fled civil war, famine, poverty, and oppression—are the ones who appreciate this country the most. They understand. They feel the contrast right down to their bones. We cling to our curmudgeonly ways.

When we start to cloister ourselves in our tiny worlds, we must stop. We must go the other way. We must make our world bigger. Make it stretch across the ocean to another place. Make it reach all the way to Cambodia—under cover of night.

Tomorrow is Independence Day. The liberty we have is a precious gift—given to us by God and by men and women willing to lay down their lives to keep us safe. I hope that in the midst of the fun, we remember that we possess the single most valuable thing a country can ever give its people, and the thing so many people would willingly risk their lives for—freedom. by, guest writer, Lori Cameron

21 Day Experiment-Thanks

21 Days! Some of you may be thinking, “What is the significance of that time period?” I’d have to answer by saying, “I’m not quite sure.” I noticed that most habits are set within the 21 or 28 days, and 21 fit my schedule better than 28.

For the past three weeks, I’ve practiced what I addressed in my last blog entry. I encourage you to check it out, “A Key to Faith in Your Prayers,” where I suggested to the readers to mix thanksgiving with all your prayers. It should boost one’s faith. Well, that’s  what I’ve been doing purposefully.

Now before I give you the results, you must understand, I’ve been transitioning a ton in the last 21 days. Three weeks ago, our daughter Quinn was born. I’ve had sleepless nights, days when I was too tired to pray, days where I felt as though I were on top of the world, and days when I was looking up from the bottom. They have been days of experiencing many of the emotions one normally feels through the ups and downs of life. Here are the results of making sure to mix thanksgiving into my prayers:

It affects my perspective. I am positive. I’m tending to fixate on gratitude rather than whining prayers for my desires to be fulfilled. The worn path from the thought patterns in my brain lead to faith and hope rather than despair and negativity. Correct thinking patterns are crucial in achieving amidst the challenges all of us face in the uphill climb toward impact for good.

It grounds me in God’s Word. It is challenging to offer back to God promises from His Word that He has made concerning me, others, and any circumstance for which I am praying. I am reminded of Scriptures that I’ve memorized in the past, and challenged to memorize more, just to have the truth available in my arsenal, as I tell God of what He already said. When I can repeat God’s Word back to Him, it gives my thanks potent content.

It helps me to surrender to God’s sovereignty. No, I can’t control a situation just because I pray the right words. Certainly prayers can affect the outcome, or they would be an exercise in futility. But, when I begin to thank God that He is in control, no matter the outcome, I find my soul resting in HIS sovereign plan for me, realizing He is good in all HIS ways.

It helps me to adopt the posture, “Thy kingdom come.” It’s not about me getting the answer that will help me build any kingdom for myself. It’s not about dreams for me, my family, my friends, and circumstances. It’s all about HIM. When I thank the Lord amidst any circumstance, surrender is my posture. It keeps me focused on His purposes and His glory through the drama we all experience in life.

You’ll notice that all the results are in the present tense, and I plan to keep it that way. In other words, I’m planning to make this a practice of “thanksgiving” as an integral ingredient in prayers I offer to God. I trust you’ll be challenged to do the same. Thanksgiving in prayer is a key to faith, and praying that way makes a difference!