When Presented with Obstacles...

     There's a sign that hangs in our office welcoming visitors to our Career and Technical Education Department and at the bottom of the sign we have our motto inscribed which reads, "When presented with obstacles, may we only see opportunities to improve." If everyone could just look at obstacles, barriers, adversities, or even afflictions in this way, we would all be headed up the hill of having a growth mindset and never sink down into the realm of self-pity, bitterness, and eventual hopelessness. Some would say that seeing adversity as a positive is much easier to say than to do, but I would counter back with, it may be easier to say than to do, but the payoff for facing adversity in this manner is so much more rewarding.
     I would tell you that looking at obstacles in life as opportunities to improve has a great deal to do with how I approach life and it has been a rewarding approach in my eyes. When I was named the new Career & Technical Education Supervisor for Hamblen County Schools I was presented with the following question and or similar statements about leaving Union Heights Elementary Schools as the principal there. "I guess you'll be glad that you don't have to worry with the parents anymore?" or
"Now you won't have to deal with all of those teachers and problems anymore." To which I would reply, "No I'll miss that part of my job at Union Heights as well." Glutton for punishment? No, I just enjoyed problem solving and working out solutions to issues with the best interest of everyone involved being my driving force. Does that mean that when someone entered my office huffing and puffing mad over something that had happened to their child, I was tickled pink? Well, if I answered yes to that nobody would believe me, so let's just say my satisfaction was when at the end of one of those type meetings, we both shook hands, agreed to agree or even disagree, and I could say I had just added another positive outcome to my tool belt of success. Those tools enable me to do my job today, equipped with experiences of what has worked in the past and also what didn't work so well along the way. The key is that whatever the situation, no matter if the outcome went my way or not, I had learned some new knowledge about myself, my strengths, and my areas that I needed to work on and improve. You can apply this same mindset to pretty much any area of your personal or professional life. The key is that whatever the situation, you look at it as an opportunity to improve yourself and the lives of as many people that you "touch" each day!
     Think about the song that Kelly Clarkson made famous "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger", there exisits a whole philosophical perspective on life with this same type of outlook in mind. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche touted this adage praising the benefits of being resilient in facing the fires of life. For me, the whole concept of embracing adversity has enabled me to overcome and endure a great number of life matters, and yes I would say that I was the beneficiary of each of those experiences. Someone out there is reading this saying, "Yeah, but you don't know what I've been through, and if you did you wouldn't be so excited about enduring what I am dealing with in life." You know what, you're exactly right, and I would tell you that you don't know what I've been thru either. Everyone has their "cross" to bear as the saying goes, so what you have to bear and what I have to bear are different and can come at all different levels of intensity or severity, but at the end of the day, it is your obstacle in life and you have to overcome it!
     I love to read biographies or even better are autobiographies on men and women that have turned their adversity into the very thing that propelled the person into the spotlight or provided them the platform by which their success was achieved. I think of Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute, yet when she unlocked the world of silence that she was trapped in as a child, she went on to learn multiple languages, motivate and encourage people around the world, and lived an extremely independent life for someone in her position at this point in history. Then there's the story of Rob Mendez, a junior varsity football coach in San Jose that was born with a rare disorder which caused him to be born with no arms or legs. A football coach you say?? Coach Mendez says "Who says I can't?" The condition he was born with didn't kill him so he decided to let it make him stronger. The list goes on and on so when you want to say, "Well you don't know what I am going thru" just remember, I probably don't, but you don't know what your neighbor is or has endured and through the process has used the obstacle to fuel their passion and desire to succeed in life. 
     In the guidebook for perseverance and resiliency there are so many scriptures about enduring and overcoming obstacles in your life for support and encouragement as you face your own set of life obstacles. I'm going to close today's FTM with this aptly paired scripture found in James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." As I stated earlier, I don't claim to know the depth or breadth of your life's complications or situations that you have had to endure, but I do know without a shadow of a doubt that if you will buckle in, strap up, dig in, and fasten your life's chin strap then you are definitely headed in the right direction. I may not know what you have endured and I certainly don't know what you are currently facing, yet I know that I can pray that God will give you the strength you need to not only endure life's obstacles, but that He will give you the strength and the tools you will need to overcome and succeed in life! Sound too simplistic to be true? Trust and believe, and see what can happen in today!
Coach Carter

"What's Love Got to Do with It?"

     
     This past week we celebrated Valentine's Day with sales of candy, cards, stuffed teddy bears, and roses boosting our economy. Candle lite dinners and romantic excursions may have even been the fare for a great number of couples. Some of us, with much chagrin, said "Yeah right!" to that last statement. Candle lite dinners become happy meals through the drive-thru and romantic excursions are exchanged for gymnastic lessons or a rec league ballgame. Yet, we use three little words to confirm that regardless of where we are in our relationships, we are still committed and connected to each other. "I love you" carries so much responsibility in our society, but I fear the meaning of those three little words may be get lost in our vocabulary and conversations today.
     Tina Turner sang the song "What's Love Got to Do with It?" in which she basically was asking the question, does love have to be involved in a relationship? The lyrics call love a second- hand emotion, one that doesn't have to be part of a physical ongoing relationship. In today's society, the "I love you" phrase has in many cases became a common parting phrase much like "so long, adios, or see you later". Saying I love you shouldn't be and isn't just a phrase or even just a feeling. For those of us that are married, when we said I love you and asked our future spouse to marry us, we were making a commitment that would endure sickness, hardships, and difficult challenges to the bond we forged in our vows. For those that are single, but definitely in a relationship, saying I love you places your relationship on a different level. In a courtship saying I love you places a couple together in a bond of trust and commitment. I guess my answer to the queen of rock n rolls question would be, "what's love got to do with it?" Everything!
      It isn't just in marriage or dating relationships. We tell our parents we love them, our children find peace and comfort in hearing those three little words, and we even use this proclamation with our friends, and many times our colleagues. I guess my questions would be what is the true meaning of the phrase "I love you"? What do we really mean? Has it lost its luster and relevance? And, have we as a society lessened the responsibility and commitment that this small yet powerful phrase conveys?
      The Bible is a great source for understanding what saying the words I love you actually means. In Matthew 22:35-40 Jesus was being quizzed by some religious leaders of the day when they asked Him, what is the greatest commandment to which Jesus replied "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." And then He went on to say that we should "love our neighbor as ourselves". I John 4:20 tells us that we can't claim that we love God that we haven't seen, if we don't love our brother that we have seen. And in John 15:13-17 Jesus proclaims that there is no greater demonstration of love than for a person to lay down his life for another and then He finishes up that thought with His command to "love one another". These scriptures are just the tip of the iceberg for what the word of God teaches us about the word love. Throughout the Bible the message is clear, telling someone you love them isn't about you, it is clearly all about the person you are directing that phrase. 
      When we tell someone we love them then, what exactly are we saying? Well, according to the scriptures above, we are saying that we would lay down our lives for someone else, and that we should honor that relationship to a degree that it resembles the type of love that God has shown to us by sacrificing His only son so that we could be saved. True love equals total disregard for self. If we are going to use the words "I love you" they should carry that level of commitment. It shouldn't just be a phrase that we throw around casually in a temporary, unfixed manner. Instead, our declaration of love should be our word, it must withstand the storms of life, and endure the hardships, trials, and adversities that we all must and will encounter in life. Our declaration of "I love you" should mean that we will give and not expect anything in return, fore love isn't love if it is only given with limits or restrictions. When we say I love you, we must commit to that person and in our commitment know that at times we are going to feel like we are getting the short end of the stick in return, but just know that if you give your love unconditionally, then in your time of need, that love will be there supporting you because you loved first. 
 Coach Carter

What Good is a Monument Without Forward Momentum?

    
I recently listened to a talk about "A Man, A Movement, and a Monument". These 3 M's are attainable goals for many in society today men and women alike. The idea behind this phrase is that the goal of a "man" should be to make a stand in his or her world. This "stand" or movement could be a political stance, an effort to change or improve society, or to some it could even be something like a football dynasty such as the one that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots have accomplished.
     Once the movement is established and recognized for its accomplishments, somebody needs to be acknowledged for their successes and contributions. Many times, that is done by creating a monument in honor of the person or group responsible. I'm thinking statues, buildings, gym courts, and other venues closely related to the person's cause in life. All of that is good and those that give so much should be recognized for their contributions, yet if the goal of becoming a "man" is to establish a monument to be memorialized and recognized for that work, I'm not 100% sure we are hitting the mark with a lifeless, stationary rock.
      When I think of a monument, the image that comes to the front of my mind is that of a tombstone, headstone, or some other marker in a graveyard. Statues of famous people also pop into mind with the topic of monuments. What is the purpose of a monument in the first place? To pay respect to those that have passed, creating a lasting reminder of who they were and what their contributions to society were, is wonderful and honorable, yet I would also add that if men or women work just to gain the recognition for self then the monument will ultimately be all that remains of that person's memory. What a true man or woman should be striving for is a legacy. A true legacy will outlast outperform a monument made of concrete. Legacies are what keeps the movement moving. The goal of those that work to create a lasting legacy is more concerned with the next two generations down the road. Ask yourself what are you doing today to create a lasting, positive impact on my children's children. If the only thing I will be remembered for is what God was able to accomplish through me, then I very likely fallen short of my purpose in life. The monument I want to create is a "sowing and reaping" legacy for young men and young women that become servant leaders, pouring their lives into the lives of the next generation. By accomplishing this goal my prayer is that the next generation’s leaders will instill in their children, their athletes, their students, or their communities the same work ethic and enduring faith in our Lord and Savior that I seek to instill in them.
     If I am able to achieve that goal I won't need a rock to represent a monument for my life. My monument will be visible, alive, growing, and evidenced by the lives of those that are teaching, coaching, and leading. Read Mark 8:36 which asks the question, "What hath a man gained if he inherits the whole world, but loses his soul?" I would ask you a similar question, "What will you gain if the world builds a monument to you, but at the end of the day you haven't created a movement that will continue to move? I challenge you to be a man, be a woman, and live your life with the goal of creating a movement that will long outlive you and will impact more lives after you are gone than you did when you were involved. That is the monument we should all strive to leave as our legacy!
Go out and do great things!
Coach Carter

From Zero to Hero

    
     From zero to hero, think about that for a minute, a common, ordinary man or woman walking down a busy city street when all of a sudden, a toddler wanders out into the middle of rush hour traffic. What does he or she do? What any of us hopes we would instinctively do, jump out in the middle of traffic and swoop up the child before the toddler is hit by a car. In that instant, that person becomes a hero in at least the eyes of the parent and most certainly that child. Did our hero plan to save a life at that moment? Obviously not, but by placing the safety and well-being of someone else in front of self, that becomes the unintended outcome. Each day you have that same opportunity to become a "hero" to someone. Hopefully you don't have to dive out in front a car, run into a burning house, or even climb a tree to save a child's kitten, but each of us each and every day have the opportunity to place ourselves last, and push the needs of someone else to the front of our list of things to do today.
     I almost started this next paragraph with a statement about how society is so self-centered today, but that's a negative spin on what I really want to make the point about, so let's talk about this topic from the perspective of all of those unsung heroes that exist among us each day. When heroes are born a part of them actually dies. With our example above, who among us would dare dive out into the middle of a busy intersection just to be jumping out there? No way, we all believe in self-preservation and that qualifies as a sure way to decrease the likelihood of surviving to see the next sun rising in the east. Yet, place the life of someone else on the line and all of a sudden we no longer think of self, we don't even think, it just happens. At that moment, a little bit of you dies. The little bit that says "I will do all I can do to make sure I live as long as I can", ceases to exist, suddenly our life doesn't matter. That part of us that dies is the part that allows us to become a hero to someone else.
     Unintentionally, the person above becomes a hero. Some "heroes", on the other hand, become famous for their acts of selflessness, Captain Chesley Sullenberger being one such example that comes to mind. "Sully" became famous for landing US Airways flight 1549 safely on the Hudson River back in 2016, saving the lives of all on-board. You know I guess Captain Sullenberger could have decided to don a parachute and take the "every man for himself" attitude, but instead he placed self at the bottom of his list and then went about the business of navigating a crash landing on the frozen Hudson River. By any definition, hero. If heroes were only born at a moment of potential tragedy and with the potential of personal harm to the hero, I'm not sure the waiting list for who's next would be very long. I believe each of us has the opportunity to be an "intentional" hero each and every day.
     To be an intentional hero, you still have to make the decision to place others in front of yourself, it just doesn't have to be in a life or death setting. Your choice to stop and buy a cup of coffee or hot soup for a homeless person certainly pushes you up the ladder in the eyes of the one holding the cup. Placing your "needs" to the side and serving someone else less fortunate than you, makes you a hero in their eyes. In education, we that teach have the opportunity to be a hero each and every day. Don't ever lessen the impact of a kind word, an encouraging comment, or just the simple act of stating that you believe in that student that otherwise doesn't have an encourager in their life. Side note, When I use the word teacher I don't use it in an inclusive manner for just those that are in the profession of education, but instead I want to make sure that everyone reading this post understands that you are a teacher to someone whether it is at your place of work, in your home, on the city streets, or wherever your life takes you each day, you are a teacher and you can be a hero to someone each day.
      The concept of becoming a hero is best summed up in Galatians 2:20 where Paul proclaims, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Using this example of selfless sacrifice that Paul is describing here, we can all seek to attain this same attitude. If we have a relationship with our Maker, then it no longer is us that lives, it is He who lives in me. If that is true then we no longer are living to honor our own self, but instead we are living just as Jesus lived, serving others and placing self last for the benefit of a child wandering out into the street, or even for the child that wanders into our life each day looking for a smile, a glimmer of hope, or a word to help them make it through another day. 
      I wanted to start today's thought with this phrase, but I think it is much more appropriate to end our time together today. "When I become nothing, that allows me to become everything to someone else." I challenge you to be a hero today, tomorrow, and every day that Our Lord and Savior gives you to live! Go out and make a difference today! 
Coach Carter