There is a part in the movie “Tin Cup” where Kevin Costner’s character refuses to quit.
Professional golfer Roy McAvoy is on the 18th
fairway in the final round of the U.S. Open, trying to clear the ominous water
hazard separating him from the green.
His first ball falls well short of the green, splashing into
the water. So does the second. The third. And the fourth shot. All the while,
the entire gallery, the players and even McAvoy’s caddy are gasping at the
futility of his efforts.
But not Roy.
With each failed attempt, he places a new ball on the spot
and hits it with even more determination than the first.
Until finally, after several failed attempts, McAvoy’s ball
clears the water and rolls into the cup.
And even though he didn’t win the Open, McAvoy had proven a
point: Don’t give up. Keep trying.
Of course, there was a scene in the movie were McAvoy was
ready to throw in the towel. Yet he was reminded of his dream and all that it
had taken to get so close to it.
It’s easy to let long odds or repeated failures rule out our
dreams. Just ask Rudy Ruettiger, the undersized and over-tenacious dreamer who
ended up outlasting some of America’s most highly touted athletes to make the
best college football team in the country.
Not only did he lack the physical prowess to play at Notre
Dame, but Ruettiger also did not have the grades to gain entry into one of the
nation’s most prestigious private universities.
As a result, many of Ruettiger’s contemporaries doubted him.
His dream was just a dream and nothing more.
But Rudy was determined to prove everyone—including himself—wrong.
Yes, even Rudy struggled with doubt.
He spent two years diving headlong into his studies at Holy
Cross Junior College in an effort to qualify for admission to Notre Dame.
He was turned down every semester leading up to his final
one of eligibility when he finally achieved acceptance.
Once there, the going got tougher for Rudy. He had to work
extra hard and endure a high degree of ridicule just to win a spot on the
football practice squad. He then took a tremendous physical beating from the
varsity players against who he scrimmaged.
But no matter how many times Rudy got knocked down, he’d
rise right back up on his feet to take yet another hit. He had collected two
years’ worth of cuts and bruises just for an opportunity to suit up for one
game.
Finally, Rudy had earned a spot on the team during its last
home game of the 1974 season. In 1992, a movie was made in tribute to Rudy’s
spirited achievement.
Everyone has a dream, no matter how far-fetched it may seem.
But it’s up to each of us to decide how badly we want it.
As a kid, I had a dream to author my own comic strip to
appear alongside Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” and Jim Davis’ “Garfield.” But I
let all of the little details in life get in the way of pursuing this dream. If
it wasn’t college, then it was trying to land my first full-time job. If it
wasn’t work, then it was graduate school. And if it wasn’t graduate school,
then it was changing careers or the pursuit of a promotion.
I even used my growing family as reason enough not to pursue
my dream.
Well, now I find myself in a place in life where the only
doors that seem to be open to me at this time are related to my cartoon art and
developing a comic strip. This occurred after a diagnosis that left me disabled
and out of work. I have been unsuccessful in all other work-related pursuits
outside of my artwork.
Right now, that is what is driving me. My dream is back,
alive, well and thriving. I realized how much time I wasted with one excuse
after another, and one reason after another for not chasing the dream that used
to motivate me when I was younger.
Now the fire is back, and there is no greater satisfaction
than chasing a dream with all the fervor of youth long forgotten.
After more than 20 years of letting life’s little details
distract me from a goal I set before even starting puberty, I am back on track.
God willing, I will stay the course this time around. I don’t want any regrets.
I don’t want to look back twenty years from now and wish that I coulda, shoulda
or woulda done something different.
Perhaps the best thing about resurrecting my dream at this
stage in life is that I am mature enough to understand and accept that failure
is going to be part of the chase. It will test my determination and my resolve.
A much younger me might have gotten discouraged and given up after the first
couple of rejections.
No dream has ever been realized without a substantial amount
of work, sacrifice, and disappointment. It doesn’t take much to dream. However,
much effort is required to make it come true.
But if I can do it at a stage in life when most people are unwilling
to change careers and take these kinds of risks, then so can anyone else with
the drive and determination to chase a dream again.
Don’t be afraid to dream. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to
fail. For dreams only die when we stop chasing them.
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