A CELEBRATION OF LIFE.

Why is it that so many of us look at improving ourselves as work? Why is it so much harder for people to pick up a book to learn about a subject that interests them than turning the TV on to watch the latest reality show? Why not go out for a hike and enjoy nature? Why not go out and run or lift weights? Why not live life for what it was meant for? To learn and grow.

I've had many people come in and out of my life that have had impacts on me, and most of them came from small towns in Nebraska (where I grew up). Of course, my dad and grandpa were men that impacted me in positive ways. But one individual that is sticking out in my mind right now is a basketball coach at a small Division-II college in Nebraska. Coach Kropp was a person that could motivate you to take on the world with a 6 word sentence. One day he and I were watching Coach Larsen (strength coach at said college and another guy that's had a huge impact on me) run his basketball team. The team was in the middle of an tough workout of court sprints. As I was standing by Coach Kropp, he said to me, "Mike, look at these guys. You can tell that some of these guys would rather be anywhere in the world right now but right here running these sprints. But you know what? You go up to the hospital and grab someone who's confined to a wheel chair for the rest of their lives and wheel them up to the side of the court. I can tell you, most would tell you they would do anything they could to get up and run sprints with these guys." Then he looked at me and said, "Just remember that the next time you don't feel like working hard. Always appreciate what you have."

How many people are walking through life defeated and complacent? I see so many of them and it makes me sad. I've been there myself and it's not fun. It's better to live a life full of calculated risks than to live a life that is safe, boring and dead.

That gets me back to training and learning. Training is work and work is good. You learn something about yourself not only physically but also mentally and spiritually when you push your body to the brink. What are you capable of? Do you like what you see? If you don't, change it. Work hard and thrive. Little kids train all the time. They call it playing.

What about learning? We should never grow tired of learning. Learning should be a lifetime quest. Pick up a book on a subject you don't know anything about but always wanted to. There is no such thing as useless knowledge. Your brain has more than enough room for whatever you shove into it. Program things in that will help you help others. If it doesn't help you and others grow, it has no place in your brain. Help the world grow. Don't be a comfortable person on the bench. You're butt will fall asleep and that's not comfortable after all.

Learn and grow. Train and grow. Get out into nature and grow. Play with your kids and grow. Go to church and grow. Hang out with friends and grow. Or, play video games, watch TV and lay around. No wonder we have no energy in this country anymore.

God bless,

Mike Sanders