I say live strongER

I want to be the best.

In college, I had a professor give me one of the greatest quotes I've ever heard in person, "Greatness comes from the sacrifices of those who strive to be perfect."

In the Bible, the book of Matthew tells us, "Be perfect, even as your Lord in Heaven is perfect."

Obviously, stuff like this motivates me in different ways, depending on what role I'm playing that very moment, as a journalist, coach, etc., but believe it or not, there are people out there who don't want to be at the top. Some people are just find coasting in the middle of the pack, being good enough.

That doesn't work for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the best at anything I do. Trust me, I'm the first to admit that. It doesn't mean that I have to like it, though, and it will never stop me from wanting to get there.

I'm better for wanting to be the best. The key there is those two letters, the ER. I was thinking yesterday, I need to put a little more ER into my life. I was heading to the gym, and I looked down at my Livestrong rubber band. Livestrong is a great campaign, through NIKE and Lance Armstrong, and the amount of money they've raised has made a difference, I have no doubt.


But then I start to wonder about the concept. You wear this band around your wrist to remind you to live strong everyday, but why stop there? I want to live STRONGER.

Tell me to be good, and I'll be better.

Tell me to be hungry, I'll be hungrier.

Tell me to work hard, I'll work harder.

This is the fundamental attitude of success. Strive to outdo the expectations, strive to outdo the competition, and strive to outdo yourself. Some people don't like this attitude you say? Well I've learned that other people's opinions don't add up to a lot, and you can't let them slow you down. I'm guilty of that. But if you truly do live in your own reality, all that noise will be too far down to hear from your seat on top.

A few quick thoughts...
- I really am tired of being a jobber. What's a jobber? A jobber is someone who is built up minimally and paid to lose to those who are viewed as higher up on the card. This term absolutely may be translated into the world of television. I've been jobbed out so much the past couple years, I forget what it feels like to win every once in a while. One would think that commitment, work ethic, and putting out a good product on a consistent basis would move you up the card, up the depth chart a bit, but that's not always the case, because at some point, someone has to put you over. Usually that either comes from management or the willingness of an older, more established "star". Let's just ask, which one of those things is LESS likely to happen?

- I did not enter a Finals prediction, but I think that the Thunder is the hot team, and they have home court advantage. Taking game 1 was huge, but not a clincher. A win over the Heat tonight though, and it might just bring the big trophy to OKC. Neither team matches up well with the other though, so I expect a high-scoring series with some good games. I think that's what most basketball fans want anyway.

- We all have letdowns and get bad news. It sucks. Keep fighting. When you're lost in a maze and you run into a dead end, you can either sit in the corner and cry about it, or backtrack and take a new route. Think about it.

- Always stand up for yourself. No matter what position you are in, don't let anyone talk down to you, play you, patronize you, or intimidate you. Remember, you're very good at what you do too, even if this person doesn't see you in that same light. You'd be surprised, too, at the type of person that does that kind of thing. Bullying is a problem in the adult world too. Don't let yourself be a victim. Trust you work ethic and ability, and fight back.

Well, as always thanks for reading and sharing this post. Remember to follow me on twitter and to live in your own reality. And lastly, remember to live STONGER every single day, stronger than yesterday, stronger than anyone else.

-- Travis

So what can I do right now...

We all have things we need, and we all have things we want. Sometimes, what we want is something we really do need, but we don't always need what we want.

Any self-motivated person sets goals for themselves. Everyone wants to achieve their goals, but the special ones need to achieve them. Think about it. Which one are you?

You've probably been asked time after time, what's your biggest fear? My answer is easy, failure. I've failed before, and I'm going to fail again. I think i risk failing all the time, but my desire to be successful drives me, and not being successful ALWAYS hurts.

So I often find myself asking, what can I do right now to get what I want and get what I need? I've made it my goal the past few months to do something every day to try and take a step forward. I guess I haven't done enough yet.

Starting the past few days, I've tried to step it up a little. A good friend told me, hey, what do you have to lose? My answer, absolutely nothing. Sometimes it's real easy to get down on yourself if you think too much about a bit of bad news, trust me it's happened here recently to me. But I have to be a little more aggressive and assertive if I want to get to where I want to be, and I began that journey yesterday.

Over the next couple of weeks, I have to get in my car and just show up places. I call it turning it up a notch. I'd advise you to always ask yourself, what am I doing right now, and how is it helping me get what I want and get what I need. I don't think it's a problem if sometimes the answer is that it's not, but I know in my case, I could always do more.

So, do more. Be bold. Take steps forward. Push the limits. Change the rules. Live in your own reality. Find a way to do more.

A few quick hits:
- I'm taking the Heat tonight to beat the Celtics, sorry Bryan. Lebron James imposed his will in Game 6, and they're at home.

- Shout out to my former players who won a State Championship today over at Cosby. Big win for softball and girls soccer there, great stuff for a great school. Ted Salmon does a fine job as an administrator, and there are a lot of great people there. It was cool to cover some of the games last week, and I always love seeing my kids succeed.

- The Yanks are on a roll. I'd love to go to a Subway Series game one of these years, put it on the bucket list. But if they keep hitting and pitching like this, like they are capable of, the Quest for 28 might just end in October.

- Really excited to be working some great camps this summer for some great organizations and programs. If I had the time, I'd work more. It's a great way to give back to the game and also to meet new people and learn. All positives.

Tomorrow is going to be long, as usual. Should be good to get out of work in time for a great workout, as the knee-hab continues.

Thanks for reading. Remember, follow me on twitter- @travisponton and keep your chin up, good things are about to happen.

--TP

It doesn't always go your way, but it always keeps on going...

When I was in high school, I always used to turn to one of my favorite movies to cheer me up from a tough day, you know a bad workout or something on the court. That movie is Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, the classic George Clooney film based on Homer's epic, The Odyssey. No matter what, it's always been a go to for me, for whatever reason. Maybe it's the theme song to the movie, "Deliverance" by Bubba Sparx. Both the song and movie are about a long journey, full of highs and lows, different characters, and the twists and turns along the way to your destiny, your deliverance.

So I guess it's fitting that I got home tonight, and flipping through the channels, my go to movie was on. I think that I just went through a day I will remember the rest of my life, for better and for worse. Needless to say, I learned a lesson the hard way today, which is never fun, but I'm a better coach because of it, and for that, I'm appreciative. But, it still stings a bit, which is why I was glad my movie was on.

Right now, I have to follow the baseball hitter's approach. Sometimes you strike out, heck you go 0-4 in a game and find yourself in the middle of a slump. One bad at bat leads to a bad game, leading to a bad week, and you slide. Good hitters though get through it. They show up early to the ballpark the next day, get in the cage, and take their cuts. You've got to have a short memory and a desire to get out of this funk you're in.

So somehow, tomorrow, I have to get to the ballpark early and get more work in, and put this bad day behind me. Easier said then done, huh? But hey, this is what success is made of, overcoming struggles and defeating opponents. That process always starts with you looking yourself in the mirror and putting the work in.

Staying in the 2000s, perhaps 50 cent said it best, "Sunny days wouldn't be as good, if it wasn't for rain. Joy wouldn't feel so good, if it wasn't for pain." I'd like to wake up tomorrow to sun, but if I don't, and this is the million dollar question, how do I bring the sun out?

Some quick thoughts....
- Our spring sports banquet was last night at CH, and we said goodbye to a wonderful group of seniors who have meant a lot to our girls soccer program. It's always great to see our players get honored with All District and All Academic awards, and all 6 of our kids that earned these honors deserved it. It was great coaching both basketball and soccer at CHHS this year, and I admit, it's weird not being up at the school around the great staff and our players already. But, there's a lot to look forward to.

- The Yanks beat the Rays tonight, and remain on a roll. I've decided that when Nova isn't striking guys out, he's also not giving up hits and runs. Weird. Not sure if this has to do with his approach or just a statistical coincidence, but either way, I hope America's Baseball Team stays on a roll.

- I got to watch the 2nd half of the OKC-San Antonio game tonight, and I have to say I'm convinced more than ever that OKC wins it all this year. However I have to say, I enjoyed watching Mark Cuban and Dirk raise that trophy last year a lot more haha. 

Remember that things don't always go your way, but the one thing that's for sure is that things always keep going. Get back up to the plate and take your hacks. Time to get on a hit streak...

--TP