That Chip On Your Shoulder
"Even before I knew I was"
I'm not the best athlete. I'm not the smartest in any given room. I'm average by all means. I will, however, die before letting you outwork me.
You may be a good athlete. You may be naturally intelligent. You may be above average. Or you may just think you are.
You may be talented, intelligent, and something special. If you don't believe in your ability, you are a waste.
Cassius Clay. Muhammad Ali. When I think of an athlete I'd look up to he is always the one I think of. He was an athlete of unmatched caliber. His presence outside the ring was commanding and personable. He was loved, and he fought for his beliefs.
"Even before I knew I was"
The problem with idols, heroes and role models is they will always fall short of your expectations and when it happens it hits hard. Even when they pass away your idols may one day be revealed to be less than superhuman. That is life and it's why you must develop your own moral code of conduct.
Mine has always involved a massive fucking chip that sits right on top of both shoulders. This is not about picking fights and being aggressive. This is about knowing what you want, lowering your head, and running through anything that wants to stop you. This is about bullheadedness. This is about being unreasonable and demanding perfection. This is about a fuck you attitude towards life.
"Even before I knew I was"
Stand for something. Stand the fuck up for something. If you believe in it and it matters do not let yourself be overrun by those who are simply louder. Just because they are hierarchically positioned above you does not mean you are less capable. Be someone, do something, help people along the way.
Respect yourself, you deserve it
Respect others, they deserve it
Give, and give again
You have more to give
You still have more to give
Look out for your people
Solutions, not complaints
Love it, or change it
Be the best at what you do
Study, you're not good enough
Practice, you're not good enough
Work.
Work.
Work.
"Even before I knew I was"
We all start at the beginning.
Before Ali became the champ, he proclaimed himself the champ. Before he ever knew he was, he proclaimed before the world that he was the greatest in an era of greats. That is the chip that you have to carry. That is the fuck you attitude to adopt if you want to succeed at something that is hard. Yes it is difficult; you bury your frustration. Yes it's frustrating; you bury your negativity. It seems impossible; you bury the self doubt. Don't look back, what's back there for you? You take your lessons you learn and you move forward. If you live in the past you will waste the present and you only get one life to live. Wasted time will never come back around.
Remember through your life, and I'll use Ali as an example, that we do this for the people around us. Ali destroyed opponents. He could take you ten rounds or end you in three. However, outside of the ring he always respected and even loved those around him. There's a story about Ali. He was training for a fight at his mountain lodge training center and took a trip to town to visit a young man in the hospital who was dying of a terminal disease. Ali asked this young man what he could do for him, not IF but WHAT. The young man requested that Ali win his next fight by knock out and Ali said, "I'll give you a knockout by the third round". For a child he did not know before that day Ali put his reputation on the line. He gave his word, he took this child's wish on as his own responsibility, and by all accounts he trained harder following that day. I'll let you look up how that story ends.
Love and respect, but not for his opponent.
Love and respect, but not for what will stop you.
Love and Respect
And a massive fucking chip on your shoulder
Yours in strength,
Nate
