{"id":3815,"date":"2009-01-08T19:01:00","date_gmt":"2009-01-09T01:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cjjsa.wordpress.com\/2009\/01\/08\/wise-words-from-a-unique-source\/"},"modified":"2012-12-17T21:28:49","modified_gmt":"2012-12-18T03:28:49","slug":"wise-words-from-a-unique-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/loveisanorientation\/2009\/01\/wise-words-from-a-unique-source\/","title":{"rendered":"Wise Words from a Unique Source"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Here is the conclusion to a book I just finished. I thought it was relevant and profound. He said:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201cEarly in my career I went around telling everyone of my lofty goals\u2014that I\u2019d be the best ever in my field. People laughed at me.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re crazy man.
Can\u2019t be done.
Yeah right! No one in history has done the things you\u2019re talking about.
You\u2019re dreaming.<\/p>\n

Maybe I was dreaming, but it was an attainable dream. I knew it all of those things could be done, just as I know I was going to be the guy to do them. I never once doubted myself, and that\u2019s the attitude that gets me through everything.<\/p>\n

Nobody is gong to tell me I can\u2019t do something. Nobody. And when the world tries to beat you down, you don\u2019t let it. It\u2019s that simple. You stay positive. Focused. Keep your eyes on the prize. Put on blinders. Don\u2019t look left, don\u2019t look right. The goal is right there in front of you, and that\u2019s where you need to be looking.<\/p>\n

I was single-minded about becoming who I am today, and it paid off. And like I said, maybe that\u2019s what it takes to succeed\u2014that drive and that desire and that intensity. But if you want something badly enough, you\u2019ll work for it. And when you get there, you\u2019ll realize that everything you did to get there was worth it.<\/p>\n

My daughter, Josie, will be a teenager soon. I\u2019ve tried to be a good father, and I think I\u2019ve succeeded more often than not, though I\u2019m sure I come up short from time to time. Still, in one area I believe I\u2019m actually qualified to give advice, and that concerns this business I\u2019ve been talking about\u2014this business about setting goals.<\/p>\n

Josie, if you\u2019re reading this, please pay attention: You can do anything you want in life. Anything. All you have to do is figure out what you want, and who you want to be, and stay on track. It will not happen overnight, but if you believe in yourself, and you stay focused, and if every step you make is a step in the direction of that goal, even a tiny step, you will make it. You will reach your goal.<\/p>\n

Along the way, people will tell you that it can\u2019t be done. That you\u2019re dreaming. That you should lower your sights and expectations. Don\u2019t listen to them. They don\u2019t know what they\u2019re talking about, and they have already been defeated by life. And never, ever, lose faith in yourself [or God]. Keep dreaming.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

These words were written by Jose Canseco in his second book, Vindicated<\/a>. That\u2019s right\u2014the same steroid Jose Canseco that blew the lid off of the hidden secrets of Major League Baseball. But he does have a point, he does know something about achieving goals. He promised to his dying Mom that he would become the best baseball player on the face of the earth, and he did\u2014in record fashion. He was the first player in baseball history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single year. He won the American League MVP award. He won 2 World Series rings. And he signed the highest paid contract in Major League history (to that point), 5 years for $23.5 million.<\/p>\n

In the end, he accomplished his goals, and so I think we should listen to his wise words. What about the steroids\u2014didn\u2019t those give him an unfair advantage? For what it\u2019s worth, I actually believe him that about 80% of all Major Leaguers were doing the stuff. So no, they didn\u2019t give him an unfair advantage against the majority of people he was playing against. None the less, re-read his words, and they\u2019re encouraging and applicable to all of us chasing a dream others don\u2019t think can happen\u2014whether that is breaking baseball records or wanting to build a bridge between the GLBT and religious communities.<\/p>\n

Much love.
http:\/\/www.themarinfoundation.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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