Sticking with the movie theme…. Another favorite for inspiration is Miracle, the 2004 film about the United States men’s ice hockey victory at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Kurt Russell starred as coach Herb Brooks. (I personally like the 1981 version, Miracle on Ice, with Karl Malden as Coach Brooks, equally as much.) It is not so much the movies that are inspiring, but the story itself. It is the underdog overcoming the Goliath that inspires us—that gives us hope in our own struggles. At the heart of defeating our impossible opponent and achieving unreasonable goals is life is believing in ourselves. If we believe in our God-given talents and strive to do our absolute best, good things will surely come. Maybe not victory, gold medals, or fame, but trust that what will come of our efforts will be rewarding.
I am just going to let Coach Brooks speak:
“You think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.”
“All-star teams fail because they rely solely on the individual’s talent. The Soviets win because they take that talent and use it inside a system that’s designed for the betterment of the team. My goal is to beat ’em at their own game.”
“When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of alot more important than the one on the back! Get that through your head!”
“If we play ’em 10 times, they might win nine. But NOT this game.”
“The important thing is that those twenty boys know in twenty years, they didn’t leave anything on the table. They played their hearts out. That’s the important thing.”
“We start becoming a team right now!”
“This is your time! Now go out there and take it!”
Carpe momento!
Image Source: Miracle