Can’t Do It?

Can’t Do It?
I’ve often heard the phrase used for athletes and musicians, “They were born with natural talent.” I know that some people can sing better than others and some can play baseball better than many others. Granted, some people are born with physical advantage that may be better suited for certain sports, such as above average height, weight, or bone structure which will make it a little easier for a person to succeed in a given sport.

More importantly though is the athlete who loves his given sport and has a desire to succeed. When a person has a true burning desire, he can compete against the best. A burning desire drives an individual, pushing him to greatness.

It’s a well-known fact that many Olympic athletes practice ten to twelve hours every day for many years in preparation for the Olympic games. Now think about this: If you were to practice a given sport with the proper attitude for ten hours a day and were strengthening your body over
the years, don’t you think that you, too, could excel in the sport? Maybe you would not be the best, but perhaps you would be in the top ten percent of all the players in the game.

This brings to mind a professional baseball player named Jim Abbott who played for the New York Yankees. Jim was born with only one hand – his left. Picture yourself trying to play professional baseball with the great players in the major leagues and being able to use only your left hand.

Jim Abbott was a starting pitcher for the Yanks. He usually pitched about eight innings a game. Not only could he play the game, which is remarkable in itself, but Abbott was also a very good pitcher. How did he do it? Well, what he did was catch the ball from the catcher with his glove on his left hand. He then held the glove against his right limb, the stub with no hand.
Then, with the limb resting against the glove, he’d wind up and pitch the ball. As soon as he had thrown the ball, he would slip his left hand into the glove. Abbott, believe it or not, could actually pitch the ball with one hand and field the ball very well if it was hit back to him.

Talk about “burning desire” and faith in oneself! He was in the Major Leagues for many years starting in 1989, and in September 4, 1993 he even pitched a no hitter against the Cleveland Indians. It’s amazing what some people can do when they want something badly enough.
If you think you can’t do something, think about Jim Abbott. “All things are possible as long as you long for it enough!” By changing your attitudes, you will change your results.

If you wish to become very successful in anything, you must first realize that you cannot be extremely successful in every aspect of your life. No athlete can excel in all sports.
My mentor and friend, Bob Richards, the great Olympic gold medal champion who graced the cover of the Wheaties Cereal box, said, “Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work,
equals miracles.”

The other day I realized how truly blessed most of us are. While working on a household project, I had cut my right thumb with a utility blade. The razor-sharp blade cut my thumb so deeply that I had to have it stitched in the emergency room of the local hospital. After it was wrapped, I could not use the most important finger on the hand that I use all the time, my right hand.

I did not appreciate the importance of my right thumb, until I could not use it. I soon realized the importance of my right thumb for shaving, brushing my teeth, writing, buttoning my shirt, and in dressing. Life became a little more frustrating without my right thumb to help me.
This experience made me realize how fortunate most of us are because we are blessed with all our senses and body parts. I cannot speak for a handicapped person, but I believe success is a little easier to achieve if we have all our senses and body parts working normally.

The other day I saw a story on television about a man who was born with no arms. I felt rather foolish at that moment complaining about the temporary loss of my right thumb. As I continued to watch this young man with no arms, I saw a totally self-sufficient man. Granted he didn’t have arms, but still this young man managed to brush his teeth. He drove a car, opened a jar, drank, ate, and did everything I could do, all by using his two feet in place of his arms and hands. By
raising his leg up the way we use our arms, this man did it all. I found it amazing how he could function rather quickly without arms. He drove his own car to different locations and gave speeches to young students on the subject of achieving success and maintaining a positive attitude. He also demonstrated to the young people that, if he could be successful with his limitations, then they could apply their healthy minds and bodies to achieve success as well.

George Allen, former coach of the Washington Redskins, summed it up best when he said, “God gave every single human being a certain amount of talent, and unless
you utilize that talent to the utmost of your ability twenty four hours of every day of your life, you deceive your God, your family, and above all yourself.”

C-2005 John Paul Carinci