Facing the Giants - How to Win Against the Giant Odds

We’ve all been down in the dumps, experienced what it’s like to be small and insignificant, and the last thing you feel capable of doing is facing the giants in your life. If you’ve never known or never encountered any of these emotions on facing the giant odds of life, you’re either in denial, criminally lucky, or just a plain old freak of nature. By ‘facing the giants,’ I mean the myriad difficulties and sufferings you must overcome in order to get where you want to be.

There is a video of the same name on youtube.com/watch?v=-vB59PkB0eQ, showing a high school football coach motivating his less than enthusiastic star player to give his very best and go all the way.

Brock, the quarterback, is made to do the dreaded ‘death crawl,’ an intense workout where he must crawl up the field with a teammate in tow, laying on his back. The boy says he can go no farther than thirty yards, and the coach does something rather unorthodox—he blindfolds his player and insists that he can, in fact, do fifty. Brock reluctantly complies, protesting the whole time, but the coach offers only words of encouragement. “Don’t quit! Keep going!” he says, getting down on his hands and knees as well. And keep going Brock does—all the way to the end zone.

Seeing the big picture is commendable. Oftentimes, however, it can be just as overwhelming. Sometimes it is a good idea to wear a blindfold and close your mind to distraction and negativity.

Taking things little by little, one yard at a time, allows you to focus more, to train your attention on each detail and work on that detail alone. Every minor achievement then adds up to one great triumph. Then you will be able to reach the 30-yard line easily, even pass the fifty, and before you know it, you’ve covered a hundred yards and you’ll find yourself at the other end of the field.

Banish the word ‘can’t’ from your vocabulary. Imagine how much more you can accomplish with nothing to hold you back, with no fear or inhibitions to limit you. Open yourself up to criticism and do not be daunted by the prospect of failure. Failure is only harmful if you allow it to be. Instead, take it in stride and learn from it. You will find that failure, even more than success, has much wisdom to impart.

Welcome challenge. Embrace hardship. Be fearless. Remember that with perseverance, unwavering dedication, and an unshakable faith in yourself, you can surely succeed upon facing the giants. Suddenly, they won’t seem so gigantic anymore.

When you’re just about ready to throw in the towel and call it quits, think of all the hard work and effort you’ve invested. Don’t let it all go to waste. More often than not, it is when the uphill battle is at its steepest and the load on your back at its heaviest that success is well within reach. You’ll certainly never know if you do decide to give up, and never knowing is worse than failing. It is through trial and sacrifice that victory is made even sweeter.

Another great football coach comes to mind—Vince Lombardi, and he summed up best what facing the giants was all about: “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”