Never Believe in Never

Never Believe in Never

Lance Armstrong won seven consecutive Tour de France races.  He developed testicular cancer along the way.  How many times was he told that he would never race again?  We will never know, however, he always believed in his dream.

Steve Jobs co-founded and was fired from Apple Computers.  A few people, more than a few, came along and told him he was done, finished.  He had no more miracles left to pull out of the hat.  Yet Steve Jobs always believed in his dreams and his abilities.  Look at the legacy he has left behind.

Walt Disney faced bankruptcy more than once.  He was told he had unrealistic dreams and fanciful notions.  But Walt believed in magic.  

A man named Jeff was shot and seriously wounded in a failed robbery attempt at his restaurant.  Based on the expressions on the faces of the medical team in the operating room, he saw failure and defeat.  Finally, he said to them, “Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”  Jeff believed.

In 1958, a sixteen-year-old boy began walking toward his dream.  He wanted a college education so he set out from his tribal village in Nyasaland, Africa with the intent of walking to Cairo, Egypt where he would board a ship for America. 

Within five days he was out of money and food, and his water supply was almost gone.  Yet he kept walking. 

He faced the heat and the cold of the dessert, and he faced sickness, but onward he marched. 

It took two years to cover his 3,000-mile trek, and in December 1960 he arrived on the campus of Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington to begin his academic career. 

After graduating and more educational opportunities, he became a professor of political science at Cambridge University and an author. 

Legson Kayira had a dream and he held tenaciously onto it.  He had a dream he could believe in. He never believed in never!

I've wrestled with the title of this post.  I almost changed it to Always Believe.  I understand the dynamics of headlines and their ability to grab a reader’s attention.  But I stuck with my original thought, especially after talking with Carolyn.

Yes, Never Believe in Never does have a bit of a negative take to it, sort of, but it is strong in “grab” effectiveness.  And I do want to grab you for 2 ½ minutes while you read this.

So, thank you.  Now, consider these questions.

Do you believe, or do you think it could never happen for you?

Do you hold a lofty vision for your future?

And the biggest question of all is …

“What are you going to do about your future? 

                                                     your dreams? 

                                                     your hopes?

It’s a mind game mostly.  Once we make up our mind, then the rest is just putting one foot in front of the other and finding the people, the knowledge and resources to pull it all together. 

There is work to do.  There always is.  You are going to fill your days with activities anyway.  So why not fill your days by working on you?

May your dreams be worthy of the effort required to make them happen.

Always, always believe!

And above all …

Never Believe in Never!

P Michael Biggs

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