It’s not a lucky coincidence when people achieve their dreams. Yes, it takes the motivation of accomplishing a dream, hard work, belief in yourself, sacrifice, time, and commitment to the dream, but there is also another key ingredient that many forget to include. To achieve a dream, you have to make good decisions. You have to choose right in all you do. Throughout your journey, will you make mistakes? Yes, we all make mistakes. I have made many, but the successful individual learns from every failure and becomes wiser, stronger, and looks forward to making the right decision when the next challenge arises.
What is choosing right? Every day we have to make choices at home, school, in relationships, and in regards to our future. You are making choices every minute of the day, and most choices have a benefit and a cost associated to them. So, as you choose, you need to evaluate the outcome from both sides, and if the benefits outweigh the costs, you should do it, as long your decision is a moral one. For example, some youth think the only way they can have fun is to get drunk with all their friends, but I am here to tell you from my experience, the benefits of getting drunk don’t outweigh the costs. Trust me, I have been down that road and finally realized waking up on Saturdays and Sundays with a hangover didn’t increase my chances of winning wrestling matches, making good grades, and making other good decisions. I would venture to say a majority of all the bad decisions I have made in my life where a result of being drunk. In 2001, I decided never to get drunk again, which has been made my life so much more enjoyable. When you are tempted by your peers, TV, and movies to abuse alcohol....Choose Right and say no thanks!
Besides being responsible with alcohol, what are other ways we can choose right? I have seen drugs ruin many people’s lives including people I love. We are smart and know drugs kill people every day. We see the ramifications from drugs on the news and read about their damage in newspapers. Not only can you lose your life from drugs, but you can also lose your life long dream. My opponent in the 2000 Olympic Finals, Alexander Leipold, allegedly chose wrong and decided to take steroids, which is an illegal drug. Because of his bad decision, he lost his life long athletic dream. Why would anyone train for 25 years to accomplish a dream and risk losing it all because of one bad decision? I honestly don’t know, and it doesn’t make sense to me. I pray none of you lose your life and your dream because of a bad decision involving drugs. Choose right!
There is a myriad of other examples of choosing right that include being sexually responsible (being a Daddy at 17 will make your dream much harder to accomplish), obeying your parents and teachers, and treating other people the way you want to be treated. If you want people to be kind to you, treat you with respect, and never want others to lie, cheat, or steal from you, oblige them with the same human courtesy. Choose Right!
The last good decision I challenge you to make is to put your academics before you athletics. We can’t wrestle for the rest of our lives; therefore, we need to prepare for life beyond wrestling. One of the best ways to increase your chances of becoming a successful adult is making good grades, graduating from college, and educating yourself in many aspects of life. Fortunately, God blessed me with good role models who showed me the value of making academics a priority, whichis why I chose to attend the University of Pennsylvania. Penn is an Ivy League school in Philadelphia that produces some of the best student athletes in the World. Studying hard and graduating from Penn was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I challenge you to make your grades a priority, even above wrestling. Study hard and Choose Right!
Life can be so busy we forget to stop and realize all the blessings God has given us. In this day and age of cell phones, e-mail, voice mail, lap tops, and palm pilots, we never actually unplug and say it’s a beautiful day and give thanks to the One who created it. I’m just as guilty as the other guy. But, I have attempted to simplify my life by following two rules. First, I love God with all my heart, and second, I attempt to treat my neighbor as myself. In doing this, my life is filled with Peace, Love, and Joy, and even if you’re not a spiritual person, all you have to do is,
“Plan for the future yet live in the moment while Choosing Right!”
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