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Are You Fully Committed To Achieving Your Goals?
I go to the gym on a daily basis. I’m there for an hour, and my workout routine typically includes 40 minutes of cardiovascular training and 20 minutes of strength training in the wellness center.
When my workout is done, I sometimes stop to look into the basketball gym before heading out for the rest of my day. There is always a group of guys playing basketball. I used to play with these guys. In fact, I was one of the original two founding members of the early morning basketball games. I’m pretty sure my friend, Joe, and I started playing over ten years ago. We would usually play once a week. Eventually, other guys started coming into the gym to play with us. Before we knew it, we had enough guys for a full court game. Then we added more and split into two games going on simultaneously.
I stopped playing several years ago when I sprained my ankle one too many times and my lower back “complained” too much about the pain caused by playing. It was a hard decision as I have always loved the game of basketball, but I needed to modify my workout routine to keep me healthy for running and for life.
Yesterday as I was leaving the gym, I looked through the window into the basketball gym just a little too long. The guys waved me in as they needed one more guy to even up the teams. Before I knew it, I was running full-court four-on-four basketball. Despite my running shoes and my rustiness, I was able to keep up and contribute to the game. After fifteen minutes of playing, it was time to head home so I could get ready for work.
When I arrived home to shower before work, I was floating. I’m pretty sure I was smiling ear to ear when I told Leanne I had done something crazy at the gym that morning.
If you look back to the first Ice Breaker of the year, you may remember I set a fitness goal for 2015. The goal was to dunk a basketball by the end of 2015. Since writing that post on in early January, I have discovered that achieving this goal is going to take a much bigger effort than I could have ever imagined. Besides adding a few pounds over the past few years, I have lost a lot of my explosive leg lifting strength as a result of focusing on running for so long. My first efforts to dunk earlier this year were embarrassing and enlightening. Dunking used to be pretty easy, but now it was next to impossible.
In March, I started adding consistent strength training to my morning workout routine. Once I started working on my legs, I could see how much work I had ahead of me. I am noticing improvement, but I still have a lot of leg strength to rebuild before my goal will be achieved.
As I ran back and forth on the basketball court yesterday, I tried to be careful not to turn my ankles as running shoes are not ideal for playing basketball. When I left the gym, I started to consider the possibility of purchasing a pair of basketball shoes. This would be an investment for sure.
Achieving our goals requires investment and sacrifice especially if they are stretch goals. Making the necessary investment into achieving your goal will help you cross the line from casual pursuit to all-out commitment. I’m guessing basketball shoes will cost $100. If I make this purchase, I will be making a statement. I will be telling myself and the rest of the world (for those who care) that I am serious about dunking a basketball again.
We can talk the talk, but it doesn’t mean anything unless we walk the talk.
Looking back on the goals you set at the beginning of the year, how are you doing? What investment have you made to take your goal pursuit to the next level?
Ice Breaker – March Madness
Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)
Question: Did you fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket? Who do you think will win in all this year? (Who do you have in the Final Four?)
My Answer: I always fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket. For one, I love college basketball. And March Madness is a great time to connect with co-workers and friends. This year, I have Kentucky winning it all, and my Final Four includes Virginia, Gonzaga, and Wisconsin. I’d love to see Villanova go far as they are the local team still in the tournament.
Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!
Ice Breaker – Childhood Sports
Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)
Question: What sports did you play as a child? Which one was your favorite? (If you didn’t play any sports, what activity or activities were you involved in as a child?)
My Answer: I played “T-Ball” for a couple of seasons when I lived in Wheaton, Illinois. I also did gymnastics for a year or two when I was young. I don’t remember it being competitive gymnastics, but it was pretty fun to jump off the springboard onto the mats. I played four seasons of soccer when I lived in Mt. Holly, NJ. And I played basketball in junior high for the school team (the Lumberton Wildcats). If you extend my childhood into high school, I ran cross-country for a season, and I ran winter track for a season.
My favorite of all these sports was probably basketball. I wasn’t very tall in junior high, but I enjoyed learning the game. The first two years, I played guard, and I played small forward in eighth grade. I wish I had kept up with the sport. I didn’t play in high school as the competition was too steep, but I picked it up again in college playing for several intramural teams. My senior year at Grove City College, I actually dunked the ball in a game (which was definitely one of my all-time sports highlights).
Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!
On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.
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Second Chances – Does Pete Rose Deserve A Second Chance?
Is there anyone who is beyond a second chance?
Think about it. Who would be on your list of people who don’t deserve a second chance?
Jeffrey Dahmer? Dahmer, a serial killer and sex offender, raped and murdered 17 people in the Milwaukee area between 1978 and 1991.
Ted Bundy? Bundy, another serial killer and sex offender, murdered several people during the 1970s.
Richard Nixon? Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, who resigned in light of the Watergate scandal.
Bill Clinton? Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, who had sexual relations (despite lying about it) with a White House intern during his presidency.
Timothy McVeigh? Charles Manson? Adam Lanza? Lance Armstrong? Barry Bonds? Jose Canseco? Michael Vick? Jerry Sandusky?
Alex Rodriquez? Rodriquez, New York Yankees third basemen, suspended from baseball for a year for breaking rules regarding performance enhancing drugs.
Justin Beiber? Beiber, Canadian pop singer, recently arrested for drag racing and driving under the influence.
Lindsay Lohan? Lohan, actress, repeatedly arrested for drug and alcohol related offenses.
Pete Rose? Rose, all-time Major League Baseball hits leader, thrown out of baseball for betting on baseball.
We could go on and on with names of people in the limelight who have made critical errors. Do these people deserve a second chance? It’s a great question. Each of these people have committed crazy crimes or done something pretty stupid. Each of them is left with the consequences of their actions. Some face death. Most face public ridicule at a minimum. Others faced fines, jail time, or other punishment.
Here’s the deal. Just like this people above, we all make mistakes. We may not have killed anyone (at least I hope not). We may not have been caught for breaking the rules or doing something so stupid. But we all mess up. And we all have consequences to our actions. Do we deserve a second chance?
What yard stick are we measuring ourselves against?
Sure our “sins” make seem quite minor compared to the “sins” of those on the list above. But what happens when you compare our sins to God’s holiness? Suddenly, we begin to much worse.
The Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) It goes on to say that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) With this in mind, none of us deserve a second chance. We have all screwed up.
If this was the end of the story, it would be pretty depressing. Don’t you think?
But there is more to the story.
The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that God loves us so much, he sent His son for us. In Romans 10:13, we are promised that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This sounds like a second chance to me.
Our church is doing a series about second chances. On March 30th, Pete Rose will be on campus all three services to be interviewed. It’s hard to argue with his playing skill, but many could argue about his place in baseball and in life based on his past. I’m excited to hear what he has to say. If you live anywhere in the Philadelphia area, I’d encourage you to make your way over to Christ’s Church of the Valley in Royersford, PA to hear what Pete Rose has to say and to see how are pastor responds. I think you’ll be challenged and surprised. For more information, check out our church’s website at moviechurch.com. If you plan on coming, let me know. I’d love to say hello.
How have you been given a second chance? What did you do with your second chance?
Ice Breaker – Winter Olympics
Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
The Winter Olympics are coming to a close this weekend. I’ve enjoyed watching the competitions, seeing the athletic efforts, and hearing the stories of hard work and determination. I’ll be sad to see them go. This week’s Ice Breaker is inspired by the Winter Olympics. Maybe your answer will lead to a new sport for future Olympics.
(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)
Question: What’s your favorite Winter Olympics sport? What sport would you like to see added to the Winter Olympics?
My Answer: I like most sports represented in the Winter Olympics which it makes it challenging to pick just one. One of my favorites is short track speed skating. I stink at ice skating, but there is something amazing about watching others who have the agility to stand on two thin blades of medal while whipping around an ice rink at high rates of speed. It amazes me there aren’t more crashes as these speed skaters are practically on their sides going around the tight turns.
If I were going to recommend a sport for the Winter Olympics, I would pick something like basketball (isn’t that a winter sport?) or ice fishing. In ice fishing, contestants would have four hours to drill their ice hole, build their ice house, and catch the biggest fish possible. Contestants would be judged on the size of their fish, the quality of construction of their ice house, and technical skill level in drilling their ice hole. It would kind of be like Grumpier Old Men meets the Olympics!
Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!
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Thank You – #22
Thank You No. 22
Today, I’m thankful for sports.
I’ve been a sports fan as long as I can remember. I enjoy playing sports, and I like watching sports as well. I’m thankful that God allows us to have interests just for fun. There are so many sports stories that encourage and inspire me. Sports have also taught me how to handle defeat and victory.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. I Corinthians 9:25-27
Why are you thankful today?
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I Remember When…I Dunked In A Game
I remember when I dunked in a basketball game.
When I was in junior high, I developed a love for the game of basketball. I wasn’t even close to being one of the taller kids in the class at the time, and I hadn’t played organized basketball before. But I signed up for the team anyway, and I made my way onto the “B” team my sixth grade year. That year along with the other two years in junior high, I played guard. My seventh grade year, I actually made the “A” team. And I saw limited playing time for a team that eventually won the league championship. In eighth grade, I started for the team as one of the guards although I may have also had playing time as a forward.
In high school, I didn’t go out for the team. I was intimidated by the size of the upperclassmen and other taller kids in my class. If I’m honest, I was also afraid of getting cut from the team. I still loved the game. I followed the Philadelphia 76ers fairly closely, and I started to follow the playing career of Michael Jordan. I dreamed of being able to dunk the basketball someday especially late in high school as I finally began to grow. Throughout high school, I continued to play pick up games whenever I had the chance.
When I arrived at Grove City College, I was placed in the section of the freshmen dorms where most of the basketball players lived. I’m not sure if that was meant to further intimidate me or to spur me on to play more basketball. I played a lot of pickup basketball games in the school gym, and I eventually started playing on intramural teams for my housing group. As college progressed, I kept trying to dunk. I could throw a tennis ball down fairly easily, but I struggled to palm the basketball and get high enough to actually throw down a slam.
Through the encouragement of friends, I started lifting – doing toe raises whenever possible. Meanwhile, I kept trying to dunk. Eventually, I got to the point where I could inch the ball over the rim. It wasn’t a solid slam, but it was close enough at the time. As I kept practicing, I realized that I would have to work a lot harder if I was going to get high enough and coordinated enough to actually put one down in one of the intramural games.
And so I worked, and worked, and worked some more. I kept practicing. I persevered and persisted until I consistently could dunk in warm ups. My teammates knew I was getting close, and they kept talking about trying to set me up for a slam in a game.
The game finally arrived in the middle of my senior year. Leanne was at the game as a spectator and as my girlfriend. Somewhere in the middle of the game, the moment arrived. Our team stole the ball, and I jumped in front of the other team on a fast break. My teammate fed me the ball. A few more dribbles and I was near the hoop. As I picked up the ball, I stretched towards the basket. With two hands, I threw the ball through the hoop, and I grabbed on to the rim. I hung on the rim for a second or two to make sure I didn’t get undercut my the chasing players and to enjoy the moment. As I let go of the rim, I fell to the floor landing on my to feet as the crowd went wild.
The moment was surreal. I remember feeling as though I was floating as I ran back down the court and prepared to play defense. What a feeling!
And that’s how I remember when I first dunked in a game.
Do you have an athletic accomplishment that sticks in your head? Tell us about it by leaving a comment.
Ice Breaker – Are You Ready For Some Football?
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
With fall comes football – high school football, college football, and professional football. It can be a fun time of year especially if your team is doing well. This week’s ice breaker is all about football. If you’re not a football fan, it’s okay. Give us your best answer anyway
My college intramural football team after a muddy game and an amazing victory!
Question: What is your favorite football team – college or professional or both?
My Answer: I’ve lived in the Philadelphia area since the summer of 1980. The year we moved here the Eagles went to the Superbowl. It was hard not for me to become a fan of my local team. It’s been a tough roller coaster ride since then. One of these years, we’ll not only make it back to the Superbowl, but we’ll win it! My backup professional team has always been the Chicago Bears. My family lived in the Chicago area before we moved to the Philadelphia area. Walter Payton was my favorite player then, and he’s still my favorite all-time player.
As for college football, this won’t win be many points outside of Pennsylvania, but I’m a Penn State fan. I graduated from Penn State with my MBA in 2006. It hasn’t been a fun year for our fans, but I’m hopeful for the future. If it’s division three, I’ll be cheering for Grove City College. They don’t make the news for the football program very often, but they’re my team. If you look up college football rushing records, you’ll find that R.J. Bowers set several all-division rushing records at Grove City College several years ago.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Getting Back To The Basics – Cape Cod Baseball League
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big baseball fan. I have followed the game for most of my life – first as a Chicago Cubs fan – and now as a Philadelphia Phillies fan (since 1980 when I moved to the Philly area). It’s been fun to support the Phillies especially over the past five years as they have been very competitive, but…
Professional baseball isn’t what it used to be. With steroids, free agency, lack of player/team loyalty, higher ticket prices, and a crazy pay structure, players and teams don’t relate to average fans – like myself. I have found my overall interest in the game slacking off. Much of this is due to the realities of adult life – I now have a family and a job that require my full attention. But I believe that some of my fading interest in the game is related to the fact that professional baseball has gotten away from its roots.
This is why I loved going to see a Cape Cod Baseball League game when Leanne and I vacationed in Cape Cod a few weeks ago. The teams in the league are made up of college baseball players who are looking for a way to work on their skills over the summer. Players come from all over the country to play in this league. They are not paid. They live with volunteer host families. And the games which are played at a high level are free to the public. Players actually walk around during the game to accept entries into the game’s 50-50 drawing which is used to help offset travel expenses for the team.
We went to a game between the Cotuit Kettleers and the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. We literally sat on top of the home team’s dugout. We could hear the players talking. We saw players who were not yet tarnished by the riches of the big leagues. We saw the game of baseball the way it was meant to be played.
Our evening in Hyannis was a reminder that it can be important to get back to the basics. We allow so many things to come along and distract us from why and how we started doing what we’re doing – whether it’s work, school, church, or even family. It’s easy to be distracted by the next big thing. It’s not steroids or free agency, but we are often distracted by other things like non-stop activities, efforts to accumulate the most toys and gadgets, or a drive to climb higher on the corporate ladder. These things by themselves may not be bad, but I think we often lose sight of why we started a family or why we started working. I think it’s important to get back to the basics, so we can rediscover our love for “the game”.
Has the push for more taken away your love of “the game”?
What can you do today to bring back the love?
My Fenway Park Experience
I’m a big baseball fan! I started cheering for the Chicago Cubs while my family lived in the Chicago area when I was little. And I’m a big Philadelphia Phillies fan now! I moved to the Philly area in 1980, the year the Phillies won the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. (These past five or six years have been amazing!) I still have all my baseball cards, which I used to spend hours organizing, studying, and memorizing. I enjoy watching baseball, especially live! I’ve been to several major league stadiums and a few minor league stadiums, and I’ve even been to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. Like I said, I’m a big baseball fan!
When I was in college, I worked for ServiceMaster for the summer where I traveled to New England every week to inventory all the equipment in various schools. One week, I had an assignment outside of Boston, so it made sense for me to try to get into Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play the Yankees. (I don’t even like these teams!) I couldn’t resist an opportunity to see a game in this “old school” stadium. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the game was sold out. It was definitely a “stretch” to get into the game. I walked around the stadium a couple of times looking for someone who was selling a ticket. I just wanted to get into the stadium. Unfortunately, no one was selling any tickets. At this point, I was being to resign myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to get into the game.
In Philly, we have cheese steak sandwiches and pretzels. In Boston, I learned that they have sausage sandwiches. I purchased a sausage sandwich from a street vendor. As I enjoyed the sandwich while standing against a telephone pole a few feet away, the sandwich vendor walked over and asked if I was looking for a ticket. I confirmed that I was indeed looking for a ticket. He told me that he had one that he would sell to me for next to nothing. I couldn’t believe it!
I made my way into the stadium and followed signs to my seat. Unbelievable! My seat was 12 rows directly behind home plate – at Fenway Park! I had a perfect view of the field and the dugouts. Around the third inning, the sandwich vendor and his family came and sat right next to me. We had a friendly conversation. During the fifth inning, my new friend bought me a beer. Can you imagine?
To be honest, I don’t even remember who won the baseball game. I do know that I will always remember my experience at Fenway Park.
Are you a baseball fan? Have you ever experienced something unbelievable? Have you ever had a “Fenway Park” experience? Please share.