The story of a man’s journey to live his dream

When I was coaching basketball at Wentworth Military Academy college, a young man named Hugh “Boo” Ray played for me. “Boo” was a standout from high school in Memphis, Tennessee. He had a tremendous blow and played the game with fire and passion. His dream was to play for Mississippi State. During his senior year, “Boo” completely blew out his knee. The teams that had been calling stopped. The coaches who had been watching “Boo’s” team play stopped attending the games. He went from being one of the most promising players in the city of Memphis to trying to recover from his knee injury.

I was fortunate to have established a recruiting connection in Memphis. When I heard that “Boo” was still looking for a school to play ball, I couldn’t believe it. We immediately got in touch with him. We were very interested in “Boo”, and playing at a university would give him a chance to fulfill his dream.

In our dressing room we had motivational posters for the players to read. One caught “Boo’s” eyes. He said:

Excellence can be achieved if

Caring more than others believe is prudent

Risking more than others think is safe

Dream more than others think is practical, and

Expect more than others think is possible.

He slowly recovered from his injury, keeping his dream in the back of his mind. He had lost a step, but he was still a deadly accurate marksman. “Boo” was our leader, both on the court and within the Cadet Corps. But I wasn’t getting the D-1 look I was hoping for. He made a decision that didn’t really surprise me. We have all heard or seen Rudy’s story. “Boo” was going to do his own “Rudy” story.

He visited the state of Mississippi and spoke with coach Richard Williams. Coach Williams told “Boo” that he would give him a chance as a practice player. He practiced every day with the determination and desire that he had exhibited at Wentworth. He earned the right to dress up for MSU games. Like Rudy, “Boo” didn’t get mega minutes. Playing time was tight, and he gave everything he had when the opportunity presented itself.

Coach Williams told me that “if the other players played with the heart and determination that ‘Boo’ played with, the team would do much better.” “Boo” became a fan favorite in his two years at Mississippi State. He lived his dream because he cared more, took more risks, dreamed more, and expected more of himself than anyone else.

Unlike Hugh “Boo” Ray, anyone can quit, and many have given up when the going gets tough. Others have not completely given up; they just let go of the gas and settle for being less than they could be. Last week, I asked the students at my alternative school, “When faced with an obstacle preventing you from achieving your dream, how many of you would give up?” Without hesitation, more than half of the students said they would stop.

Returning to our poem, excellence can be achieved if:

Worry more than others think is wise: It has been said that one of the surest ways to be hurt is to worry more than others think you should. On the other hand, if you want to be successful, you need to care more than others think is wise or prudent. The winners are not happy to finish second. A winner will do everything in his power to overcome obstacles that stand in his way.

Risk more than others think is safe – remember our Legson Kayira story (Motivational Moments # 234). He risked everything: his health, his safety, his life, his family, everything to fulfill his dream of coming to America to get an education in the land of his heroes. Former heavyweight champion Michael Spinks declared, “If you don’t take chances, you can’t do anything in life.”

Dream more than others think is practical – In 1968, the Olympic Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico. A very talented United States track and field team was poised to break Olympic and world records. A competitor on the men’s team was repeatedly told that he would not be successful with his high jump technique. Dick Fosbury had created an unorthodox style of high jump, one that his skeptics said would fade into obscurity. Fosbury commented: “They told me over and over again that I would never succeed, that I was not going to be competitive and that the technique was just not going to work. All I could do was shrug my shoulders and say, ‘I just have to see.’ . Fosbury won the Olympic gold medal. Today, almost all high jumpers use his technique.

Expecting More Than Others Think Is Possible: When I go out to speak with companies or organizations, one of the challenges I face is getting participants to expand their comfort zones. We do this with an interactive demonstration that involves multiple participants stepping out of their comfort zones and learning to juggle, in five minutes. Your initial reaction is “I can’t do this.” Our nature tells us that it is okay to stay within our comfort zones. We don’t want to feel the pain of failure when we try something new. However, when we replace what we feel about ourselves with images of success, we are willing to do so. We expect more from ourselves. Author Wayne Dyer says, “It’s never crowded along the extra mile.”

Are you willing to worry more, risk more, dream more, and wait more? If so, you are in a very small group of people. Most people call them WINNERS.