Using Good Eyes

As 2017 was setting sail, and 2018 was rising upon the eastern horizon, a great storm was brewing within. There is no doubt that 2017 was a trying and humbling year. It certainly didn't help that a nagging injury continued to cause delays in training and my mental mindset. As I begin to reflect and look back, getting ready to say my good bye to a year filled with regret, turmoil, life changes, and selfishness, it was a sermon from a guest pastor that helped me to change my lenses.

It has always been easy to look back with 'bad eyes', spotting all that had gone wrong or opportunities you might wish you could do over. I guess that's why the saying hindsight is always 20/20 rings so true. You pinpoint those exact moments that you wish didn't exist or where the outcome would have been different. These 'bad eyes' can cause you to lose focus on outcomes that existed because of these moments - outcomes that may be good or bad.

I am as guilty as the next. I could choose to look back at my 2017 and focus on that went wrong, or even what I would change. Yet, would I be here today, blogging about my experiences with myTeam Triumph, sharing God's love with others, and finding my passion in teaching and coaching. It was time to put on my 'good eyes' and thank those people who helped to support me and allow me to be where I am today.

Today I am thankful that I still have the ability to wake up and make a difference in the lives of those around me. To be a father to three amazing children that inspire me to be unselfish, humble, and grace-filled every day. The opportunity to be a better friend to those I wronged or lost touch with. To encourage them to live each day to the fullest. I am thankful that I can still train and support myTeam Triumph with my time and talents.

My challenge to all of us is to wake up every day and put on your 'good eyes'. If you don't feel like training, think about the good that can come of it, not the pain or tired you might feel. If you encounter someone with a bad attitude, help to shed a light of hope on a dark situation. Give back of your time and talents somehow each and every day. Wake up with a hope of optimism for the day you have been given. And if you dare, train a little harder each and every moment.