What's Your Why?

This season on HBO's show "Hard Knocks" followed the Cleveland Brown's during training camp.   In the first episode, linebacker Christian Kirksey, tells his teammates to take out a piece of paper and write down their "why?"   Why do they play football?   Then take that paper and put it on their nightstand, on the ceiling, wherever-  so that it's the last thing they see when they go to sleep and the first thing the see when they wake up.  Is it for the money?  Is it get family out of their situation?  Because football is your life?  That why they are reminded whenever things get tough.

Find your why he says.   At the end of the episode, players were in their hotel rooms.  Writing down their why and putting them wherever.

So what is my why?  Why am I on this journey?  Why am I trying to improve myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?   Is that one question or several?   I think for me--it is several questions that can be boiled down to one answer.

To get to that answer, we have to go back to my childhood--to when I was five years old.   My grandpa was the Cubmaster for the local Cub Scout pack and I was so eager to join.  As a brand new wolf cub, one of the first things things you learn is the Cub Scout motto--"Do Your Best."

Somehow in today's world, that's meant as if you do your best you'll win and get a participation trophy and somehow no one loses!   That's not what it means though.   As a only child of a single mom in small town America "Do Your Best" meant things are going to be tough.  You are going to face your own "Hard Knocks" but always do your best because that's the only way you are ever going to succeed.   There are no participation trophies.   No free rides.  No handouts.  The only way to succeed is by doing your best and at the end of the day, even if you've done your best and failed, you can take pride in the fact that you put in the hard days work.

But does that answer the question--What is my why??  Yes--my "why" is because I was raised to always do my best.   I was raised to become the best version of myself.    I must continuously work on myself and better myself.   I owe it to my family and my loved ones.   They don't care--they love me for who I am--but I still owe it to them to strive to become better.  And I have a long road ahead of me.

 And that is not easy by any means.   There is also a self-destructive nature to myself where I don't do my best and I end up making things more difficult for myself.   I am very lazy and that's what led to my health issues as well as my spiritual issues and family issues.     Every day is a challenge.

That was the point of Christian Kirskey's exercise.   We need to be reminded of what our "why" is even if it means writing it down and posting it on your ceiling where you can see it when you wake up.