The Champion

The Champion
By Annie Tornabene


As we watch the Olympic games in Beijing, I am reminded what it take to be the champion. That include finding the champion in you.

In 1644, a child named Antonio Stradivari was born. He, at a time when the average person lived be 35-40 years old, lived to be 93 years old. Amazing!

The reason I talk about him today is because he used very primitive tools to be the best he could be. I'm sure you have heard of his work today. Stradivari's Violins. Every step of the process was focused on providing excellence to each violin he created before he would sign his name on it. Many times he worked long and tedious hours alone to complete his violins. He spent his life doing his best life now.

Striving for excellence is not something you can turn on and off at the push of a button. The champions in the Olympics don't just become gold medalist overnight. It is something they strive for every day. They practice it for hours on end. They eat, live and breath it. They stay focused on living their best life now. When family and friends want to do something else, they stay focused.

Are you staying focused with your life? Are you going through the motions of living day to day, just getting by? Are you staying focused to live your best life now. You are the champion of your life. There is the champion within you.

Do you think Tiger Woods or Mike Phelps became champions overnight? No, They did the little things each day that made a difference in their lives. Stay focused when you are alone. Stay focused when you find negativity around you. You deserve to live your best life now. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression. Making a commitment to staying focused will help you live your best life now.

Many times we allow ourselves to become stuck in our present circumstances even if we are unhappy and really want to strive in a new direction. Why? Because it's familiar. One of the most important factors in understanding depression is the willingness to try things out, to experiment, to test new grounds. In fact, this is the only way to rock the boat and get unstuck. We may have to try and try again. It is a far better thing to try to succeed and fail, than to do nothing and succeed. Discover the champion in you! Make your dreams come true.