In 1983, against long odds, Jim Valvano led his underdog NC State Wolfpack basketball team to the NCAA basketball championship.
He’s also very much remembered for his inspirational 1993 ESPY Awards speech given just eight weeks before he died of cancer.
His motto was, “Don’t Give Up . . . Don’t Ever Give Up.” In that speech he said there are three things we should do every day:
1. Laugh.
2. Think. You should spend some time in thought.
3. Cry. You should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy.
His point was if you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day.
Matthew McConaughey won the best actor award at the Oscars in 2014. He said he needs three things in his life to survive:
1. Someone to look up to. I would also suggest you need someone to look up to. It might be God, someone in your family, business or someone who’s mentored you.
2. Someone to look forward to. In his case, and yours as well, he looks forward to his family. What do you have going on in your life that you look forward to? Is it accomplishing the next great challenge?
3. Someone to chase. He chases his hero. He said he was chasing himself in 10-year increments. That too makes sense. We all need something or someone to chase. Being in the chase makes us better.
Laughing, thinking, crying, having someone to look up to, something to look forward to and something to chase is what fuels the passion of life.
That’s all I’m gonna say. Tommy Gibbs.