THE 4 P'S TO UNLEASH THE CHAMP WITHIN

I had the privilege to speak to St. Raphael's school yesterday. A huge portion of their 750 students have either been in my programs or in some way been connected to Fit Me Up, so it was an honor to finally be inside their walls. The kids did an amazing job looking like they were paying attention during my 30 minute talk! Hopefully they remember a few of these points, the biggest one being, "God loves you and believes in you, now get out there and be the game-changer that you are."

*the main points were hit in both groups, some of the sub points were altered b/c I ad-libbed some stories in the older group.

I. PRACTICE.

• Definition: the art of fine-tuning, polishing up, and getting better at whatever it is you do.
• Things don't always come easy. Most of us have to work at it. Those that are extremely talented and don't have to right now, will eventually fade if they don't put in the time and effort.  And your hard work will eventually beat their talent.
• You do it because you want to HONOR THE GIFTS, TALENTS, AND ABILITIES that God gave you. 
• Not because of WINNING all the time.  That's not the main goal. The desire to get better is.
• Success is not an end point. You will never reach a point in life where you say I did it, I'm successful, I'm done. Because the truth is, it's a journey, it never stops.

II. PERSEVERE.

• Definition: the ability and will to keep going no matter what. 
• Try. You never know what will happen.
• I fall a lot, I'm just getting better at getting back up, quick. 
• The warped wall in a perfect example of life. Sometimes you stand at the bottom looking up without even giving it a shot. Sometimes you run up a little bit and tap as high as you feel comfortable. Sometimes you don't think and you just go for it and reach with both hands not worrying about the outcome, and they you reach the top and look down as a totally different person.
• God doesn't rate you on your performance. Don't beat yourself up so much that you defeat yourself before you even start.

III. PUT OTHERS FIRST.

• It's not about us. Philippians 2:3-5. 
• Do nothing out of selfish ambition....look to the interest of others.....
• Why do we practice and persevere to be the best? So we can help others get there too.
• Bullying: don't think that if it's not drastic and didn't make the media that it's not bullying. Anytime someone else feels less of a person or like they don't belong because of something you said or did, it's wrong, not cool, can't happen. 
• To the bully: you don't have the right to ever think you're better than someone. 
• To the person getting picked on: we can't always stop bullies even when we stand up to them. You can only control your heart by not letting them get to you. Remember it's not you, they have the issues.
• Small acts of kindness: ask how someone is doing, help them with their homework, involve them in the game in gym class. It always comes down to the little things. Just be ready and open and willing to look for them.

IV. PRAY.

Can you start your morning by....

• Thanking God for another day.
• Asking Him to give you the strength to practice hard at everything you do, persevere through all the obstacles that come your way, and raise up others to make their day better. 

And always remember that you are on this earth for a reason. God miraculously created you. He knows every hair on your body, every muscle and bone that holds you together. Never doubt for a second that you're not a mistake. But He can't do everything for you. It's up to you to make the decision. Leave here ready to be the game-changer that you are today. Your friends need you. Your classmates and teammates need you. The stranger that you never even met needs you. The world needs you. And so does God.

#TWOCLAPS, clap clap.  #TWOCLAPS, clap clap.  #TWOCLAPS, clap clap.