Seize Your Moments

As a kid growing up in Pompano Beach, Fla., I had, like most kids, dreams of making the touchdown catch that wins the backyard football game. I loved the feeling of being the one who seized that moment. It is what drives me to be who I am today. Being the one who everyone depends on when the game is on the line. As the ABC Wide World of Sports saying went: "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." I love living on the edge of both. Sports are filled with emotion and adrenaline. I love knowing that success and failure are so close to each other they could be twins. Experiencing these moments are our dreams coming true. They become bookmarks in our lives. They are significant emotional events that change our lives and the lives of others forever. We are never the same after one. Defining moments happen when you are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing...here's the best point: when you least expect them. They become your chance of a lifetime. You see, most people give up on their dreams and wonder why they don't have happiness in their lives. That is because someone or something got in their way. Someone said they weren't good enough, not tall enough, not fast enough and not skinny enough. Don't let that happen to you. Do you know who you are? Do you really know? Actually, you might not really know yet and that's alright. You will have to push yourself beyond your limits to find out who you are. Remember, you are the only one who will choose your destiny. What is going to be your legacy? What are you going to leave behind? How do you find out? Here's how I found out: when I least expected it. My moment actually happened on the biggest stage under the brightest lights - the 1979 Sugar Bowl and national championship game. As a senior linebacker at the University of Alabama, playing for legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, we were ranked No. 2 in the country, set to take on No. 1 Penn State (and their coach, Joe Paterno). Fast forward to my moment: Up 14-7, with less than five minutes left in the game, we could feel the upset. Then we made a big mistake; fumbling the ball back to Penn State. The Nittany Lions drive to a 4th and goal opportunity. Actually, it would be 4th and an inch. It all came down to this one play. Penn State decided to go over the top, meaning the running back tries to jump over the goal line to score. When they did, we were there. Everyone did their jobs and my responsibility was to meet him head to head and I did. We hit so hard that as soon as I hit him, I felt an incredible jolt of pain down the left side of my arm. I pinched a nerve in my neck, paralyzing my left side immediately. All I could do was to hold on until someone could help me. Our strong safety, Murray Legg, came through and pushed both of us back behind the line of scrimmage. We did it. I was voted the Most Valuable Player and ESPN named it one of the greatest plays in college football history. A defining moment. My defining moment. A chance of a lifetime. I believe that one play propelled me into the NFL as a No. 1 draft pick by the Baltimore Colts. After 10 years in the NFL, I was released and then picked up by the Miami Dolphins. What I remember most after that was seeing my third grade teacher and her telling me I told her that I would someday play for the Dolphins and for one of my childhood heroes; the winningest coach in the NFL, Don Shula. I fulfilled two of my greatest dreams playing for two of my three heroes (my dad is the other one). Who says dreams don't come true? Remember this: never quit. Never give up on your dreams. Have faith in yourself and know you are closer to fulfilling your dreams than you think. This is what motivates true competitors; to see the vision of what you want to achieve and/or become, preparing yourself on your journey to be ready to seize your moment no matter what you do, whether it is in the classroom, corporate boardroom, at home or in your community. Are you ready for your own "chance of a lifetime?" Go out there and make your dreams come true. -