positive attitude

March Madness Inspiration

/ jenidriscoll / 22 Comments

Basketball is a big deal at our house. My husband played in college, and Mackenzie and Talee both played through high school. Talee still plays in an intramural league at her university. And me? I love to watch!

Right now the nationwide college tournament, NCAA D1 Men’s Tournament, also known as March Madness, is taking place. Countdown to the Final Four best teams in the country. Needless to say, our TV was on almost constantly this weekend. The top thirty two teams were competing, in hopes of getting to next weekend’s Sweet Sixteen.

The winners are fortunate to experience the ultimate joy of winning. It’s the end of the road for the losing teams. I always feel so bad for them. The agony of defeat.

Okay, this really isn’t a lesson in basketball. It’s about never giving up.

The games I like best are when the Cinderella teams, the underdogs, win. Or at least come close, giving the lower seeded teams more of a challenge than they expected.

But the game I watched last night gave new meaning to the term perseverance.

 Northern Iowa, the 11th seed, was playing third seeded Texas A&M. Toward the end of the game, Iowa was up by twelve points, with only thirty one seconds to go. Wow! They’re actually going to win! What an upset! I lost interest a little, knowing Iowa would win, so I started to make dinner.

My husband came into the kitchen and turned on the TV. Iowa’s lead had shrunk drastically. Texas tied it up, and they went into overtime. Then, double overtime. Texas ended up winning by four points. Wow.

This got me thinking about hard work and determination. Not just in sports, but in life. Sometimes it’s really hard to keep going. But that’s when you’ve got to pick yourself up.

Here are some of my thoughts on not giving up:

  • Even if people don’t believe in you, believe in yourself. Even if you’re considered the underdog, you CAN do it.
  • When life gets tough, get tougher.
  •  If you are succeeding or winning, don’t take it for granted. Enjoy your success, but stay focused. And humble.
  • Stay positive and strong. You got this.
  • You will be stronger from dealing with your current struggles.
  • Don’t give up hope. There is always hope.
  • Don’t give up on the people you love.
  • Don’t give up on the people who love you.
  • Don’t give up because something is difficult.
  • Don’t give up on yourself. YOU are worth it!
Achieving goals isn’t easy. It takes a ton of determination, hard work, and a positive attitude. If something isn’t working out one way, find another way that will work.
Don’t Give Up.