Making a Difference

On Sunday I spoke at the Dallas Mustangs swim team banquet on behalf of one of my sponsors, Speedo. I traveled to Dallas with the intentions of speaking and going home. What happened was something I didn’t expect.

The seniors on the team gave speeches. I couldn’t believe some of them. They were so insightful, so heartfelt, so filled with emotion and thought. These were merely seniors in high school but they spoke as if they were much older. Their lives had been affected by this swim team and those around them in a very dramatic way. One swimmer talked about how his coach, Mook, had been the most influential person in his life. How all his teammates had been with him through everything. A lot of them cried. Most of them had a hard time getting their words out. I was almost speechless. I was listening to young minds speak with such poise and wisdom like they had seen it all. Their structure and word choice was not always perfect but the intention and thought process behind everything came through like the sun comes through your window bright and early on the most perfect day.

I looked at the coaches who were sitting on either side of me and I thought to myself, “what lucky guys.” These two men have made a dramatic influence on so many young people. Sometimes I wonder why coaches do what they do. Their compensation is probably not high for all the work they do. They deal with pain in the butt parents. They spend long hours on the deck at practices and meets as well is probably much more I don't even know about. Why do they do it? I feel like that day in Dallas it finally clicked. They do it because they can see they’re making a difference and that they’re helping people.

The look on these young faces, the appreciation, the deep seated emotional gratitude, the laughs, the smiles, the tears…everything was real. I could barely believe my eyes and ears. My mind sat idle wondering what I would ever do to maybe come close to helping someone to this extent. I thought of whether or not I’ve ever affected anyone in such a dramatic and real way??? I honestly don’t know. My mind changed gears and thought about what I do now. I thought about what I want to do with my life. Will my life include such love, such emotion, such positive differences in other people’s lives? I can’t answer that. A tear almost dripped from my eye.

Mook and Doug (the head age-group coach) were making a difference. My coaches, Eddie and Kris, have made a difference. My former coach, Randy, made a difference. I want to make a difference. I’m sometimes so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I don’t have time or the extra mental capacity needed to think about helping others. My guess is that someday I will get there. Someday I too will help those around me more. I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky these guys were. Of course everything is not easy and fun and happy. I could tell you that. The truth of the matter is whether or not we’re making a difference. Eddie always says our purpose on this earth is to help people. Are we doing it? Am I doing it? Watching these seniors in high school I realized that there is a lot that can be done to help others. I realized that it’s not all about the big things that I want to do in life. I want to help people.