As a young weightlifter, still in college, I had the good fortune of being coached by Frank Spellman, a former Olympic and world champion. He took me, along with another young weightlifter, under his wing and taught us what he knew about lifting, which was a “library” of lifting knowledge. From Frank, I learned not only technique, and strength exercises, but also how to see myself.
One afternoon, in his garage that was converted into a gym, he put a hand on my shoulder, and with his steel blue eyes penetrating into my soul, said, “Wes, you can become a world champion.”
My head rocked back in shock. In fact, in total disbelief. I said something intelligent like, “Uh, sure,” and awkwardly laughed. Frank's expression didn’t change. With his hand still gripping my shoulder, and in a calm deliberate voice, he added, “I’m not telling you this just to make you feel good. I really believe it. What you do with it is up to you.”
Suddenly, I realized, Frank really meant it. But, how could that possibly be? I knew I wasn’t God’s gift to the lifting world. In fact, at that time, I wasn’t even the strongest guy in our small lifting area. So, why did Frank tell me that?
I wish I could end this brief look back by saying I then went on to win nine world championships. The truth is, I never came close to capturing even one national championship, let alone, a world championship. But, I can tell you this. Whenever I worked out with Frank, he brought the best out of me. Why? Because I knew he believed in me and he wanted me to succeed.
His vision kept pulling the best out of me.
Hindsight: God uses people to give a vision to others that will help pull the best out of them. I want to do for others what Frank did for me.
One afternoon, in his garage that was converted into a gym, he put a hand on my shoulder, and with his steel blue eyes penetrating into my soul, said, “Wes, you can become a world champion.”
My head rocked back in shock. In fact, in total disbelief. I said something intelligent like, “Uh, sure,” and awkwardly laughed. Frank's expression didn’t change. With his hand still gripping my shoulder, and in a calm deliberate voice, he added, “I’m not telling you this just to make you feel good. I really believe it. What you do with it is up to you.”
Suddenly, I realized, Frank really meant it. But, how could that possibly be? I knew I wasn’t God’s gift to the lifting world. In fact, at that time, I wasn’t even the strongest guy in our small lifting area. So, why did Frank tell me that?
I wish I could end this brief look back by saying I then went on to win nine world championships. The truth is, I never came close to capturing even one national championship, let alone, a world championship. But, I can tell you this. Whenever I worked out with Frank, he brought the best out of me. Why? Because I knew he believed in me and he wanted me to succeed.
His vision kept pulling the best out of me.
Hindsight: God uses people to give a vision to others that will help pull the best out of them. I want to do for others what Frank did for me.
1 comment:
This is a very good example of how a good mentor can work in a person's life. I've been a coach, and I think it is inherent in most coaches to believe in the people they coach. Some coaches don't approach their athletes that way. In fact, I've had some I didn't encourage very much and they didn't achieve much either. The coach can make the difference.
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