Got Heart?
I've been wanting to write about this topic for a while now. After going to see the movie 'Invincible", I was inspired to even more. This is a story about the the human spirit. It shows us what can be accomplished when we believe in ourselves and we know what we want out of life. In other words, when we have heart. Wow, what a story. I love the "underdog". The underdog always has heart and the drive that surpasses most.
What does it mean to have heart? Heart means bravery, courage, fearlessness, nerve, resolution, spirit; The quality of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship resolutely.
Do you have heart? If you do, it's life enhancing and contagious, isn't it? It's about your spirit. It's about belief, enthusiasm and action. How many of us have passion and pride about our lives, our families, our community and our jobs? Are we cheerleaders, cheering ourselves and those around us toward happy and healthy lives? A healthy existence includes having a strong desire to work on our own excellence, whatever that may be. It can be about our physical health, our emotional health, our families health, and our community's health. If we're fortunate enough, our lives include all of these. Fortune comes from within, not from a lottery ticket. We create both our luck and our heart.
Last Fall while watching Stevens High School Football, I was struck by the amount of heart on the team and in the air. The season was inspirational for all who watch it or read about it. It was contagious and brought a sense of pride back to our school and our community. Stevens Football is a example of what people can do when they put their minds, hearts and hard work behind something. Success happens. Their season was a true success. I can't wait to see what happens this year! What I know for sure is, they still have heart. I live by a park where they practice, I can hear the heart from my front porch!
This past Spring I was impressed by the heart of our community, as I am often. This time it was during alumni weekend. What a tremendous show of spirit. Classes come together, reunite, build floats, ride floats and come out (even in the pouring rain) to watch this amazing tradition. Only in Claremont, will you witness this type of tribute to the past. As I rode my float, I was reminded of how wonderful it is to live in, or be from, a place where community spirit is alive and well. Claremont has heart.
How do we nurture and create that strong sense of heart and spirit that makes our lives so rich? Being true to ourselves, is a great place to start. It's about knowing who we are and what it takes to make our lives full. I believe it's about being the kind of person you can be proud. Ask yourself this question, "Would you be friends with you, if you we're you"? Do you encourage yourself and others to be happy, healthy, and the best? Having heart doesn't include being negative about yourself or others. It's about changing that behavior, channeling that energy toward positive possibilities. It means not complaining about bad, changeable, things in your life. It means actually getting off your rear end and doing something proactive about them. A Heart can be healthy through exercise and nutrition, but having heart is a way of life, a champion's way of life.
