Rick can’t run without Dick.

Dick wouldn’t run without Rick.

It’s an incredible partnership. But be careful–after watching this, you might be inspired to do something crazy like pursuing your dream.

If you can’t see the video, click here.

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Christopher Reeve

Lance Armstrong’s story inspires me. I hope you’ll take thirty seconds to watch this video:

(If you have trouble viewing the clip, this link will open it in a new window)

When I was a kid, sports personalities could still be heroes.

Before the Internet and 24/7 cable news with their insatiable appetite for sordid personal details, we viewed our idols through a lens of innocence that made them seem a bit larger than life. Paparazzi-driven media thrives on inevitable off-field flaws and failings, but something’s lost in the harsh spotlight of reality where box scores and records are overshadowed by financial transactions and court proceedings.

Even in the megabucks world of modern sport, I confess to retaining a bit of child-like admiration for Lance Armstrong. Without dismissing his personal struggles or ignoring his obvious marketing genius, Armstrong is a man who’s overcome adversity and uses his experience to inspire and encourage others.

I don’t care that he’s making a ton of money from Nike; in fact, good for him. I choose to focus on the people who are encouraged by his story to continue their fight. I choose to acknowledge the millions of dollars he’s raised for cancer research and treatment. I choose to admire those yellow bracelets that symbolize hope for folks all around the world. I choose to crank a little harder up that next hill in pursuit of The Crazy Quest.

It’s easy, and therefore tempting, to focus on what you oppose. Accomplished communicators accumulate followers, power, and riches by rallying resistance. Influential preachers and politicians build fanatical support based on opposition. I suspect that most people know more about what Christians oppose, often with bitterness and hatred, than what we support or believe. As Rick Warren said, “I love God, I’m just not mad about it.”

For me, the message of the video, and of Lance’s story, is simple. When you’re doing something positive, critics don’t really motivate you because they’re irrelevant. Don’t get distracted by the unavoidable naysayers standing outside the lines. Instead, do what you believe to be right, and do it with passion and persistence. Do it with love even when others don’t love you back.

Stand for something. That’s how you live a life of substance.

People like Armstrong, Christopher Reeve, Jim Valvano, Mike Utley, and Nick Buoniconti and don’t inspire because of what they oppose. These guys all fight (or fought) a tough opponent, but their legacy isn’t about disease or injury or anything negative. They’re too busy moving forward to waste energy on what’s behind. Their legacy is about proceeding with optimism, hope, courage, and passion.

That’s what I want. That’s a life of substance.

Is Lance Armstrong a hero? Ask the kids in the cancer center or the millions of people who run or ride every day because of his example. Perhaps they’re better judges.

Sometimes we forget that God uses imperfect people, because that’s the only kind He has to work with. Rather than cynically seeking defects to criticize, perhaps we’d all do better to emulate the courage that surrounds us.

I don’t admire Lance because he’s perfect–he’s not. I admire him because, despite his human flaws, he’s doing what he can to make his corner of the world a little better. I appreciate that he inspires me to do the same.

If that makes me seem a bit wide-eyed and innocent, I’m okay with that.

What’s your definition of a hero?

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net. 

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Peace is not the absence of trial, trouble, and turmoil, but calm in the midst of them. Don Meyer

Last Saturday my wife suggested that we should coach a youth baseball team together. I scoffed at her idea, a violation of marital etiquette on the same level as choosing a lawn mower for her anniversary gift.

Stupid husband tricks aside, she couldn’t be serious. Guys in wheelchairs don’t coach sports teams. Everyone knows that.

Then I saw this video of Don Meyer at the 2009 ESPY awards. I hope you’ll watch—it’s worth the nine minutes. If you have trouble viewing the video, click here to see it in a new window.

It’s easy to be inspired by Coach Meyer’s resilience in the face of adversity. Imagine waking from the nightmare of accident and injury and immediately wondering when you could return to work. I certainly didn’t have that kind of inner motivation in the months following my injury.

But his story was remarkable even before his accident.

He’s been a successful coach for decades, yet has chosen to remain at a small, unknown school in an isolated South Dakota town. I’m certain that Coach Meyer turned his back on lucrative opportunities to move to bigger programs.

He could have worked in better facilities with more talented players. He could have lived in more desirable cities and enjoyed the fame and attention of a high-profile position. Instead, he chose to stay the course. That sort of loyalty is rare, especially in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of athletics.

When I speak to audiences about setting goals and reaching for their dreams, I always quote Jim Valvano, for whom the Jimmy V award is named. He’s famous for telling his players that the key to success is simple: never give up.

That’s what hope is about. Hope lets you continue fighting when you want to quit. Hope allows you to believe despite the evidence. Hope is what allows you to never give up.

Hope is an expectation rooted in faith, in Coach Meyer’s words, “faith that God spared my life so I can serve others for a few more years.”

Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. Christopher Reeve

Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net. 

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