Recalling Old Heroics can be Humbling
Yesterday I took another trip down memory lane. I went willingly, I guess, just not voluntarily.
My high school has a Monogram Club that consists of graduated letter winners from at least 40 years ago. They award college scholarships to current student-athletes, and get together quarterly for lunches. I was asked a few weeks ago to give a little talk recounting the good old days. You know – storytelling for old codgers, recalling all your great exploits as a one-time athlete. Mine was more about misadventures than heroics. Some experiences just work out that way.
A dozen storied persons, ranging from 59 to 89, showed up yesterday to hear me talk over their own thoughts while downing a lunch of taco salad, stir fry prawns and chocolate chip cookies. It’s incredible how many of us vividly remember certain plays, exploits and shenanigans.
It proves once again how the brain, mixed with emotional motivation, can be so pliable and remarkable a mechanism. Just think how strong those neural connections must be to cling to those memories with such tremendous accuracy or, at least, stubborn perception. We are, after all, usually greater heroes in our own minds than history may recall.
My recollections are pretty easy – I have no great high school moments of heroism or star power to remember. Maybe that’s because I never thought much about being the hero. I only wanted to play; suffering through several injuries tends to dial back your ambitions. I only wanted to be on the field, playing with my friends, accepting the challenge with them.
Fortunately, they asked my talk to encompass more than high school athletics. So, I quickly segued through college and into my career as an aerospace engineer and entrepreneur. I tried, only somewhat successfully, to impart what lessons had translated from sports into business and life. And while some appeared very interested and attentive, a few looked as if they might nod off from the load of a full tummy. Ah well, I guess age will do that to you.
Although it was a small group, there were still distractions I felt impacted my storytelling. So, I was somewhat disappointed by the effectiveness of the end result. Still, I was able to hit the high points of how sports taught me to persevere, be disciplined, consistent. Those traits put me in a position to learn even more. To believe there is always a way forward, to be prepared for adversity as it always lurks nearby; that determination and seeking to be servant warriors and servant leaders to the team’s goals will ultimately serve you and others well.
Even yesterday’s talk was a lesson. While hearing some of their stories was fun, I couldn’t help but wonder how much desperation to relive those days might be lingering in those twelve souls. While reflecting on the past can be instructive, living in it is destructive. The difference is subtle but enormous, much like the knowledge gained from failure versus the power of regret for having never tried.
Enjoy your memories, don’t live in them. Use them to motivate, to create more moments in the here and now. That’s where we should be headed, because as Alan Mulally says, “There is always a way forward.”
