Who’s Quitting?
I recently read an article in Spirit magazine about Anthony Robles. You may have recently seen him on ESPN or the Espy’s. Anthony is a three-time All American athlete that won the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship in his weight class. And he did it with only one leg.
Many individuals, like myself, would say that Anthony’s accomplishment is very impressive. Having wrestled in high school and college I do want to tell you that yes, his accomplishment is very impressive. There are several remarkable parts of the article. Some people might focus on Anthony’s feats of strength, such as his ability to bench press 350 pounds or his ability to do 100 pull ups in two minutes. These physical feats are notable since neither I nor the average human being can perform these tasks.
However, I would like to draw attention away from Anthony’s physical accomplishments and focus on his most inspiring decision. In 2010 Anthony finished 7th at the NCAA Division I championships. That, in and of itself, is a great accomplishment because it comes with All American status. However, Anthony didn’t see it that way. He saw it as a failure because his goal was to be the champion, not a seventh place All American. So, Anthony took the summer off from wrestling and even contemplated quitting. However, quitting wasn’t in the cards for him. He went back to practice and the rest is history.
I think this is the most remarkable part of the whole story. So many times people quit. Things get tough and the towel is thrown in. People fall short of their goal and they fold. Anthony experienced those things and yet he kept going. I think it is natural for most individuals to question whether they should continue or quit when things are challenging, going unexpectedly, or they are navigating through turbulent waters. However, the strong keep going and don’t give up. They regroup, re-channel their focus and continue.
I encourage you to keep going and don’t quit. Your All American status could be right around the corner. However, you must keep going and round the corner in order to find it. If anyone had an excuse to quit it was Anthony. Let Anthony be your inspiration. Don’t quit, keep going.
