CHALLENGER AND NAIA

Champions of Character
By
Bruce E Brown, NAIA Special Presenter

Endurance is part of the Core Value of Respect

"In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm; in the real world, all rests on perseverance." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Endurance is required to achieve almost anything worthwhile. Success is a marathon, not a sprint. The people who succeed are normally the ones who have learned not to give up easily. Setbacks and failures are part of the learning process, and mistakes are the lifeblood of learning and improvement. People who are so afraid of failure that they do not attempt anything of significance are sentenced to a life of little value. Too often people only try things that they know they can already be successful in; if they never challenge themselves, they will never know their true limits or abilities. People who can endure are dreamers, believers and achievers - they may be the only people who truly reach their potential.
Endurance requires mental toughness - the ability to stay positive, enthusiastic and confident no matter what. These people have a spirit that cannot be broken. They get knocked down eight times and they get up nine. They do whatever is necessary to stay the course. Failure does not mean permanent damage but rather a new opportunity to find a better way. Dr. Martin Luther King didn't say, "I have a problem." He said, "I have a dream".
The ability to persevere is one of the most positive habits a person can develop. It is not whether, or not if, adversity will strike, but how often and how we will respond. Although adversity is seldom anticipated and never desired, it will eventually appear. The gift that adversity brings is the process of striving, surviving, confronting and overcoming required to discover our true abilities and to develop true confidence. The problems we cannot avoid must be faced with courage, the problems that cannot be overcome we must bear with a strong enduring spirit. As the blade is sharpened with friction from a hardened stone, individual character is sharpened through life's challenges. Each of us will be tested and much of our character is formed by how we deal with these times of adversity. If you are building your team with people of character, you will never know for sure who has true courage until they have faced some difficult trials.
We need to set and follow priorities and make a disciplined lifestyle part of our personality. It involves a combination of work ethic, determination and desire to see a task through to completion. Challenges are energizing for people with a high level of endurance.
Endurance is different for everyone;
· To the distance runner it may mean going another 3 miles when no one is watching
· To the teacher, it may mean not giving up on a student who is struggling to learn
· To the student it may mean asking for help a second, third or fourth time
· For the parent, it may mean never giving up because the whole family is depending on you
· For the pastor it may mean staying positive and optimistic while helping others in the face of difficult circumstances
· To the person with terminal illness, it may mean choosing to positively live each day to the fullest

Surrounding yourself with encouraging people can assist endurance. Positive encouraging words to someone who is down can lift them up. Being a person with endurance may inspire others, make them challenge their own excuses and defeat their own self doubt - they will not only believe in you but also in your cause.
Our mistakes do not define us. Our reaction to those mistakes will reveal who we are and what we will become. Mistakes, failures and difficult times are simply tests of character. People of endurance come away from each challenge more determined, smarter and stronger than before. It is your choice to listen to critics or nay-sayers or to listen to your inner voice driving you on, not relying on immediate success. Never accept the concept that something cannot be done - it just hasn't been done yet - nobody with enough endurance has attempted it.
Endurance is built like a successful life, one day, one challenge, at a time. Everyday, promise yourself to go a little further than you did the day before. There is a correlation between successful people and sustained effort. The habit of endurance is the driving force in final victory. This character trait begins in your heart, is envisioned in your mind, clarified with your words and tested by your actions.

"Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it."
T. Alan Armstrong

Core Value of Respect - Any individual who endures shows respect for themselves and their personal mission, anyone who is part of a team uses endurance to demonstrate respect for team members and for the goals of that group.

Life is a journey of integrity - The NAIA prepares you for it

Champions of Character core values

For more information on the Champions of Character initiative, contact the NAIA National Office at 913-791-0044 or www.championsofcharacter.org.