Born Stronger Life Mentor….
We all experience numerous mentors, teachers, coaches, and role models through life but there are those rare few we owe so much of our development too. I’ve found the desire to live the Born Stronger life is usually created by the rare push of someone who provides subtle life lessons that drive us as individuals to pursue and demand greater things from ourselves. They push our comfort zones and provide the foundation to catch us when we fall only to push us back onto our feet and nudge us forward on the path of life. When I re-read the meaning behind Born Stronger and what it stands for I can think of the one main man in my life that has shown me the strength to live the path of what it means to be Born Stronger. To be honest this will be the first time in his life this man will come to understand what he represents to me and the affect he has had on my life.
I would like to introduce you to my mentor, role model, and father, Mike Davidson. My father has lived and demonstrated the Born Stronger lifestyle for as long as I can remember. I remember as a child watching my dad commit to graduating college to teach us how to set a goal, commit to the goal, and sacrifice at all costs to accomplish the goal. It took my father 10 years of attending class to graduate as he had to provide for his wife and three children around his classes. (Notice that he didn’t give up on his prior commitments and responsibilities to his wife and children) 10 years….When was the last time you committed to something that took a long period of constant commitment to accomplish??? Did you stick to your commitment or did you crumble like most and give up when the going got a little tough? During this time of my life my father demonstrated to me what it takes to commit and endure. Born Stronger individuals endure!!!
My father had a lot of influence over my work ethic as I grew up. He taught me it takes a huge work ethic to accomplish anything great. Nothing great comes without a price. His favorite Vince Lombardi quote that I routinely heard was, “Brad, you’re either getting better or worse, but you’re never staying the same! What did you do today to make yourself better?” He didn’t just tell me to better myself he showed me how a man does it. I watched him honor his body with workouts followed by swallowing raw eggs out of a glass like Rocky. I can still picture in my mind watching him push iron in the weight room wanting so bad to give it a whirl. I bet he had no idea that would turn into a lifelong passion for me. He read constantly and I even remember him pursuing his spirituality. He
He always shared his journey with me, he never kept anything from me. He also placed me in scenarios to make sure I never accepted mediocrity in my life. I remember having to clean and restack his lumberyard on the weekends as a kid. I quickly understood this was to make sure I pursued my dreams, which I always have. I also remember he helped to create a humble heart in myself and pushed me to earn my success in life not feel entitled to it. During my high school basketball career I was dropped down to the JV team my junior year and as painful as it was it was the setting for this lesson. I had the worst attitude, I thought I was too good to be there and it showed in my play. Instead of working hard to earn my Varsity spot back I pouted didn’t try hard, complained to the refs, and gave a half assed effort. My father pulled me aside after a pitiful performance and let me know first how totally embarrassed he was by my attitude and second you are where you are in life because that’s where you deserve to be. He told me he didn’t care if I wasn’t the best athlete on the court but he did care about my attitude, work ethic, commitment to my team. He told me if I wanted to change where I was in life EARN IT!!! Here is the 2nd Born Stronger life lesson he taught me that has stuck with me through the years… How you do anything is how you do everything. If you cut corners in one area of your life you cut corners in every area.
The final lesson that has had and continues to have the most life changing influence on me is the courage to face fears and fight the obstacles life throws your way. My father suffers from a degenerative disease called Myotonic Dystrophy. It’s a form of Muscular Dystrophy and slowly deteriorates your muscles. There is literally nothing you can do to battle the disease except deal with the effects as they come. Currently my dad fights the reality that he can fall at anytime without any warning. His legs just give out on him and he immediately falls to the floor. His leg strength does not allow him to walk up and down stairs well and if he ends up on the ground his legs will not produce the strength needed to simply get up. He has seen numerous specialists and they all have the same response, deal with it as it progresses. My father has a great reason to give up on life but he has to much pride for that!! He has a great reason to sit back, stop working and collect a disability check, but does he take those options…NO. Not only does he show up to work every day and take pride in providing service to his clients he prides himself on never missing work due to being sick. I think I can count on 1 hand the number of times my dad has missed worked due to sickness since I was a kid. I love the fact that he makes it one of his goals every year to receive an award for not missing any days of work due to illness. He has won that award numerous times. I respect my father so much for having enough pride in himself to not give up and take the easy route in life!!! When I watch the movie Cinderella Man it reminds me of the strength my father possesses as a man. With all this he has never once complained to me about how unfair life is. I know he is scared, how could you not be, but the strength he has inside of him to push forward is amazing to me. It is a huge driving force in my life!!! If he can get out of bed every day and face his lot in life so can I. No matter what it is I can and I will face it. The not complaining part has been hard for me I will admit it, but I’m trying every day to work on that weakness. I have a two year old daughter now and watching my dad smile, laugh, and interact with her is so inspiring to me. No matter how bad he feels or how frustrated he is on the inside my little girl will only know him as Grandpa that loves her so much and would do anything in his power for her. So many of us have no idea what we stand for. What do you stand for? Do you have the strength like my father to show up for work no matter how bad you feel because you stand for fulfilling your commitments? Do you have the strength like my father to do whatever it takes to face your fears and provide for yourself and your family because you have chosen the responsibility that comes with a family? Born Stronger is not just for athletes it’s for people like my father who face the adversities of life head on.
I am so proud to be this man’s son, and honored to be chosen to follow in his footsteps. My father is Born Stronger…are you?