Find A Way

Recently I got the chance to catch Merril Hoge speak at a local networking event here in Phoenix Arizona. If you haven't heard of him, Merril was an NFL runningback who spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers & Chicago Beras. The interesting thing about Merril was his persistence in the face of adversity. In his final NFL season Hoge retired due to a serious concussion that resulted him experiencing a near life threatening injury to his brain.

After his time playing in the NFL, Hoge moved onto the other-side and began his career in sports broadcasting as an analyst for ESPN. Not too many years later adversity struck once again where Hoge faced & defeated Lymphoma. After defeating cancer, Hoge had one more major health milestone to overcome when he had open heart surgery in 2013. Its one thing to endure the struggle of CTE from a sport you played all of your life. But to then face cancer and open heart surgery is no easy task.

Now that you have a bit of his background, I'll share with you what was so inspiring about Merrils speech. He had this one liner that has been ringing in my brain ever since I left and that three word phrase is "Find A Way." It seemed that no matter what happened to Merril, he found a way. It made me look back on times in my life where I found a way, as well as the times I gave up and didn't find a way.

Right now I'm at a point in life where finding a way is the only option. It's easy to become discouraged when your perspective is so limited. It could be a health problem you are facing or a challenge in business. Maybe a relationship that was once solid is no longer sturdy, or a family member is relying upon you due to hard times. The idea that we can "Find A Way" regardless of how challenging something is, is a beautiful concept.

It is merely a concept until put into action of course, but I would say its a solid foundation to stand on. It puts you in a position of power as finding a way requires you doing whatever it takes to figure something out. Its a role of responsibility as it puts you at the forefront of whatever it is that you are facing. There will no doubt be extremely challenging times in life, that is a guarantee. None of us will escape having to feel and deal with loss, grief, sadness and pain.

Knowing that there is always an opportunity to find a way in any circumstance is what gives us hope when we need it most.

-Skylar