**
*Featuring audio book Chapter 24 of The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets, a YA Novel about best friends Alex and Tyler who must battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to DO what they DREAM.***
(Note: Only Dream Doer League members can hear the audio chapters of this Amazon bestselling young adult novel, but joining is completely, totally, 100% FREE! Just fill out the short form on the right or click here to sign up.)
Alex has been working all summer for the chance to play in a tennis tournament. In chapter 24, she finally gets that chance.
But she doesn’t just want to play; she wants to WIN. She wants to be the one who wins the most games in each set, and the most sets in each match.
At the end of the tournament, she wants to be the one who is the CHAMPION. The first place player. The one who gets to meet her tennis hero, Margaret Colle.
Once she starts playing, though, she realizes how tough winning is going to be. As she loses game after game in the first set, she’s going to have to dig deep to find a way to win.
The good news is that you can always find a way to win, even if you’re the underdog like Alex. The tricky part is that you first have to understand exactly what winning is.
In sports, winning is not just about the score at the end of the game. I used to think it was, though. I used to think the only way to be a champion was to win every game or match or sport I played.
What about you? What do you think about when you hear the word “champion?”
The athlete in me sees an Olympic gold medalist. Or the winners of the World Series. Or a state championship team.
In other words, the athlete in me sees a person or team who is better than everyone else they compete against. But when I started running marathons, I realized there was more to winning that just the score (or how fast I could run).
You see, I am not a fast runner. With my super slow Schaefer speed, I knew I had zero chance of being the first person to cross the finish line in my marathon race. So I wasn’t sure I should even run the race. Why would I want to compete in something where I had NO chance of winning?
Then I realized winning wasn’t about being first. Winning was about doing my best. As long as I finished that marathon, I would win. I would win because 26.2 miles was a longer distance than I had ever run before. And like Alex and her tennis tournament, it was always something I wanted to do.
I got to decide what winning meant for me. I didn’t have the talent or ability to be first, but I did have the ability to finish that long, challenging distance. Now I’ve finished FOUR marathons, and I ‘won’ every one because I did my best each time.
In other words, a unshakable, unbreakable, unstoppable champion Dream Doer is someone who pursues their dreams based on their own talents and abilities. A Champion Dream Doer understands that being a winner is about being your best.
Besides, when you think that winning is just about the score, it’s easy to think that you have to do whatever it takes to win, even if that means you have to cheat or hurt others.
If you play sports that way (like Zach does), you’ll behave that way in other things, too…like cheating in school to get the best grade. Or gossiping about a classmate to make yourself look better.
Champion Dream Doers, however, would rather lose than compromise their integrity by cheating or hurting someone else. Because they know that being the best they can be is what winning is all about.
And when you always give your best, you always find a way to win.
Then no matter what challenges come your way, you have the confidence you need to overcome those challenges.
Tomorrow, Tyler and Alex will have to face some tough challenges of their own. Will they be able to overcome them?
Until then, enjoy the story!
To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean
P.S. Don’t risk missing a day of the Dream Doer Crash Course or a chapter of The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. Join the Dream Doer League now to get every crash course lesson emailed to you along with the members only link to the audio chapters.
P.S.S. What about you? When have you found a way to win? Join the conversation by leaving a comment below!
