This story involves two very good football players; one is a player, in the prime of his career and life, the other is a patient, past his prime and fighting for his life. The player has game; he is strong, fast, in excellent condition with the skills to dominate a game. The patient has cancer; he is weak, slowed by the illness, in serious condition with the skills to manage his life. The player is headed to play in a bowl game; the patient is headed home to recover from his treatment. The player has lost his fire; he played in the same bowl game last year, his season has been a disappointment, he feels cheated, he is angry and frustrated, his passion is gone and thoughts about his circumstances produce feelings of pain and suffering. The patient has found his fire; he is alive, he has been through three weeks of living hell yet he feels blessed, he is confident and clear, his passion has been redefined and thoughts about his circumstances produce feelings of joy and celebration.

Fire
The fire is emotion; the experiences of suffering and celebration are filled with emotion. To suffer is to feel pain and experience boredom, frustration, anger, resentment and regret. To celebrate is to feel joy and experience interest, excitement, intense desire and passion. The player has every reason to feel joy, yet he is suffering. The patient has every reason to feel pain, yet he is celebrating. How can this be? The answer is simple, the player is focused on the pain of his upset and the patient is focused on the joy of being alive. The player has allowed the pain to become a major source of irritation. The patient has transcended the pain and allowed the joy to become a major source of inspiration. The player is living as if playing in the game is a burden. The patient is living as if each moment is the BEST.

The Best is yet to Come
The best is yet to come is a process for making a difference in your life. The process involves the ability to listen from within and to use the metaphor of the fire, to find the fire, light your own fire and continue to fuel the fire. The patient is going one on one with multiple myeloma, a very serious form of cancer. The patient is fortunate to have the resources to pay for the treatment, the support of an incredibly strong and loving wife, the support of his family and a huge network of friends. To his credit, the patient is taking complete responsibility for the maintenance of his attitude. In his playing days, the patient "owned" this ability and this attitude. On several occasions he fought through pain and discomfort and made the difference that allowed his team to win. Now, in the most critical point of his life, he is once again fighting through the pain and discomfort and making a difference.

Listen From Within
The late Payne Stewart said, "there is a thin line between playing at your best and trying too hard." The "thin line" that Stewart referred to differentiates the sources where energy originates. To play at your best is to be inner-directed; to step over the line and try too hard is to be outer-directed. To be inner-directed is to respond to your situation with clarity and awareness; the action you take is consistent with what you want to have happen. To be outer-directed is to react to your situation with confusion and ignorance; the action you take is not consistent with what you want to have happen. In crunch time, the challenge to be inner directed involves the ability to separate yourself from your situation. To step back from the drama of the moment, go inside and make a decision that reflects your principles and choose a course of action that supports these beliefs. The patient is inner directed. He has confronted the drama related to his situation and established a course of action. He is clear on what he wants to accomplish, in his words "I will do whatever it takes to live." And, he is aware of what this means; he must continue the fight.

Find the Fire
In his book, The SOUL'S CODE, James Hillman writes, "Many are called, few are chosen; many have talent, few have the character that can realize the talent. Character is the mystery, and it is individual." The patient has realized his talent. Given a fifty/fifty chance to live, the patient quickly dialed in his fire. In his words, "Confronted by the reality of my situation, I realized that I didn't have the time or energy to waste on negative emotion. I relaxed and began at once to work on creating the positive energy and emotion needed to prolong my life." The patient has found his fire; he has identified the interest needed to be present, the excitement needed to be up for the challenge, the intense desire needed to beat the odds and the passion needed to live life to the fullest.

Light Your Own Fire
When asked about his ability to survive cancer and win the Tour De France, Lance Armstrong responded, "The edges are different, but the center's the same." "The edges are different" refers to the loss of weight related to his treatment. "The center's the same," refers to the ability to light his own fire, to maintain his mental toughness, physical fitness and commitment even after his fight with cancer. While the patient has suffered some changes to his "edges," namely the loss of his hair and muscle tone, the center is still intact and the fire is lit. The result is that the patient is able to focus, on the details of what's happening in the moment and shift to the big picture and back. The details are important to his survival, with a seriously depleted immune system every element of a healthy life is magnified ten times over. The big picture is equally important, as the patient must be able to step back far enough to see the opportunity for growth and seize it.

Fuel the Fire
The words and deeds of every great coach center on the ability to sell the concept of blue-collar. Blue-collar is the function of self-discipline, the will power to be aware of what you want to accomplish and the strength of character to complete the process. Blue-collar is not about class, status or education. Blue-collar is about taking pride in your ability to get the job done. The patient is blue-collar, totally committed to getting the job done. In athletics, the term carry over value is often used to describe the ability of lessons learned on playing fields to translate into THE GAME. In the patient's case, the carry over value is present and obvious; the lessons he learned in athletics have served him well. The same skills that allowed him to be an outstanding player in college and get a good education have allowed him to be a loving and devoted husband and family man, a successful business man and community leader. These same skills and blue-collar work ethic are allowing him to fight the good fight, to be up for the challenge of the treatment and handle the depression that comes with it. In his words, "The challenge has been going from being active; able to exercise, play golf and hunt, to being bedridden. Each day, each moment I have to remind myself that losing my health and fitness is the price I have to pay to get better. To win the fight with depression; I have to hold on to the belief that ALL OF THIS is good for me, my Doctors came up with this plan and it is working and it WILL WORK. I will do my part, I will do my time, I will get better and I will regain my health and fitness."

Summary
Thank God for the patient and his wife. The patient has established new standards for courage and creativity; he has found joy and experienced grace. The wife has established new standards for love and support; she has shared the fight and the growth. Together they have become the essence of their wedding vows, together in love, together in the fight.
Note: I write about sports and performance, yet ultimately it is about success in life. What we teach on the field and in the arena are lessons in life. Every coach knows that. It is really no surprise to me that great coaches and athletes, when confronted with serious problems such as life-threatening illnesses respond the way they do. In dealing with their crisis, the patient and his wife discovered the way to live. In their words, "We will continue to live with that strong fire and believe that the best is yet to come, while being thankful for our blessings everyday."