Pat Williams, owner of the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball
Association (NBA), speaker, author, health advocate and marathon runner, lives a
"never say never" approach to life. This past February, Pat was diagnosed with
multiple myeloma, a rare blood/bone cancer. In typical Pat Williams fashion, he
is not giving this disease the upper hand, as associate and publisher Adam Witty
outlines below. The five keys Adam identifies mesh with The Daniel Plan
principles.
By Adam Witty, Published by Author Advantage Magazine,
Advantage Media
Recently I had dinner with Advantage author Pat Williams. Many of you know of
Pat for his incredible accomplishments: as the Founder of the NBA's Orlando
Magic, as the author of over 65 books, as a motivational speaker, renowned
sports executive, and, gulp, the father of 19 kids! Pat has spoken at our
Marketing Summit, has graced the cover of this magazine, and has been an
inspiration to many.
I first met Pat when I was in college at Clemson, some 12 years ago. Pat
agreed, much to my pleasant surprise, to mentor me. He accepted a seat on the
Board of the company I was running at the time, TicketAdvantage. A sports
fanatic, my dream was to run an NBA basketball team. Why not learn from the guy
that brought NBA basketball to Central Florida? Over the years, Pat and I have
had hundreds of meetings, phone calls, e-mails, and voice messages. Aside from
my own father, I can think of no other person that has taught me more about
business and leadership. I owe a great deal to Pat.
In February, Pat was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer, Multiple
Myeloma. I remember speaking with Pat two days after the diagnosis. I said Pat, if anyone can beat this, it is you. Second, you are going to beat
this. As we had dinner, I asked how treatment was going and what his doctors
were saying. My doctor says I have 5 big advantages in fighting this
disease†said Pat. I knew it was time to get out my notepad.
Family. The doctors say that having a loving family is the first critical
ingredient to overcoming a serious health challenge. With 19 kids and a loving
wife, Pat certainly gets a big check mark on that one! Faith. Believing in
someone bigger than yourself cannot be underestimated. Having a relationship
with God gives patients peace, equanimity, and solid footing. Being comfortable
with any outcome actually gives the body energy to recover. A devoted Christian,
Pat is a Sunday school teacher, and openly talks about his faith. Attitude.
As Pat Williams told me many years ago, Attitudes come in two flavors,
Positive and Negative. You choose the quality of your life by choosing what
attitude you have when the going gets tough. Pat is Mr. Positive, from his 65
motivational books, to the famous motivational quotes on his voice mail, Pat
drinks the positive kool aid 24/7!
Fitness. A former college baseball player, Pat has always been a fitness
buff. He has run in over 50 marathons, he exercises at least 1 hour every single
day. When I traveled with him to Detroit to launch our book on Coach Chuck Daly,
Pat was doing wind sprints in the hallway of the hotel. Seriously. Pat has
always eaten a sensible diet. His overall state of good health gives him a huge
advantage when fighting cancer. Professional Network. Just as having strong
support from your family is important, so is having strong support from
colleagues and business associates. There are few organizations as fine as the
Orlando Magic. The level of support Pat has received from co-workers and the
current owner of the club, Rich DeVos, is unparalleled.
As Pat shared all of this with me, I thought, Gee, it would sure be nice
to be Pat Williams if you ever got sick. But as I reflected further, I
realized that these five so called advantages that Pat has are purely of
his own creation. He has worked his tail off over a lifetime to prepare for this
day. Pat's hard work has been a giant insurance policy. Upon further
reflection, I realize that you don't have to be the author of 65 books, the
father or 19 kids, or a renowned sports executive to have the exact same
insurance policy for your own life. All it takes is hard work.
Although it is still too early to tell the exact progress of Pat's
treatment, I can tell you this, you would never think the man had cancer. He was
upbeat, full of energy, and executing on all aspects of his life, without
missing a beat.
When I was in boy scouts, we had a motto, be prepared. What are you
doing today, to prepare yourself for tomorrow? If cancer, or any other challenge
strikes, are you giving yourself the best fighting chance to win? A good
question or all of us.
Words of support can be sent to Pat at pwilliams@orlandomagic.com or by
mail: Pat Williams, c/o Orlando Magic, 8701 Maitland Summit Blvd., Orlando, FL
32810.
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Creating Positive Change
Creating Positive Change in spite of Crisis
By Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor & Certified Life Coach
Change... it is a part of life that we don’t like to face. Oh we may speculate on what it would be like to live some where else, move to another house, take another job in another industry, move away from mom and dad, or marry our 'dream date'. We like to talk about the big changes that we may go through one day; but let's face it. Most people hate to go through a major change. I think we tend to avoid change like the plague; even though we know in our heads that God will ultimately use change to grow us into a stronger person through the process.
Some of the changes in life are predictable. Losing our first tooth, the independence that comes from a driver’s license, graduation, moving out on our own, and other expected stages of life. Some changes are not pleasant, but equally common. A new-born baby not sleeping well and the parents struggling to find the energy to cope with their new child's continual cries for comfort, siblings fighting with each other, feeling nervous about a job interview, wondering if you will be able to pay for a child’s future education. We think about those changes for years, often with worry, sometimes with a plan on how to cope when the kids leave home, but always with the anticipation that the event will happen one day.
These changes we accept as a part of growing up... of moving forward... even if we don’t like it. You may be old enough to remember a popular song from the 1960's based on the verse in Ecclesiastes 3 :1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” God has a plan and purpose for your life, and ultimately we know that these predictable stages are a good thing. But what about the changes that we don’t like. The ones that are unpredictable and painful?
Think about the sudden and unpredictable changes in life. Single words tell it all. Death, law-suit, divorce, flood, abuse, hurricane, bankruptcy, flunked, foreclosure, fired. Do we quickly seek to thank God for these events. I don’t and suspect that you don’t either. It is hard to see the blessing when the change was so unexpected, so sudden, so painful and so hard to figure out.
Perhaps that is why the following words have so much meaning to me. They were spoken by a local media personality, who shared these inspirational words at a banquet where he was the keynote speaker for the event. It's important to know that he was speaking that night AFTER he had been fired from his day job , yet BEFORE he was allowed to share his firing with the public. Listen:
“After awhile, you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. You begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises. Learn to accept your defeats with head up and eyes open- with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child. You build your roads on today, because tomorrow’s roads are too uncertain for plans. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And learn you really can endure, that you really are strong and you really do have worth.”
These words remind me that God is in control even if my life feels like it is in a total crisis. I believe that God has a plan for our lives that He really will provide a way out of the pain and toward the strength that comes on the other side of a crisis. The rest of the third chapter of Ecclesiastes includes the following theme that really gives us the big picture on sudden and unexpected change. ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
I believe that God has the major changes of our lives mapped out. He knows why bad things happen to good people. So the next time a major change hurts you, feels scary, or causes you to want to run like crazy- I hope you will try running. Except this time, run toward God, because in Him you can find the spiritual power you need to face impossible situations. His presence will make all the difference to guide you from panic to a place of inner strength and lasting peace.
Reprint Permission- If this article helped you, you are invited to share it with your own list at work or church, forward it to friends and family or post it on your own site or blog. Just leave it intact and do not alter it in any way. Any links must remain in the article. Please include the following paragraph in your reprint.
"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2009), To receive this valuable weekly resource subscribe at www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Dwight Bain is dedicated to helping people achieve greater results. He is a Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified Life Coach and Certified Family Law Mediator in practice since 1984 with a primary focus on solving crisis events and managing major change. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and partners with media, major corporations and non-profit organizations to make a positive difference in our culture. Access more counseling and coaching resources designed to save you time by solving stressful situations by visiting his counseling blog with over 150 complimentary articles and special reports at www.LifeWorksGroup.org
By Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor & Certified Life Coach
Change... it is a part of life that we don’t like to face. Oh we may speculate on what it would be like to live some where else, move to another house, take another job in another industry, move away from mom and dad, or marry our 'dream date'. We like to talk about the big changes that we may go through one day; but let's face it. Most people hate to go through a major change. I think we tend to avoid change like the plague; even though we know in our heads that God will ultimately use change to grow us into a stronger person through the process.
Some of the changes in life are predictable. Losing our first tooth, the independence that comes from a driver’s license, graduation, moving out on our own, and other expected stages of life. Some changes are not pleasant, but equally common. A new-born baby not sleeping well and the parents struggling to find the energy to cope with their new child's continual cries for comfort, siblings fighting with each other, feeling nervous about a job interview, wondering if you will be able to pay for a child’s future education. We think about those changes for years, often with worry, sometimes with a plan on how to cope when the kids leave home, but always with the anticipation that the event will happen one day.
These changes we accept as a part of growing up... of moving forward... even if we don’t like it. You may be old enough to remember a popular song from the 1960's based on the verse in Ecclesiastes 3 :1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” God has a plan and purpose for your life, and ultimately we know that these predictable stages are a good thing. But what about the changes that we don’t like. The ones that are unpredictable and painful?
Think about the sudden and unpredictable changes in life. Single words tell it all. Death, law-suit, divorce, flood, abuse, hurricane, bankruptcy, flunked, foreclosure, fired. Do we quickly seek to thank God for these events. I don’t and suspect that you don’t either. It is hard to see the blessing when the change was so unexpected, so sudden, so painful and so hard to figure out.
Perhaps that is why the following words have so much meaning to me. They were spoken by a local media personality, who shared these inspirational words at a banquet where he was the keynote speaker for the event. It's important to know that he was speaking that night AFTER he had been fired from his day job , yet BEFORE he was allowed to share his firing with the public. Listen:
“After awhile, you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. You begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises. Learn to accept your defeats with head up and eyes open- with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child. You build your roads on today, because tomorrow’s roads are too uncertain for plans. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And learn you really can endure, that you really are strong and you really do have worth.”
These words remind me that God is in control even if my life feels like it is in a total crisis. I believe that God has a plan for our lives that He really will provide a way out of the pain and toward the strength that comes on the other side of a crisis. The rest of the third chapter of Ecclesiastes includes the following theme that really gives us the big picture on sudden and unexpected change. ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
I believe that God has the major changes of our lives mapped out. He knows why bad things happen to good people. So the next time a major change hurts you, feels scary, or causes you to want to run like crazy- I hope you will try running. Except this time, run toward God, because in Him you can find the spiritual power you need to face impossible situations. His presence will make all the difference to guide you from panic to a place of inner strength and lasting peace.
Reprint Permission- If this article helped you, you are invited to share it with your own list at work or church, forward it to friends and family or post it on your own site or blog. Just leave it intact and do not alter it in any way. Any links must remain in the article. Please include the following paragraph in your reprint.
"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2009), To receive this valuable weekly resource subscribe at www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Dwight Bain is dedicated to helping people achieve greater results. He is a Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified Life Coach and Certified Family Law Mediator in practice since 1984 with a primary focus on solving crisis events and managing major change. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and partners with media, major corporations and non-profit organizations to make a positive difference in our culture. Access more counseling and coaching resources designed to save you time by solving stressful situations by visiting his counseling blog with over 150 complimentary articles and special reports at www.LifeWorksGroup.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)