November 28, 2013 - To Whom Much is Given...

"To whom much is given, much is required."

I was reading the December 2013 issue of Success Magazine this morning when I came across an article about an NFL offensive lineman by the name of Matt Light. It was an amazing story. Matt Light never had watched an NFL game until the first one he played in.

Light ended his career as one of only five players to have started in five Superbowls, winning three of them. Light was the unsung hero of the teams he played with. His position and job is to guard their quarterback. In other words, stand and get hit – real hard – every game. That`s just the beginning of his story.

Light was diagnosed with Crohn`s disease (a horrible condition affecting the lining of the digestive tract. I have known a few people suffering from this disease - its pretty horrible). He, his doctors and the team management kept his disease under wraps. For a number of reasons the team wanted it kept under wraps but Matt never wanted an excuse for poor performance.

At one point, he had a terrible attack that left him on the floor writhing in pain. That attack ended up with him losing his appendix and some of his bowel. Due to complications, he was in the hospital for 28 days, he lost 50 pounds and his energy. With mad dog determination and the help of a nutritionist and others I am sure, he didn`t miss the season. In fact, he started all 16 games that season. And helped the Patriots to another Superbowl win. And this is just the middle of the story.

Light runs an amazing charity called the Light Foundation. Light recently  built a $6 million in Ohio near his hometown. Not only is the 400 acre site used by his foundation, it is offered to the YMCA and the Boy Scouts.

“Successful people aren’t successful just because. There are random acts of violence, random acts of genius... There are no random acts of success. It happens for a reason; there are ingredients. Some of that is just being relentless in your pursuit and having some intelligence. None of it matters, though, if you don’t have the ability to work harder than others around you.”

Wow. This guy is the penultimate unsung hero. He played ball in college and was drafted to the NFL. Growing up he preferred being outside to watching TV so he had never seen an NFL game until he played in the NFL.  He played a really tough position because of his size – Offensive Lineman. He played that position better than anyone else.  He is battling a terrible disorder – Crohn’s Disease.

I think I may think of Matt Light the next time I don’t feel like getting out of bed because I have a cold. I’m going to try to dig deeper into myself and pull more strength from my core. How many people do I see every day that are battling more than I can imagine. And succeeding. Remember – “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” – Earl Nightingale. Success is defined by the individual, not society.

Get this copy of Success – December 2013 – and read it for yourself.