This week I’m responding to Ken Davis’ call to be “fully alive.” Fully alive people are characterized by many things including meaningful friendships, courageously overcoming fear, and a determination to course corrections when they fail.

We all fail.  Failure is painful.

Pain is part of the price of living.
– Love is painful.
– Relationships are painful.
– Failing is painful.

If we choose to move forward in our quest to live fully alive, we will fall, it will hurt . . . and it will be worth it.

Be prepared to pay the price. Change costs.  Progress can be painful.

I had just thrown an interception. In my opinion, throwing an interception was letting my team down. I failed to complete the pass. I failed to help my teammate Madison. She could have caught a good pass, but I threw it where she couldn’t catch it. 

“Other Scott” happily grabbed it. 

“Other Scott” won the game’s MVP award, but I — this Scott — let my team down. I hate when I let my team down.

Fortunately, I was not alone.

“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” 1

Fully Alive by Ken Davis challenges us to step out of our comfort zones, and yesterday as part of being fully alive we discussed the importance of making friends and building deep friendships.

You Can’t Fake Being Fully Alive

“You can fool people for a while, but eventually they will know. And you can never fool yourself.

Being alive is more than simply looking fluffed up and combed out on the outside. It’s a matter of attitude. And that comes from the inside. Approaching…challenges with the right attitude is the first and most important step you can take. Your attitude will launch your dreams or bury them.”

Kobe Bryant is one of the best basketball players to ever play the game.  On the other hand, according to a recent ESPN article by Henry Abbott, Bryant’s fear of failure blinds him from experiencing even greater success.

After missing 22 shots in a New Year’s Day loss to Denver, Bryant scoffed at reporters who hinted that he should have passed the ball to teammates: “If you’re asking me if I’m going to shoot less,” he said, “the answer is no. It starts with me. I do what I do. We play off of that, and that’s not going to change.”

As the NCAA Basketball Tournament continues I think back to the only basketball tournament I even played in.  For some reason the adult league in which I played allowed most if not all teams to play in the end of the year tournament.  Injuries, absences and poor play contributed to our team’s terrible record, but during the tournament all the pieces came together and we nearly won.

I love playing defense, and then, and now, I played with determination and success.
On the other hand, I dreaded every time I had an open shot.