http://changethis.com/manifesto/51.01.YourHowl/pdf/51.01.YourHowl.pdf
In the story, a bunch of wolves are released from captivity and let into the wild. The only problem is they have forgotten how to howl. One wolf goes on a journey to find his howl and encounters many things on his path. He has to kill a deer, talk to a raven, and confront a farmer. But then you find out the wolf was dreaming and woke up. He then found he could howl again and became the leader of the pack. The moral of the story is basically you have to “risk it to get the biscuit”. In order to find yourself you have to be taken out of your comfort zone.
My Howl: "A lot of people think the hardest thing about this game is making it into this league. As you get older and you accomplish most of your goals – all of your goals – you find out the hardest part of this game is walking away." - Ben Wallace
The above quote is one from star NBA player Ben Wallace. This quote has stuck with me from the day I read it. What Wallace is describing is that how people say the hardest thing about the NBA is getting into the league, when in fact the hardest thing for him is walking away from the game. This quote applies to me on so many levels which is why I really appreciate and admire it. Now I am no unbelievable basketball player looking forward to a professional career but this quote directly relates to my days playing football and basketball in high school.
I grew up in Parma, Ohio which is a suburb of Cleveland. It literally takes about fifteen minutes to drive from my driveway to the front gates of Jacobs Field (the Indians baseball stadium). Ever since I was a kid I was always interested in sports. Whether it was baseball, basketball, football, or soccer I did them all. My entire childhood revolved around sports. I always told myself I was gonna be a star athlete one day and making millions while playing in front of thousands of fans. But when I stopped growing in the 8th grade (filled out at 6'2”) I realized my dreams were, well just that. It was a hard pill for me to swallow. But I needed to move forward in my life. That didn't mean though I couldn't give it all I got in high school and help out the basketball and football programs. Before I go any further I must tell you that in Parma we rarely have good sports teams (almost never good basketball or football teams). The football team never made the playoffs. In fact, the last time the football team won a championship was in 1972, which just so happens to be my father's senior year in high school when their team was one of the best in the state.
My freshmen year the varsity finished with 2 wins and 8 losses. Even worse our freshmen team that I played for didn't win a single game. Sophomore year the varsity turned it around and had the first winning record in while finishing with 7 wins and 3 losses. Junior year was the year we were supposed to make playoffs, but we finished with a disappointing 6 wins and 4 losses. My senior year we weren't supposed to be good at all. But then something crazy happened. Before we knew it we were winning game after game. We finished with 7 wins and 3 losses and made the playoffs for the first time in school history and won the division championship for the first time since my dad's senior year. It was moments I will cherish for the rest of my life. After we lost in the first round of the playoffs I knew it was gonna be tough to walk away from the game. I wasn't going to be able to play at the college level and I accepted that. But I would still give anything to put that gear on again and play one more snap.
After football season started basketball season. Our team was coming off an impressive season the previous year when we finished with the best record in over a decade. This was my senior year and our team knew the sky was the limit for us. We went through an incredible season filled with exciting wins and a few agonizing defeats. We ended up finishing the year with 19 wins and only 4 losses. Those 19 wins are now the record for most wins in our school history. I will never forget cutting down the nets after going undefeated in our division and winning the championship.
As for how all this relates to the quote I know that I would do anything to relive those moments I spent on that court and that field. I had always thought the hardest part about basketball was making the team. Or having to deal with tough practices everyday for football. But I know now that the hardest thing I had to do in my sports career was walk away from it. Even though I have accomplished all my goals I still had a hard time giving it up. But in order to move on in my life I had to give up a big part of my childhood. All my hopes and dreams I had as a kid I had to move past them. Which is what Ben Wallace is saying. Even though he will become a Hall of Fame basketball player he still can't find it in himself to walk away from the game and retire. It really is the most difficult thing for an athlete to do.
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