Go for It! 

by Steve Fraser, Olympic Champion 

If you have never experienced the agony of defeat, then you had better get living!

I pity the poor souls that have never felt the stinging pain of failure. Failing at anything is not pleasant. In fact, failing just down right sucks! However, experiencing failure is what propels us forward - failure is what makes us stronger!

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To achieve success, especially in sport, it takes putting ourselves on the line. It taTheokes stepping up to the plate and swinging the bat fiercely, maybe striking out several times. It takes exposing oneself totally. Exposing ones strengths as well as one's weaknesses.

Many people do not want to expose their weaknesses. They are afraid of what people might see. They are afraid of what people might think or what they might say.

I don't know... there are a lot of ways to look at life. We can go through life cautiously, being careful not to expose too much. We can go through life with some degree of aggressiveness, taking some chances but still being careful. Or we can really GO FOR IT!

And why not... why not really go for it? Why not try and be the very best at what we are doing? Why should we settle? Why should we settle for mediocrity. Settling sucks! Settling means you limit your opportunities to feel the greatest emotion that there is in life... the thrill of victory!

There is no better feeling in the entire world than accomplishing something that is so very difficult. Something that so many people may want, but only a few can have. Especially in sport!

The thrill of victory is the ultimate high. Whether it is the city, conference, state, national, world, or Olympic championships - the thrill of victory is tremendous.

There is only one way to win the championship title, or more importantly experience the thrill of victory. We must be out there. We must put everything we have on the line. When we put it all out there, we expose ourselves. And when we expose ourselves, we sometimes will stumble and fail. Sometimes we lose. Sometimes we will be defeated. But that is life. That is what makes the thrill of victory so sweet.

The is no possible way to experience the thrill of victory without looking right into the eye of failure. We have got to challenge failure. We cannot be afraid of it.

Theodore Roosevelt once said... "Far better it is to dare mighty deeds, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, then to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the great twilight of knowing victory or defeat."

It is an ATTITUDE! An attitude that does not care what people may see, think or say. It is an attitude that will not be satisfied with mediocrity. It is an attitude that says... life is too short to be middle of the road. Life is too short to be cautious about winning.

With my wrestling career I thought... "if I am going to do all the hard work that it takes to be successful in wrestling... why not give it that little bit extra. It is that little bit extra that makes a huge difference in the final outcome. It is that little extra that separates the stars from the rest. The little extra is the key to success.

What do I mean, "a little extra"? Just what it sounds like. A little extra effort in every aspect of your life.

In regards to wrestling it means a little extra wrestling, a little extra running, a little extra technique work, a little extra study of the sport, and a little extra toughness. The bottom line it means A LITTLE EXTRA!

So if you are waiting until tomorrow to give it your all....STOP. Do it today, for tomorrow may never come. Take on each day like it was your last. Approache each practice like it was your final one. Take on each match like there is no tomorrow.

Start putting everything you have forward each and every moment. You will advance very fast. You will move ahead in life with great enthusiasm and you will be excited about your progress. Happy are those who go for the gusto in life, for they will look back some day with no regrets.

Expect to Win!