Dear Friends,
Akeem Morissaint was his name, and I will never forget him. He was
five feet five inches, and at the most he weighed 150 pounds. He possessed a
smile that lit up the room, and he embodied the kind of determination that
would make him a success at whatever he chose to do. The first time he entered
our school’s gym in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. I could tell there was something
special about him. His parents fled from Haiti during one of their many
revolutions, and he showed up on Calvary Christian Academy’s doorstep a few
weeks after school started, the beneficiary of some money that a family friend
provided to pay for his schooling.
His sophomore year he came out for basketball, and immediately I
knew he would be a star because he had a work ethic like no other player I had
ever coached, He lived 20 miles from school, and every day he took the train,
and each morning I would pick him up at 7:00 at the train station, and
together we would drive to our gym where I would work with him. He would
practice for an hour until the bell for his first class rang. I well remember
some of those early morning workouts. Who could forget a player making 25 three
pointers or 79 straight foul shots in a row. He played three years for me, and
as a senior he made first team all Broward County, joining the likes of three
other exceptional players who went on to play at three of the top Division 1
basketball schools in the country.
Akeem’s lack of size kept him being recruited by major D-1
schools, but his talent and determination didn’t preclude him from getting a
scholarship to Northwest Missouri State, a small school where he starred for
several years before an injury ended his playing days.
It has been said that “Leadership is influence," and
influence is what Akeem possessed. Everyone looked up to this diminutive
athlete who proved that size doesn't matter and that if you want something
badly enough, you can achieve it regardless of the limitations you might
encounter. As team captain, Akeem led as much by example as he did by his
ability. His greatest leadership quality was his determination to be an
all-star in spite of his limited size.
One of a leader’s greatest assets is the kind determination Akeem
possessed, a relentless inner drive that never allows you to quit until your
goal is achieved.
I used to constantly remind my players of the word
"Dimitt", a word that can’t be found in any dictionary. It is
simply an acronym for "Determination is more important than talent."
The word "Dimitt" provides a constant reminder to anyone that
if you want to be successful in any walk of life, you must possess the
quality of determination. And that thought leads me once again to that
beautiful office file cabinet where stored away are a couple of quotes that I
would leave with you.
“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” Vince Lombardi
“Habit is the daily battleground on which character is
formed."
“The secret of success is to start from scratch and keep
scratching.”
“She didn’t know it couldn’t be done, but she went ahead and did
it anyways.” Bridget McDonald
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent
will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will
not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full
of educated derelicts. Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.”
President Calvin Coolidge
But perhaps the greatest quote I could leave with you come
from the Word of God where we are exhorted "...To not grow weary in doing
good for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9), and “I
can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Why not post those verses on your mirror, and who knows what you
might achieve? You may not become an all-star on the basketball floor like
Akeem, but I am sure you will be an all-star in the Kingdom of God, and what
could be a greater reward than that?
Yours in faith and friendship,
Tom
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