March Madness: Your Journey from Grit to Glory

March Madness is in full swing, and, like most other years, it hasn’t disappointed. Whether you’re a basketball fan or not, you can appreciate the underdogs, the drama, and the last minute “miracles”.

For the last 35+ years, “One Shining Moment” [Song] has been associated with March Madness and is played after the Championship Game. I look forward to hearing the song and watching the highlights because I love seeing the joy from players, coaches and fans. However, until recently I didn’t truly listen to the lyrics. I encourage you to look up the full song but for my thoughts today I am going to focus on a few lines.

“The ball is tipped, And there you are

You're running for your life, You're a shooting star

And all the years, No one knows

Just how hard you worked

…

And when it's done, Win or lose, You always did your best

…

It's more than a contest, It's more than a race

…

In One Shining Moment, you reached for the sky…”

This song could be the theme for many of our lives! “The ball is tipped” can stand for any situation we face, and we must respond to the best of our ability. We can all feel like we are “running for (our) life” during hardships and challenges. But as the song states, we are “shooting stars”, not because we leave things to chance or luck, but because “all the years, no one knows, just how hard you worked”.

It continues by saying “when it’s done” (the hardship, challenge), “win or lose, you always did your best”. We aren’t always going to be successful or make the right decisions, but we CAN give our best based on preparation, learning from our mistakes and having resilience.

Finally, while I love basketball and get caught up in the emotions and excitement, at the end of the day it is still just a game, and the feelings are fleeting. The game brought us joy in “one shining moment” but the next day, whether after a hard loss or come from behind win, we have to be prepared to face what’s next because our lives are more than “a contest…more than a race”.

The song ends with lines associated with your “one shining moment” but the one that catches my eye is “you reached the sky”, in other words your potential.

So, as I reflected on why I like the tournament so much I realized that beyond enjoying sports, it’s because it’s jammed back with great life lessons! A few of them for me - be prepared, stay positive, learn from my mistakes, surround myself with great coaches (resources, friends, family), and have some fun!! It’s meant to be enjoyed!

Enjoy March Madness and more importantly enjoy life – you were meant to reach the sky and enjoy your “one shining moment”!