To be successful, you must be willing to compete for your goals.  I stumbled upon a Pat Riley quote that has become ingrained in my DNA as a coach.  Success does not come easy and you must be prepared to face adversity if your goals are worthwhile.  The deck is rarely stacked in your favor, and if it is, is it really true success? 

When you are playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder. Show the world how much you will fight for the winner's circle. - Pat Riley 

We want our players to compete every day.  It is one of the key traits we look to instill in our teams.  Everyone will agree that a team willing to compete will find ways to achieve. We tell our players that nothing worthwhile will come easy.  If it were easy, everyone would do it.  The ones prepared to persevere against all odds are the true champions.  Many times, it will take an extra effort to achieve your goals. 

Now more than ever, we are faced with adversity.  The world is giving us a terrible hand against a stacked deck.  However, if you are willing to compete, fight through the adversity, and never give in, you can find your way to the other side.  It is not going to be easy.  There will be challenges.  Things are not always going to go your way, but this is life.  In my opinion, we only have one choice.  We pick ourselves up and we fight for what we want.  We compete for success. 

How hard are you willing to fight for your winner's circle?