If somebody asked you what determination was, what would you say?  As I watched the 2008 Summer Olympics, I started to ponder that question.  What is determination?  Is it different for everybody?

            I was fortunate enough to make it on the 1984 National United Cerebral Palsy Team to go to the International Games for the Disabled held in Nassau County, New York.  I was 17 years old.  I prepared for nearly a year for the games.  I drew my determination from the death of my friend, Paul, who also qualified for the International Games, but died on the last day of competition at the National United Cerebral Palsy Games in Dallas, Texas.  If I did anything at all that year, I was determined to do my best in Paul’s memory.

            When the time came for me to leave, I was very anxious.  I was going alone.  I had to depend on strangers for my daily personal care.  I spent a week on the West Point campus practicing with the National Team, and then another two weeks competing at the games.  On my first three days, I was extremely homesick.  Spending a morning in solitude, I contemplated whether I wanted to go home or did I want to stay.  Through some tears, I thought about all the people at home and at school who were cheering me on; I thought about Paul, who was probably looking down lecturing me to suck it up because very few get a chance to compete for their country.  It was a privilege.  It was an honor.  There was no way I was giving up this chance of a lifetime.

            Almost immediately my despair turned to elation.  I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my time in New York.  I competed in wheelchair slalom, distance bean bag throw and I was a member on the U.S. Soccer Team, in which I took Paul’s place.  I came away with three gold medals.  It demonstrates how determination can turn a moment in your life in triumph.

            If everyone had even an ounce of positive determination every day, think of all the things we could accomplish.  So many people go through life just gliding on the surface of every day.  Dig down deeper and find something which you want to change, find something in which you want to improve.  It can be anything—something within your job, or something in your personal life.  It can be as simple as saying hello to the checkout girl at your supermarket.  It can be something substantial like volunteering for your favorite cause.  Think about you can leave a positive mark on your community.   I guarantee you will enjoy the results.