The thing I most hope to take away from this book is the practice part. Coach Dungy says that it's the "uncommon" man who makes a difference. And to be uncommon, you have to focus on what God is calling you to do and practice toward a goal in that direction...use your faith to push you to act. I have the faith piece down pat, but I don't always put that faith into practice. I almost always take the easy way out and settle for "common" success. And to that end I'm living proof that common doesn't set you apart. I have no doubt that 99% of the people I meet like me. I also have no doubt that less than 1% of them truly respect me. I don't know that I make a difference with them...and that truly makes me sad. I should be pushing them toward Christ and his grace...but instead, I settle for letting them be common...because that's where I find myself.
I want to be able to make the hard choices when I know they are right and even when I only have my faith to back them up. I would rather fail on the side of trying than to succeed on just getting by. (If you don't really understand that last sentence, that's OK...I understand it.) I want to be a good man. I want to be a strong man. I want to be a faithful man. I want to live for Christ and stop living for myself. I want to live for Christ and stop living for success. I want to live for Christ and stop living for my friends. I want to be uncommon and I want to do it for the one whose grace has freed me.
When you do the common things of life in an uncommon way,
you will command the attention of the world.
George Washington Carver
