Say It Isn't So...Lance

Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Marian Jones, Roger Clemens, Ben Johnson...let me tell you, the list of professional athletes who used performance enhancing drugs could go on and on and on. Well, the list grew by one very prominent athlete last week. Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor and 7 time Tour de France winner most likely cheated his way to those victories.

While the evidence is not conclusive and it was not proven in a court of law, several of his former teammates came forward to corroborate Armstrong's drug use. These teammates saw him inject himself and they claim that cheating was a part of the team culture. The United States Anti-Doping Agency is probably going to strip Armstrong of his 7 titles and ban him from the sport for life.

Armstrong's response to the latest charges - no contest. "I'm finished with this nonsense," he said. "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough'. For me, that time is now." To be fair, Armstrong has consistently stated his innocence to numerous doping allegations over the years. He has been tested for drugs hundreds of times and he never tested positive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGOhX6ymj38&feature=related (case against Armstrong)
http://www.lancearmstrong.com/foundation\   (Armstrong response)

Author's Perspective: For me, it's another role model who has failed us...another individual who lowered the bar for our youth...another person who sacrificed their integrity to merely win...another cheater. I can't tell you how close I was to putting Lance Armstrong in my role model book for perseverance. He was a cherished role model of mine- the key word is "was."

Your Turn
1) After watching these videos, do you think Armstrong is guilty or is this a witch hunt on an innocent man?
2) On a scale of 1-10, how big of a deal is this case?
3) We tell the next generation not to cheat in school or lie to get ahead...we stress character and integrity... but I wonder if cases like this lowers the bar and/or make you more cynical.

Live Life to the Fullest

I was looking through my photos on my cell phone from the past year and I couldn't believe how blessed I am to lead such a full life. I can't believe all the places I've been and all of the experiences I've had. I am always telling students to live their lives with passion, to not sit on the sidelines of life as others play the game, so I am pleased that I have taken my own advice.

I know what many of you are thinking. "Easy for you to say, you travel with your job" or "I don't have enough gas money to get to 7-11, how am I supposed to do such things." These are good points. Truth is, I never made it out of Michigan until I was 17 years old.

I would argue that you don't have to travel the globe in order to live your life with passion. Sure, it looks prettier in pictures, but consider this point.  Many thousands of years ago, it was alleged that in order to get into Egyptian Heaven, you were asked two questions upon your death. 1) Did you find joy in your life? 2) Did you provide others joy? Your answers determined whether or not you made it into heaven.

Can it really be that simple - to find joy and provide others joy in this lifetime?  It's not that bad of a life philosophy, if you ask me.

Your turn
1) Have you found joy in your life?  2) Do you provide others joy? Can you provide examples?
3) Are you sitting on the sidelines of life or are you out there playing this game of life?
4) If I asked you to display pictures of your life over the last year, what would your life look like?