Mount Vernon High School

August 23, 2024 What Are You Wrestling With? Wrestlers are a different breed, aren’t they? I’m not talking about the make-believe, WWE nonsense. I’m talking about the headgear wearin’, weight cuttin’ warriors in those funny shoes. I’m talking about the guys walking the school hallways with the busted ears and the crooked noses, the guys who enjoy the idea of inflicting pain - and maybe even receiving it - just a little more than they probably should. My respect for wrestlers has grown as I've gotten older. Maybe it’s because I’ve come to appreciate the unique level of discipline, toughness, and commitment those who embrace that grueling lifestyle choose to exhibit. Maybe it’s because I’ve developed an admiration for people with the courage to step in the arena and put themselves to the test. Or maybe it’s because the older I get, the more I find myself doing more and more wrestling of my own. I’m not talking of course about strapping on the headgear and stepping onto the mat. I’m talking about the kind of wrestling that happens internally - the straining, the striving, and the struggling that many of us have a tendency to do with ourselves. Maybe my respect for wrestling has grown because the more I study and observe those we consider champions, in sports or in any other area of life, the more I’m convinced that wrestling is an important part of any winning pursuit. It’s a behavior I believe winners exhibit regularly. If you’re here today with a desire to become someone worthy of winning in some important area of life, then I’d ask you to consider the part straining and striving and struggling plays in your pursuit. Today I’m simply asking…what are you wrestling with? If you’re serious about becoming your best, then wrestling is a good thing. It’s a challenge issued by the voice of your inner champion. It’s a conviction deep inside that who you are isn’t nearly as important as who your future success requires you to become. It’s evidence that something inside knows that you can and should and must get better. Wrestling is valuable, but like the sport itself, it’s not easy. It requires a unique level of discipline, toughness, and commitment to do that kind of internal work, and some courage to step into that arena and put yourself to the test. So what exactly am I encouraging you to wrestle with here today? In the important areas of life and performance, where is your inner champion challenging you? Here are a few important questions worth considering… 1) What does me at my very best look like, and what does it require from me? 2) Am I worthy of the winning outcome I say I'm after, and if not…then why not? 3) Where does my discipline, my toughness, and my commitment need to improve? 4) Am I someone who simply says they want success, or am I willing to do what it takes to earn it? 5) Can I accept what might feel like negative or critical feedback as part of the improvement process? 6) What am I really afraid of, and why has that become such a powerful driver of my decisions? 7) Where am I allowing myself to settle for mediocrity? 8) Where do I need to be more intentional about choosing some discomfort? 9) Is the example I’m setting, the influence I’m creating, and the legacy I’m building something I can be proud of? 10) Where do I need to get better? These questions are all important, but they aren’t easy to wrestle with. Our ego, our fear, and our complacency encourage us to avoid them at all costs. But the truth is, if we’re serious about winning in the important areas of life, these kinds of questions are worth our time and our attention. So today I want to encourage you to accept the challenge of answering each of those questions honestly. To keep straining, striving, and struggling to figure out what your very best looks like and what it requires from you. And to elevate your levels of discipline and toughness and commitment. That’s what being a wrestler is all about. The headgear, the funny shoes, and the crooked nose? I’ll leave that up to you. -Travis