“Begin with the end in mind and Die Empty.” On first glance these sound like the words of motivational writer and speaker Todd Henry, but they aren’t. This glancingly morbid view arrived from the lips of Aeneas Williams during an incredibly uplifting and poignant HOF enshrinement speech. Today 7 more football greats took their place in the Hall of Fame. Amongst those are Andre Reed, Michael Strahan, the aforementioned Williams, and a Punter named Ray Guy.
I’m part of a family that really doesn’t understand my attachment to football. Nearly everyone on my wife’s side is more concerned about the specter of concussion than the beauty of the game and what it does for you as an individual–as a fighter. When you hear the best of the best make their speeches to explain how they got to the Hall, you learn so much about work ethic and what it takes to fulfill your dreams.
Football is about understanding the work it takes and the pain and suffering required to get what you want out of life. Strahan talked about it. He waxed about how most people who know him have no idea he played football. He went on to talk about how football taught him to be the man he is today. Football teaches you fight and teamwork and compassion. These are lessons readily available for those willing to accept them.
I learn and gain so much every year from these speeches. I hope to one day be able to see one of my kids up there giving a speech maybe as a player going into the hall or simply just a kid being valedictorian. I want my kids to fight for what they want and to achieve everything that is possible for them.
As Williams says, I want them to die empty.