I want to be around people that are always trying to get
better. Those people that are trying to get more informed (better educated).
Those people that are trying to be better people. Those people that are trying
to get better at whatever they do.
I want to be around people that are always looking to know
more, be more…who move with and embrace change. The cliché says if you are standing still, you are getting
behind. It’s true. Everything is changing. Technology. Families. How we
prepare to pursue our sports. Health care. Nutrition. Access to Information.
Remember when cell phones first came out? I do. My first one
was that brick looking thing. I couldn’t believe I could make a call without
being physically connected to a land line. When I was a kid, there was this
Dick Tracy cartoon. Dick Tracy had this watch looking thing that he could talk
to and communicate with others. I never thought I’d see that day.
With the technology of today, our lives are so much more
convenient. You can gripe about your cell phone and that you can’t escape but I
don’t see it that way. I see it as a convenience—I can make or take a call when
I want to. And if you’ve ever been worried about a family member, being able to
connect with them on their cell phone is a true angst-reliever. And don’t gripe
too much about technology or somebody will come and take your microwave away.
Technology is moving forward so fast that if you so much as
pause to take a breath, you’ll be behind. Instant access to the last football
play on the sidelines? It wasn’t too long ago that we had crude photographs of
the last play being hand carried to the sideline. (Truth be known, I remember
chalk boards on the sideline.) Now you have iPads that break the last play down
in slow motion immediately after the play is over.
Who would have thought that CD’s would be a short lived
source of music? I thought cassette tapes would be around forever. Now you can
download all the music you want, keep it in your phone, and play what you want,
when you want it. Amazing.
Families are always changing. Growing. Moving. Family
dynamics changing. There comes a time when parents become the dependent and
children the parents. And your kids won’t stay babies forever. As the old
saying goes, if you blink your eyes,
they’ll be grown. As a parent, change is constant. As a kid, change is
inevitable.
Training for your sport is always changing. I can remember
when Pete Rose was criticized for lifting weights during the baseball season.
These days, if you aren’t participating in strength training, you’re getting
behind.
I remember the days when people would go to the gym to lift
weights and stay for hours. We now know that the fastest and most efficient way
to get stronger and more fit is to do High Intensity Interval Training. No longer
are hours upon end necessary to get better.
Health care, particularly in sports medicine, is constantly
changing. Better diagnostics. Better surgery. Better rehab. We are getting
people healthy with effective, efficient interventions, returning them to a
full life—a life without limitations.
Nutrition. Oh my…nutrition. We still haven’t reached that
point where bacon is considered good for you (a personal dietary dream of mine)
but we are a lot smarter about what it takes to eat healthier. We know there
are good fats and bad fats. We know that white sugar and white flour are twin
evils. We know that no one diet fits all.
We have better information at our disposal these days. The
internet keeps us better informed. Don’t know how to do something? Look it up.
Don’t believe what the talking heads are saying? Do your research. Learn to get
facts. In a world filled with bias, prejudice, lies, and innuendo, learn to
think for yourself. Seek out reliable sources of information.
As Bob Dylan said, “oh the times, they are a’changin’.”
Don’t be left behind.
