“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” ~Helen Keller
In life, we often strive to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. We join together with others in a common cause. We find others that we believe in and those that believe in us. We surround ourselves with those that we can lean on. We push each other to a level of greatness that can only be achieved when we all work together as a collective unit.
Collective determination. The desire to create change together. The drive to accomplish a goal as part of a group of like-minded individuals. There is something incredibly powerful in it. This is the way we create impact.
In thinking about determination and how powerful a collective can be, it brought me back to an experience I had when I was a coach for my daughter’s traveling softball team several years ago. It was a “10 and under” team, so, many of the girls were pretty new to the game. In the beginning of the year they had their typical struggles – not only on the diamond, but, also trying to relate to each other as a team. The “team” concept was kind of new to many of the girls.
I don’t know that there was anything “magical” about this season other than the fact that they went from an “ordinary team” to an “extraordinary team” when it counted. They had been playing well throughout the season, each player improving individually and the team improving as a whole. However, in the state tournament I noticed a change in each girl. That change was a focus and determination that was almost palpable.
The thing that was impressive to me is that when I think of big games or series, there is usually someone who would be worthy of the MVP. That wasn’t the case for this team in the state tournament. Yes, there were girls that played their typical high level of softball, but, there were game-changing plays by every single one of the 13 girls on that team throughout the tournament. At the start of the tournament, the changed I noticed was that girls, as a whole, were more determined than ever. Together they decided that now was the time that they would peak and that it was time for 13 girls to come together as 1 team. That was their common theme throughout the tournament – 13 for 1… 13 girls for 1 win, 13 girls for 1 championship, 13 girls for 1 team. It was really a spectacular thing to watch and a sight to behold. The older girls made huge plays…the younger girls made huge plays. In the end, their motto really held true – 13 for 1.
They did, in fact, win the State Championship going 5-0 in the tournament and went on to finish 13th in the national tournament. While winning the tournament was nice, the impact for these girls came in the form of lessons they learned about determination. It is those lessons that have staying power. It is those lessons that they will lean on to create amazing change in our world as they move through life.
So the next time you’re see a true example of determination, whether that’s a group of young girls coming together to achieve a common goal or the mom who works three jobs simply to feed her family, take pause, look closer, and feel grateful for what you are witnessing.