Congratulations to Neil Wear, JD. Graduate of Yale Law School and for passing his California Bar Exam!
"What I want to share is how YOU can become what I call a habitually successful person, and how you can get over the "mediocrity bump" that slows so many of us down."
Neil Weare, Southern High School, Guam. Inaugural Class of 1998.
I am thankful to Dr. Shieh for giving me the opportunity to share some of my experiences with Guam's athletes. I commend Dr. Shieh for creating an online resource that can bring Guams sports community together for the benefit of all.
Training and racing at the collegiate and international level has shown me a few things that I thought might be appropriate to share with Guams athletes. Let me preface by saying that I havent always been at the front of the pack and my successes havent come easy or quick. In middle school at Piti, I was always that skinny goofy white kid that never really shined in sports. Well, I hope I have overcome at least that second part. By my senior year at Southern, I began winning many of the local races, but was quickly at the bottom of the pile again when I went to college
. By my final year in college, however, I had risen to be one of the
best Division III runners in the nation and am currently one of the top distance runners in the Pacific region. Just because you dont seem to be the best at something now doesnt mean you cant be the best one day. What I want to share is how YOU can become what I call a habitually successful person," and how you can get over the "mediocrity bump" that slows so many of us down.
The lessons I have learned from collegiate running can largely be summarized by the team cheer we yelled before every race. Our cheer is in the language of the great Kenyan runners, Swahili, and it goes something like this: "Sote huota ndota, sote fanya kazi, sote huamini, illi kusitawe." Roughly translated, this means "we all work, we all dream, we all believe, in order to succeed." Because I don't want to use all of Dr. Shieh's bandwidth, I've cut down the 99 secrets of highly successful people to just these three.
Because it is really the most important of the three, I'll start off with "We all dream" first. Before one can achieve success, however you would like to define that difficult word, one must have the courage to dream of what possibilities lie beyond that which is known. Don't be afraid of dreaming big, of setting the bar high. But, also realize that it will take many little steps to achieve that BIG goal and that you can set and achieve many smaller goals along the way. Goal-setting and planning are the pre-requisites to achieving anything truly great, and truly great achievements are what Guams athletes are capable of. "We all dream."
Also, "we all believe." It is important to take ownership of ones own future. The best way to do this is to have confidence in oneself and not to create any self-imposed limits. Henry Ford said, "Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you cant, youre right." The mind is a powerful tool and the difference between a champion and an also- ran is oftentimes more a state of mind than a state of fitness. "We all believe."
Finally, "we all work." Dreams are only made reality when one has the commitment and dedication to do what is necessary to achieve those goals. A daily recitation of Saturday Night Lives Stuart Smalley, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it people like me" isn't going to do you a lick of good if you dont take the necessary steps needed to achieve your dreams. And, although it is popular nowadays to say "work smarter, not harder," remember that you will often have to put on some elbow grease and do the tough work no one likes. "We all work."
So far, I've mainly focused on the individual level of how working, dreaming, and believing can create success, but as a team cheer, I think its appropriate to also talk about how as individuals we are members of groups, which are elements of larger groups, which eventually combine to create what we know as society. Whether these groups are a cross-country team, a student club, or even just a group of friends talking about how if you were Governor you might do things differently, the power of the individual is multiplied when ones work, dreams, and confidence are combined with those of others. Each individual counts, and a group of individuals working together can produce great change.
In his 1994 inaugural speech, Nelson Mandela said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us." So let not the fear of the unknown constrain your dreams. Do not be afraid to succeed. Remember, if you have commitment, vision, and confidence, your potential is unlimited!
Neal's College International Affairs News Click Here.
Neal's College Olympian 02' News Click Here.
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Read Court of Arbitration on Sports:
Court of Arbitration Synopsis of Neal Weare: Click Here for PDF
Your Rights as an Athlete, the CAS Decision: Click Here for PDF
CAS Awards Neal on Costs: Click Here for PDF
Neil and Dad having fun on the farm, Oregon. William & Nancy Olympics Piti Middle School