Fuel your belief and determination with a "Finish Strong" attitude...

As New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees playfully hoisted the championship trophy into the celebratory skies of Miami last month in Super Bowl XLIV, and with it power-lifted an NFL franchise, and a city from the depths of despair no one had ever dared to imagine, a nearly year-long philosophy had delivered the ultimate tangible gift...

The "Finish Strong" mantra was adopted by Brees for his team in the Spring of 2009 as they prepared for the mental and physical grind of another NFL season...

  The Saints "Finish Strong" mission statement came about when Brees ran across a book by author Dan Green with the catchy two-word title.

The inspirational book is filled with stories of people overcoming adversity with courage. 

"Every member of our team received a copy of Dan Green's book Finish Strong at the beginning of the off-season," Brees told the book's publisher, SimpleTruths.com. "It then became a mantra for our team throughout the off-season program, the pre-season and regular season. We recognized that if we could indeed 'finish strong' in everything we did, we could achieve the lofty goals we had set for ourselves."

The book's author, ironically a longtime Colts fan, is proud of what the Saints have accomplished with their "Finish Strong" mindset.

"When you adopt the finish-strong mentality," said Green, "you create a level of personal accountability that guides you through critical decision points - the finish strong moments - the points in time when you must decide what path to take.  Will you lie down, settle and quit, or will you move forward toward your goal to the best of your ability?"

"Sometimes these moments come in a split second, and sometimes they come over a long period of time. Regardless, you and only you, have the power to choose how to respond to the challenges in front of you."

It is not a stretch to say the New Orleans Saints upset victory changed the world, when you consider for a moment the record number of people who watched the game -- more than 106 million -- and the percentage of those viewers who woke up the next morning with a renewed sense of purpose for their life...A countless number of people no doubt made a personal pledge to be better at their jobs, or who made the courageous decision to finally pursue their true career calling.

The once laughingstock football franchise, and the hurricane-ravaged city of New Orleans, took personal responsibility for creating a new world order for their lives, and the results are amazing...

Saints Assistant Head Coach Joe Vitt (pictured left) calls it, "coming early and staying late," but however you choose to describe it, the finished product is one of total transformation.

Finish Strong. The New Orleans Saints proved it's more than a catchy phrase; it's a lifestyle for winners. 

Wayman Tisdale's body was a vehicle to showcase his superior athletic skills that delighted college and pro basketball fans for nearly 20 years. It was a vessel that held the soulful spirit this accomplished musician unleashed to the world...

It also contained a relentless cancer that took his life at the age of 44 after a courageous two-year battle...

"Nothing can change me," said the three-time Oklahoma Sooner All American. "You go through things, and you don't change because things come into your life. You get better because things come in your life."

Waymon Tisdale changed the world for the better in his brief time on Earth...

For more on the life of this amazing man click the link below.

No matter how old we are, we come to learn that our life experiences teach us it is what we do after we have been knocked down by unexpected misfortunes that shapes our world and will ultimately determine what we will achieve...

We've all been coaxed to, "get back up on the horse" when setbacks toss us to the ground, but for 13-year old Bethany Hamilton the saddle she had to climb back into was a surfboard after a large tiger shark ripped her left arm off while surfing in Hawaii in 2003...

Click on the video below to learn more about this young girl's indomitable spirit as she stared down danger and returned to the Hawaiian waters to surf again...

Hollywood has been known to take full advantage of its dramatic license when it comes to putting true stories on the big screen...

In the hit movie, THE BLIND SIDE, the facts of young Michael Oher's life from abject poverty to being a star in the National Football League are so compelling and dramatic, that little embellishing was needed...

When Michael was just a boy there wasn't a parent or guardian to attend to even his most basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. His father was not around and his mother was dealing her own drug addiction...

And while stunted emotionally and academically, his body grew and at the tender age of 15, Michael stood 6' 5" and weighed over 300 pounds...

His body, and football, would be his way to a better life...

The ties that bind relationships between a father and a son are as varied as the snowflakes in a winter blizzard and as complex as the stars in the universe, but for Dick Hoyt and his son Rick, the connection is pure, simple and strengthened by selfless love....

You see Rick was born with cerebral palsy and is unable to walk or speak on his own, but with the aid of a computer, Rick is able to communicate and as his father came to understand, he has the heart and spirit of a champion...

So father and son compete together in marathons and triathlons..

WATCH (BELOW) THIS INCREDIBLE EXPRESSION OF LOVE BETWEEN A FATHER AND A SON.... 

The life story of Patrick Hughes is why the phrase, "never judge a book by its cover" likely had to be created...The credo that reminds us all to not be fooled by the outward appearance of people embodies the accomplishments of this gifted young man...

Born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs making him unable to walk, Patrick has overcome these physical challenges to excel as a musician and student...

At just nine months Patrick began playing the piano and quickly became a talented trumpet player and singer, and became a distinguished member of his school's marching band as a student at the University of Louisville...

To learn more about Patrick's inspiring journey click the link below to see Tom Rinaldi's moving video...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTiYA1WiY8

Gainesville State is a maximum-security correctional facility that offers its nearly 300 male residents between the ages of 12-19 the unique opportunity to participate in the institution's football program.

For obvious reasons, all of the Gainesville State Tornadoes games are road contests against programs willing to host a squad of young athletes with such a troubled past...

Road games with no fan support beyond the staff that travels with the team to supervise the incarcerated players, recounts Dave Thomas of the Fort Worth Telegram, is a fact of life for the squad.

Until the Tornadoes squared off against Faith Christian School for the 2008 season finale.

Faith Christian Athletic Director Kris Hogan wanted to the Tornado players to know they were more than their past misdeeds, and that they were indeed loved.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE STORY OF THE TORNADOES SPECIAL TRIP TO GRAPEVINE, TX.  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52AOPQvCTv4   

Some people really do understand life better.

 Unfortunately,  many people call some of these athletes "retarded"...

At the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.

 At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry.

They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said,"This will make it better."

Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, the cheering went on for several minutes.

People who were there are still telling the story... Why?

Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves.

What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

Support Special Olympics by volunteering your officiating time ...

Visit here for more information: http://www.specialolympics.org/officials.aspx