Recently Brigham Young University has had some nice success athletically. Within one week it was invited to be a member of the Big Twelve football conference, and it beat its biggest rival Utah after having lost nine straight to them.
I am no BYU fan, but its story is a gritty one worthy of praise.
In 2010, Utah was invited to be in the PAC12 conference, the elite of all conferences at the time. That left BYU as an independent, the worst of all positions to be in. It was, to put it mildly, a child put out in the cold as an orphan.
In the ensuing decade, BYU never won a game against the U, while the U went on to win three south division titles, and often was a perennial top ten national pick.
Rumors flooded the community that the Y should sack sports altogether, especially football. The stands began to hollow out for their games.
Then, in one week, all of that changed. They came in from the cold with their invite to be a member of a Power 5 conference. And as the U rolled in for their rival’s game with the Y, they went home having lost to a well prepared football team.
I think there is a lesson here. Sometimes humans work to accomplish something, but just seem to be grinding away, while others pull out in front to better results and more rewards. But, then eventually over time things improve. Grinding in obscurity opens up, and achievement is finally accomplished.
This seems to be a pattern for many of us.
For example, I had polio at an early age which limited me physically. Plus I did not start out reading well (I don’t know why). As a result, I fell behind my peers in most activities. But, for some reason, still unknown to me, I was a grinder. By that, I mean I kept working at physical and academic pursuits.
Eventually, out of nowhere, there would come these surprising moments of clear and decisive victories. I can’t recall doing anything out of the ordinary, other than showing up each day and trying. In other words, grinding through life.
I’m not one who grits his teeth and works at something until I master an activity. No, I just keep on working on what’s put before me. And it’s not as though I saw steady improvement in an activity vis a vie my peers. No, at times, by surprise, I would show up, and I would be first. It didn’t happen until it happened. That’s been a pattern to my life.
So I couldn’t be more happy for BYU’s week of glory. They deserved it. They just kept grinding away until big things happened for them.
And here’s to all the grinders in life. Keep it up. There’ll be a victory down the road when you’ll least expect it – and believe me, that’s the sweetest victory of all.