All those receiving awards today will have, at some point or another, have struggled, have hit a challenge that required them to dig deep, increase the effort.

As US President Teddy Roosevelt said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, and difficulty.”

Back in 2006 I was a Lieutenant in the British Army, serving in an infantry regiment called the Irish Guards.  I had just finished my time as a platoon commander and was called into see the Commanding Officer to find out what my next role would be.

To my surprise he told me that I was going to be the next Reconnaissance Platoon Commander.  At that time I was not only 6’5, but also 105kg and I didn’t think I was designed to sneak around enemy positions, live in holes and generally be inconspicuous.  Equally, the light role reconnaissance commander’s course is considered to be second only to Special Forces selection in regards to both physical and mental difficulty.

I considered my options, could I feign injury, and could I somehow get out of it.  But then I looked at it for what it was – a challenge, something that would test me, would push me and take me to places I’d never been before.  I decided to commit wholeheartedly to the challenge.

“In life the challenge may be given to you, but sometimes you’ve got to look for it.  Whether academically, physically or emotionally – take the option that stretches / tests you.”

I urge you to watch a 2 minute video of a Scottish Athletics coach called Frank Dick, in which he talks about “What is winning?”.  Ultimately, he argues,

“Winning is not about beating the other people in the race, it’s about beating the person in the mirror – yourself. “

He argues that winning is being better today than you were yesterday – every day.  The reason you go into tough arenas in life is to be challenged to perform better, you cannot perform better if you’re not challenged.

That you don’t learn to climb mountains in life by going round them or asking somebody for a ladder, you learn to climb mountains by climbing mountains, by seeking out the really toughest challenges because that makes you perform better.

In 1 Kings 19:21 we are told –

“So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.”

On February 19, 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés set sail for Mexico with an entourage of 11 ships, 13 horses, 110 sailors, and 553 soldiers. The indigenous population upon his arrival was approximately five million. From a purely mathematical standpoint, the odds were stacked against him by a ratio of 7,541 to 1. Two previous expeditions had failed to even establish a settlement in the New World, yet Cortés conquered much of the South American continent.

What Cortés is reported to have done after landing is an epic tale of mythic proportions. He issued an order that turned his mission into an all-or-nothing proposition: Burn the ships!

As his crew watched their fleet of ships burn and sink, they came to terms with the fact that retreat was not an option. And if you can compartmentalize the moral conundrum of colonization, there is a lesson to be learned: Nine times out of ten, failure is resorting to Plan B when Plan A gets too risky, too costly, or too difficult. That’s why most people are living their Plan B. They didn’t burn the ships. Plan A people don’t have a Plan B. It’s Plan A or bust. They would rather crash and burn going after their God-ordained dreams than succeed at something else.

There are moments in life when we need to burn the ships to our past. We do so by making a defining decision that will eliminate the possibility of sailing back to the old world we left behind. You burn the ships named Past Failure and Past Success. You burn the ship named Bad Habit. You burn the ship named Regret. You burn the ship named Guilt. You burn the ship named My Old Way of Life.

That is precisely what Elisha did when he turned his plowing equipment into kindling and barbequed his oxen. It was his last supper. He said good-bye to his old life by throwing a party for his friends. They shared a meal and shared stories into the early-morning hours. But it was the bonfire that made it the most meaningful and memorable night of his life because it symbolized the old Elisha. It was the last day of his old life and the first day of his new life.

Burning the plowing equipment and eating his oxen, was Elisha’s way of burning the ships. It was the end of Elisha the farmer. It was the beginning of Elisha the prophet.

It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to achieve, the first step is always the longest and the hardest.  Additionally, you can’t just take a step forward.  You also have to eliminate the possibility of moving backward into the past.

 

I am a fiercely competitive man – I hate losing – which might make it seem odd that I follow Everton football club – for example I did manage to pass the Reconnaissance course with a distinction.  However, the competitive nature is more about ensuring if I do something I give 100%.  No regrets.

So, as you either prepare to leave St Andrew’s or continue your journey here next year, play to win in whatever you do, whether that is on the sports field, in an exam or in a relationship.  That way, win, lose or draw you will have no regrets.

Win with humility and lose with dignity – but don’t allow yourself the excuse of “I could have done it if……” – commit 100% to everything you do – be all in.