“The Pen is in Your Hand”

Last night I had the opportunity to watch game seven of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It was an amazing game to say the least. The Pittsburgh Penguins won Lord Stanley’s Cup in a 2-1 thriller by warding off two shots on goal in the last three seconds of the game. The game ended with a pile of bodies in front of the Penguin net.

Visiting Pittsburgh had finally realized its dream by beating the defending champions on their home ice.

Before the game, one of the commentators told the story of how each of the Penguin players was wearing a T-shirt under his hockey sweater with the caption “The Pen is in Your Hand.” The shirts were given to the players by their coach. When giving them out, the coach made the statement, “The pen is in your hand men.  You get to go out tonight and write your own destiny.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Unfortunately, when it comes to living out a destiny too few men ever pick up the pen. Most people are content to just exist and take up space. They justify that there is safety and comfort in taking the easy path. They never set a goal. They never dream a dream. And therefore, when all is said and done they have very little to show other than a life of mediocrity.

There are those, however, who pick up the pen every day. They are the ones who attack life with integrity and challenge others to do the same. They set goals and dream dreams and in the end they have no regrets.

I have chosen to surround myself with such men. They challenge me to love God. They encourage me to be a better husband and father. They inspire me to run marathons and all kinds of other crazy ventures. And they cause me to strive for excellence as I watch them excel in their various walks of life. Among them is a Sensei, the Fighting Elk, a Captain, a man who ran with Raven, a Twinstead, the Gre8t1, and countless others.

How about you?  Are you choosing to write your own destiny or are you just leaving it all to chance? This coming week why not set a goal to influence someone in a positive way? Why not live a life of integrity when no one else is looking?

Remember . . . “The Pen is in Your Hand.” Now go write a life that’s worth reading!

i2i,
Randy