I think I can, I knew I could

Hello,
When my son was born I knew very little about children. My Wife on the other hand had been raised in a large family and she knew a lot about the do’s and the don’ts of parenting, so I followed her lead. She said that reading to children even though they are very young helps with their development so off to the store we went and I think we bought every book that Dr. Seuss ever wrote. Every night at bed time I would get out one of the books and read it to my son. My wife would come in to check on us and every night I would be asleep with the book on my chest and our son would be wide awake. Those books really do work to help people fall asleep. I don’t know if it works on kids because I never once outlasted the little guy. Thru the years I read every book 100 times each. I read the cat in the hat so much I had it mesmerized and there are some great life lessons. There’s one book about the Bernstein Bears not a Dr Seuss book by the way that the message is that no one likes a “bragy show”, and that’s right. It’s fun to win no one likes it when people brag, that’s just not cool.

The Grinch that stole Christmas is about the fact that maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more. I like it so much I read it to my family on Christmas Eve every year, it’s a tradition. You might think it’s strange that I read The Grinch that stole Christmas but its my house and I like the message and it makes me feel good, So I read it every year. But the Book I remember most is about a little train that has a heavy load and he stops along the track and picks up more cargo and keeps stopping to get more cargo, and then starts going up the hill. The hill gets steeper and steeper and he keeps straining and as he’s trying to pull the load up the hill he tells himself I know I can, I know I can, you remember the story don’t you? You already know the next line, as he tops the hill and starts down the other side he says I knew I could, I knew I could. The struggle to the top is tuff, but we must struggle and strain like the little engine, but he was successful because he kept believing in himself and repeating, I know I can, I know I can, we all must keep believing that we can top any mountain we set our minds too if we keep believing that were going to accomplish our goals. You have to believe you’re going to win or your beat before you start. I know a guy that no matter how bad things get he thinks he’s still going to win. He can be way behind with one or two steers to go and he still acts like he’s right in the thick of the race and you know what? A lot of the time the contest will fall apart and here comes this guy right through the destruction smelling like a rose and on to victory. I’ve tried to become more like him in that respect because I used to be a gloom and doom guy. If things went smoothly I would cruse to victory but if there was a bump in the road I would always look back and say, if we just hadn’t hit that bump. Go on! The bump is behind you and you can’t turn back time, charge ahead and expect victory because you never know. I applied that philosophy recently in Herford, Texas. Steve Percella is involved with a lot of wonderful people and they put on a roping that’s in honor of a wonderful man who passed away by the name of Spicer Gripp. Parts of the profits go to the youth in the area and it is a great event held in early August and its one event I will be at every year. The Open roping is extremely tuff with great steers, wonderful prizes and big pay off. This year I was 20 seconds on three steers with 2 to go and was right on the lead. On the forth steer and didn’t ride my horse as well as I should have and I was a little out of position so when I roped the steer by both hide feet I lost a leg and got a 5 second penalty. Now against the best ropers in the world in a 5 steer average that’s usually the kiss of death but not with my new attitude. The high teams started with the 12 fastest teams from slowest to fastest. My partner and I was in 8th position and they were only paying 4 $16,000 for first, $12,000 for 2nd $8,000 for 3rd and $4,000 for 4th. We were 6 seconds on our last steer and were winning it with 7 teams to go. I never hope anyone misses and I believed I had a good shot at winning. Cody Cowden who is a great roper from California and who had roped great all weekend missed. A Couple of teams moved me to 3rd then Steve Precilla is up and he never misses but not today, he missed. Big Al Bach is up and he roped out of this world all day and his loop doesn’t even go under the steer. One other team moves me so I’m Winning 4th with one team to go, Speed Williams and Clay O’Brien Cooper. All I have to do is get by possibly the greatest 2 ropers that has ever lived and I am going to win $4,000 dollars. Speed gets a great start ropes the steer great, like he always does, his horse slips and the champ falls off. Now in his defence no one could have stayed on but the bottom line is his horse didn’t fall all the way down and the greatest header that has ever live fell off and I won.
Did attitude have any thing to do with all those great ropers having trouble? I don’t know but something did and I wonder how many times I have beaten myself by not believing that I still have a chance. It’s never over until it’s over, if you keep telling yourself that you always have a chance. Remember that life’s battles don’t always go to the swiftest or strongest man. But sooner or latter the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.

Until next month
Thanks for your time
Walt Woodard