Now, Thats The Spirit :-)

" All your life you are told things you cannot do.
All your life they will say you are not good enough or strong enough or talented enough;
They will say you are the wrong height, or the wrong weight or
the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this.
All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly!!
THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until..
All the no's become meaningless.

AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES !!! "

--- Spirit of Nike

My football coach told me this when I was 16 years old and was recovering from a bad ankle injury that threathened my footballing ambitions. I was known for my pace and reading of the game. My whole game was based upon my sudden bursts of pace and the now famous sprint. The injury took away the very same weapon from my armoury. That was a time when I was written off by the football fraternity of Baroda. They were saying you cannot play again as you did before and that my career is over. Only my coach and manager stood by side. Slowly I went on to play football for my club, university and zone. My coach told me these words, not knowing that it will become famous as the nike spirit slogan.

Today also when I am faced with a similar situation, I remember these words again and I wonder.... Does our spirit ever die?