BE UNSTOPPABLE
Recently I saw a documentary on one of the most dominant teams in sports history. It was an inside look at their journey together - not only the unparalleled success they achieved collectively, but the individual sacrifice and commitment they made to their pursuit and to each other. One sports historian termed the group “an unstoppable force” that steamrolled their way to historic success.
For whatever reason, that one word - “unstoppable” - resonated with me as I watched. It’s a word you hear from time to time to describe an athlete or a team like that one, superior to their competition in every way. It's an alluring vision for anyone who wants to win. It’s what we dream of becoming…so good that no one can stop us.
The problem is, the level of talent and ability it takes to be “unstoppable” is rare. Often what we dream of becoming in our minds doesn’t align with the harsh and rather unimpressive reality of who we actually are. You might be pretty good at what you do - really good, even - but odds are you aren’t out there steamrolling the competition. “Me, unstoppable?” you may be thinking. “Yeah, right.”
That’s why today I want to challenge you to redefine that word “unstoppable.” That’s what I did as I considered the commitment and sacrifice of the individuals that made up that dominant team. I realized they were in fact unstoppable, but not only in the way the broadcaster described them. "Unstoppable" is the perfect word to describe their daily pursuit of excellence, their determined response to the challenges and adversity they faced, and their unrelenting desire to grow and improve. In many ways, it’s the perfect word to describe what it takes to become someone worthy of winning in any area of life. It’s the perfect word to define what really makes a champion a champion.
That broadcaster used the word “unstoppable” to describe the futile attempt opponents made to slow that team’s progress, but the definition we’re talking about here isn’t focused on a comparison to anyone else. It’s focused on the personal commitment the champion has made to keep moving forward, no matter what. They simply refuse to stop. No matter what challenge or adversity may come. No matter what circumstances they may face. No matter how small the progress, champions find a way to keep moving forward. A select few may steamroll their way to success, but for the rest of us, this is the way. Stay in the fight. Outlast our opponents. Embrace the pursuit with patience and persistence.
No matter how small the progress, champions find a way to keep moving forward.
That mindset changes not only how “unstoppable” is defined, but also who gets to do the defining. It’s not a label someone else puts on us, but a choice each one of us gets to make for ourselves. As it’s typically defined, most of us probably don’t have the talent or the ability it takes to be unstoppable. But now, in this context, being unstoppable is completely up to us.
Remember Aesop’s famous fable, The Tortoise and the Hare? In that fictional contest, who had more talent and more ability? The rabbit, of course. So why did the tortoise end up winning the race? He didn’t have much to offer, but he did have the one thing that ultimately mattered most. He was unstoppable. He didn’t dominate or steamroll his competition. Instead, he simply refused to quit. He just kept moving forward. In the end, that’s all it took to make him worthy of winning.
I’m not trying to sit here today and tell you that your talent and your ability don’t matter. What I am saying is that maybe patience and persistence are two of your most important abilities. Maybe it’s time to re-define the word “unstoppable” and recognize the value it has in your pursuit of success. No matter what challenge or adversity may come. No matter what circumstances you may face. No matter how small the progress, maybe what winning requires from you today is simply to keep moving forward.