HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Pay Better Attention to Who's Around You

This goes without saying but Michael Vick has been one of the hot topics in the locker room and weight room these days.

First of all, I don't believe it is anyone's place to point fingers. It is our place to show compassion and give compassion. Everyone needs to be lifted up at some point in their lives and this is Michael's time. I do think we can all learn lessons from that situation.

This applies to everyone, not just athletes - we all need to pay close attention to who we surround ourselves with. Speaking as a professional athlete, many times we cannot see the forest through the trees. We're all that way at some point. When I first came into the League I felt like Superman. I didn't need the extra work. In many cases your eyes can open very slowly but then again, they can open pretty fast, too. Mine opened slowly but when they did open it was all downhill from there. We've all fallen into it. We've all been guilty of falling short but some of us have grown up behind the camera, not in front of it so the damage is not as public.

Everybody has a core group around them because no one can do everything by themselves. We all need to scrutinize and comb through the people around us. Pressure comes in everyone's life. If you don't live a life of principles when the pressure does come self-preservation kicks in automatically. There is no middle ground. When it rains, it rains on everybody - the just and the unjust. It is how you deal with it when it does rain that truly matters. That's why it is so important to have a strong inner core around you. We do not need yes men, we need to have people around us who will hold us accountable in our words and our actions. My definition of friendship is being able to say "no." Being able to be upset at someone for twenty-three hours and then being over it when you see them next. Some friends stay closer than a natural brother or sister. They help us stay on the right path.

Whenever you go into an electronics store to buy an iPhone or when they send you two free iPhones in the mail you get the manual with it. If you don't read the manual and just start punching buttons you learn by trial and error and ultimately you realize that you do need to go back and read the manual. If you read the manual at the beginning, it takes ten minutes and you know how to use the phone. There is a manual for people too, the Bible. Read a chapter of Proverbs. It's your manual. It will steer you away from a lot of evils and teach you how to treat others and respect leadership. It's your manual for living on this planet. Living a life of principles allows you to give opportunity to others and it always gives back.

Isaac Bruce

PS - This is my MVP season

submitted by IsaacBruce

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