victory

The Run-In

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

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(It’s WrestleWeek on POP GOD! In celebration of WrestleMania 32 this Sunday we’ll be looking at the intersection of faith and wrestling. You don’t have to be a fan to hop in the ring on this journey. Read on to see how this fake sport provides real lessons for anyone who’s ever grappled with God.)

The momentum in a wrestling match can swing in an instant.

All it takes is one right move or one reversal to bring a competitor back from the brink of defeat to a momentous victory.

Sometimes though a wrestler is so exhausted they can’t fight anymore. Their only hope comes from a run-in. Continue reading →

Run Onto The Field

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

IMG_6098Last weekend I ran on the field after a Clemson football game.

You didn’t see it on the news. I wasn’t streaking or trying to tackle one of the players. It’s actually part of the tradition at Death Valley for students and fans to be able to run onto the field and celebrate with the home team after every victory.

We joined arms with the sweaty players who had just busted their tails for 4 quarters to secure a Tigers victory and sang the alma mater alongside them. We even got a selfie with Coach Dabo in the background. It was a fabulous end to a perfect day of tailgating and college football.

Now, I grew up a Tennessee fan and I never thought I’d see myself pulling for another shade of orange on Saturdays. But my wife’s family’s affection for Clemson is pretty infectious. The way the team treats it’s fans is a big part of that. Continue reading →

Do You Think Like A Loser?

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

BostonRedSox_B2The Boston Red Sox used to be a bunch of losers.

Look – I know my team The Braves aren’t lighting up the world right now. And this year’s Boston team is stinking up the joint. But nothing compares to The Red Sox epic streak of futility.

For 86 years losing was their identity. The Curse Of The Bambino kept them out of the World Series year after year after year.

Yet, despite their pitiful postseason record, the Red Sox developed a legendary fanbase, possibly the best in all of baseball. In fact, the Boston fan culture was so legendary Hollywood made a movie about it.
Continue reading →

How To Win By Losing

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

In any competition, there can only be one winner.

In many competitions, there is no question who the winner will be.

So if you stand no chance of winning, why bother competing?

Because if you’re anything like disabled dachshund Anderson Pooper, sometimes running the race is victory in itself.

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

Sometimes running the race is not simply about winning.

Sometimes God even uses the slowest people on the track to inspire others.

You may not be the winner at parenting, exercising, selling, blogging or anything else you compete at today.

You may feel like a dachshund in a wheelchair who stands no chance at defeating the other dogs in the race.

It’s ok. You’re not always meant to be the champion.

Sometimes victory comes from losing a race which you never thought you’d enter in the first place. 

Disregard your disabilities. Ignore the other dogs on the track. Keep on running the race today.

Happy Friday.

(Credit to Deadspin for the fantastic video.)

3 Words Mad Men Taught Me About Success

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

6351651If there has been one overarching theme of this final season of Mad Men, it’s been the reestablishment of Don Draper against a rapidly changing business climate.

As the world he once dominated quickly evolves past him, Don must work his way up from the bottom to reclaim his identity and to identify exactly what his identity is.

Mad Men often parallels the work of the creative team at the ad agency with the internal struggle of all writers and creative thinkers. One scene from the penultimate episode of this half season with Don and Peggy brilliantly breaks down the conflict a writer goes through when their work is good, but not quite good enough.

Ultimately though, the biggest struggle Don faces is not against his creativity but against his willingness to do the work at all.  Continue reading →

The One Lesson Anyone Can Learn From Wrestling

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

P2- Hulk Hogan llega al ring en WrestleMania IIIIf I could sum up everything I’ve ever learned from pro wrestling in one sentence it would be this:

The face beats the heel. 

In wrestling terminology there are two types of characters – faces and heels.

The face (short for babyface) is the good guy. Think Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, John Cena.

The heel is the villain. People like The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, Ric Flair, and Mr. McMahon were great heels.

Wrestling at it’s core is the story of a good guy versus a bad guy. Almost every single wrestling match in history consists of a face versus a heel. And the face beets the heel.

The heel may get the upper hand. He may vanquish a few good-hearted men along a path of destruction. But in the end the heel always goes down.

This is the cycle of wrestling, a never-ending story where the characters change but the outline stays the same each week. Continue reading →

The Braves and The (Almost) Certain Victory

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

photo-1The Braves are going to win.

Every game it’s just understood – The Braves got this.

I don’t even have to check the score anymore.

Did the Braves play a game last night? Then they won. It doesn’t matter if it was 10-0 in the bottom of the ninth. This year’s Braves team are the comeback kings.

Maybe it’s the magic of the new Waffle House inside Turner Field. Maybe it’s folk hero Evan Gattis, a.k.a. El Oso Blanco. Who knows?

It’s August 22 and they’ve already claimed the division. Not technically, but still, stats trackers give the Braves 100% chance of winning their division. They are saying there is absolutely no chance in the next 6 weeks another team will usurp their lead.

The Braves will win the division. They will win the league series and then the World Series. I just know it.

Or maybe not. I don’t know. Continue reading →

You Are A Wrestler

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Welcome to Wrestling School 101. You can be a professional wrestler today in just a few easy steps.

Don’t believe me? You have all the qualities. You don’t have to weigh 300 pounds and be in exquisite shape. You can be a wrestler right from the comfort of your couch.

20121106_EP_LIGHT_honest-abe_C-homepageAnd who wouldn’t want to be? Becoming a professional wrestler is an honor. Abraham Lincoln wrestled for fun back in his youth. It’s biblical to0 (we’re getting to that).

It’s quite simple: if you want to be a wrestler, all you have to do is know how to talk. Continue reading →