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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Optimism</title>
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	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>P: Poise &#8211; What It&#8217;s Really Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/p-poise-what-its-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/p-poise-what-its-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2015 03:57:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home/Garden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News/Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collapsing Pocket]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conversions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Football]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opposition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Optimism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Panic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Possession]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pressure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quarterback]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=9575</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like…  Poise – verb &#8211; to hold (something) in a balanced and steady position The season of fall features a great dose of excitement for sports fans.  Playoff baseball, college/professional football, hockey and basketball all joust for the spotlight in the late months of the year in America.  As the days grow shorter, so do the sleep patterns of most sports enthusiasts attempting to absorb as much of the action as possible while still being able to have the strength to function on a day-to-day basis. I have always been able to sit down and immerse myself in an athletic contest even without knowing anything about either team playing.  The art of competition is fascinating.  As in most sports, skill, will and a bit of luck all play a role in determining factors in the eventual outcome of a game.  A man I used to coach with used to tell our players the competition was about weathering the storm.  Players should anticipate a violent storm during the contest.  It would be inevitable.  Would they allow the storm to disrupt the game plan and their top goal or would they hold steady during inclement conditions?  Most times, but not always, the team that does the best job at balancing the highs and lows emerge victorious. Saturdays and Sundays in the fall place a popular focus on the football gridiron.  Each game a significant amount of attention is paid to the quarterback position.  This is understandable for the large number of responsibilities the signal caller holds on each play.  Having played the position before I have an insurmountable respect for each player that gets under center.  Beyond ball handling and arm strength the quarterback position requires many intangible skills; most of which cannot be taught: composure, leadership, decision making, instinct, adaptability, internal clock and moxie.   Aside from athletic talent, all of those skills can be boiled down into one classification: poise. Great poise is undeniable.  Coach K writes in his book (Beyond Basketball) “…poise is the opposite of panic…it (poise) requires maturity.  It’s about remaining mentally and emotionally balanced all the time, no matter what is taking place around you.”  I obviously no longer play football, but that does not mean that I have stopped trying to sidestep the oncoming rush of the opposition.  One of the first cardinal rules to follow as a quarterback is to take care of the football and maintain a possession.  Many aspire to be placed in a position to call the shots having no idea what it takes to stand in the pocket and play the game.  When faced with pressure are you converting or turning it over?  When the rush is on and the pocket is collapsing how do you protect what is important and maintain possession of something you have worked so hard to claim?  Poise or panic?  We all play our own game.  We all face a different opponent.  Only you can answer that question. &#8220;Clear the mechanism&#8221; -Billy Chapel &#8220;Ease the pounding of your heart by quieting your mind&#8221; -GMa &#8220;Keep calm and carry on&#8221; -WWII Brits Evidence and reminders of poise are all around.  Face each day possessed with optimism, meet your opposition with poise and keep on converting. ]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>I: Innocence &#8211; What It&#8217;s Really Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/i-innocence-what-its-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/i-innocence-what-its-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2015 07:30:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clarity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eyes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eyes of a Newborn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fatherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hope]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innocence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Optimism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seasons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=8429</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like…  This week I was blessed to witness the birth of my second son. Beyond the pregnancy preparation and build up to delivery there is a substantial amount of clarity that I have cherished experiencing when looking into the eyes of a newborn.  Thoughts on Innocence: Superman underwear and blanket capes Neighborhood backyard baseball, football games Summer bike rides for transportation before driver’s licenses Childhood heroes Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy Snipe hunts in your Uncle’s bushes Holding hands and sneaking your first kiss at recess The voice of a father reading “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve The uncontrollable giggle child being tickled The expensive toy and the priceless box When it’s homemade Monsters in your closet, lava around your bed Blanket forts A child and his first pet Wearing Daddy and Mommy’s shoes Hug and a kiss to make it all better “Do you like me?  Yes, No, Maybe – Circle One” The seasons of innocence: The stillness of morning before the sunrise The calming of daytime winds at sunset The untouched ground after new fallen snow The birds’ song of an awakening spring The peepers/crickets’ song during the spring The soft, steady summer thunderstorm rain The crisp, fall breeze through a wind chime 12:00:01 on New Years’ Day HOPE OPTIMISM FAITH DREAMS Rather than live in fear of all that can harm my children in the large world of the unknown I am eagerly anticipating all my boys have to look forward to. Today I am walking straighter, speaking clearer and seeing farther. Today I am a father (again). &#160;]]></description>
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