[NOTE: John Ramsey Miller and I are switching posting days this weekend, for reasons that will quickly become apparent. – JSB]
“There were ten guys in my writing class at Williams College who could write better than I. They didn’t have what I have, which is guts. I was dedicated to writing, and nothing could stop me.”
—John Toland
Did you really think Tim Tebow wouldn’t show up in a Kill Zone blog post?
How could he not? America’s favorite athlete is the talk of the sports nation. Unless you’ve been collecting moon rocks at their place of origin, you’ve read something about him over the last few weeks.
But for anyone who just got back from Mare Tranquillitatis,let’s summarize: Tim Tebow is the young quarterback of the Denver Broncos who, this past season, has been pulling out miracle wins all over the place. This in spite of the fact that virtually all NFL prognosticators said he couldn’t succeed in the league.
Yet, lo and behold, Tebow has led the Broncos into the playoffs, and last week to their first playoff victory since 2005. And he did it in stunning fashion.
Last Saturday against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers, big favorites to win, all Tim Tebow did was carve up the league’s #1 pass defense for 316 yards. The last 80 of those yards will be celebrated forever in Bronco’s history.
It was the first play of overtime. Tebow had played a great game, his best so far, but the Steelers had come back and tied it in regulation. Well, it took Tim Tebow all of 11 seconds to win the game in OT. He sold a fake run, got the Steeler linebackers to bite, then threw a strike to receiver Demaryius Thomas. Thomas caught the ball in stride, issued a sweet stiff-arm to Steeler defensive back Ike Taylor, and carried the rock all the way to the end zone for another miracle, magical finish.
I’ve been a Tebow fan since he played at Florida (which is a very hard thing for a USC Trojan to admit). What I love about the kid is that he harkens back to a time when athletes really did take role modeling seriously. Tebow, a devout Christian, does not act like an idiot off the field. He does not go to nightclubs with loaded firearms. He does not get hammered and sexually assault co-eds. He does not think, just because he has been blessed with amazing athletic talent, that he is immune from standards of civil conduct. He is, in short, what young men used to strive to be at one time in our society––a gentleman. (Even typing that sounds quaint nowadays, which does not reflect favorably upon “nowadays”).
But make no mistake. On the field Tim Tebow will cut your heart out. He will find ways to beat you. He will drive you crazy. Tebow, like all champions, is a fierce competitor in his arena of battle. I loved the shots of him on the sideline during the Pittsburgh contest. He had his game face on––intense, focused. And all this with the pressure of a lifetime on his shoulders.
You see, Tebow had played three mediocre to lousy games in a row. He was being counted out by the know-it-alls. He was a flash in the pan. He had no future in the NFL, let alone with the Broncos. So he not only had a playoff game to deal with, but possibly his whole future.
And yet he didn’t fold, falter, or play scared. He took it right to Troy Polamalu and the fearsome Pittsburgh secondary and shredded them. (And yes, props to his coaches and teammates, of course. Tebow would be the first to point that out).
So why do I bring this up for writers? Because we can learn something of the utmost importance from Mr. Timothy Richard Tebow. We can learn that it’s not a matter of what other people say about you that counts. It’s a matter of your heart and determination and guts. During his phase of getting criticized all over the place, Tebow never lashed out. He was full of humor and modesty.
Plus, he worked his butt off. He spent extra hours with his coaches, practicing his mechanics, giving every last ounce of energy to getting better at what he does.
The same should be true for you. You will get jeerers and critics in your writing life. You will endure negative comments and reviews and people – maybe even in your own family – telling you that you stink, or that you’re deluding yourself with this writing thing.
Maybe you have the dream of being published by an established company. Perhaps you want to go it alone in the new world of digital self-publishing. Or some of both. Whatever your profile, if you care about writing, if it’s a burning passion within you (I have nothing to say to those who are just out to make a buck), then you’ll get your share of blowback, much of it unfair.
So are you going to let that stop you? Or are you going to keep working, keep typing, keep studying the craft?
In short, are you going to dig down and find a way to win?
This post appears on the day the Broncos play the New England Patriots to determine who will take the next step toward that ultimate prize—the Super Bowl. I have no idea how the game, or Tebow’s performance, will turn out. But I don’t have to. Because I know something already: Tim Tebow will never give up, no matter what happens today. He doesn’t have any give up in him. He will keep on finding ways to astonish us, both on and off the field, despite anything the doubters have to say.
Go thou and do likewise.