Go Down The Path

I have been very encouraged by the response I have gotten from a post entitled “Don't Be Afraid to Eat Soup with A Fork” So I've decided to write a post about another favorite quote.

C-SPAN is a cable network not known for high ratings among the general public however during the spring it has some of the best television you will be able to find on the cable box. Springtime is graduation time and C-SPAN broadcasts commencement speeches from universities around the country. If you take a second to think about it, it makes sense that a commencement speech is a great map because a successful person is talking about how they navigated their journey through life.

In the spring of 2005 or 2006 (I apologize I am going off of my memory and I do not want to misspeak) Oprah Winfrey gave the commencement speech at Howard University. There was a line in her speech that will always stick with me.

“There is no such thing as failure only going down God’s path.”

I would now like to share how this saying has shown to be true in my own life.

When I was in high school all I cared about was finishing in the top 2% of my class. I failed but this eventually led to a calmer mindset where I did better academically than I could have ever imagined while at the University of Illinois.

The only other interest beyond my academics at Illinois was wheelchair basketball. There is not enough ink in my printer to explain all my failures as a basketball player however I had a reputation for making the most of my opportunities. There are many score sheets out there that say C. Rathje 1 for 2, 2 for 4 or the occasional 1 for 1.

That is why I became so distraught after the national third-place game my senior year in college. We had the game well in hand and I got my one open shot to score with less than two minutes in the game. Clang! I did not put enough arc on my shot and I failed.

Against the odds I was accepted to the Medill IMC program at Northwestern University straight out of undergrad. I had an incredible learning experience during my 15 months in Evanston but from a practical standpoint it was a vital goal to find employment for after graduation. In the early months of the program I got introduced to several representatives from a major corporation. I admired this company and I was under the impression the feeling was mutual. I failed in my assessment because I was not even granted an interview.

My basketball failure and employment failure have propelled me to go down the right path, the path of God and his dreams for us. If I had originally “succeeded” by making the shot and getting the job who knows what would have happened for sure but I doubt I would be joyfully living out my dreams to become a world class writer and athlete.

Some might say great Chris, but that isn’t how it works in my life. I humbly challenge you to have the faith to look down the path where failure does not exist and your dreams are in your future.

Faith is a vital tool throughout life. If there is anyone out there who dislikes their connotation of faith I humbly ask them to broaden their possibilities. Figure out your own way to find faith in yourself, your fellow man or one particular dream.

Anyone can do anything!

Thank you for the wisdom Ms. Winfrey.

Thanks for reading!
Chris