An influential man in your life died recently. His name was Coach Ben Hammerschmidt (Coach Ben). He was my high school baseball & football coach and, whether you are aware of it or not, he was YOUR coach as well ... and still is. Why? Because his principles have made EFT what it is. They permeate every corner of it.
Let me explain.
In my teenage years, Coach Ben was the centerpiece of my life. At first, I didn't get his true teachings because I thought pursuing trophies was what life was all about. Excel in sports. Win some blue ribbons. Gather hardware and statues for your mantlepiece so you can display your greatness in the years to come. Do so and people will admire you. They will will go "oooh" and "ahhh" at your trophies and will love you.
Sigh!
Coach Ben helped me get those trophies and even helped me get a Stanford football scholarship. For that I am forever grateful. He was a disciplined man, as a coach must be. But he was also a man with an open hand and a soft side that understood the true meaning of his job. He understood giving and fair play and integrity. For him, life wasn't about trophies or money or any of that stuff. It was about helping young men along life's many paths. It was about the power of teamwork and how pulling together brought rewards that individual prima donnas could not achieve on their own.
He lived these principles without really talking much about them. His life was an example for us all and touched multitudes by his presence. He was love personified in a sturdily built German body.
It took me many years and a lot of maturing to finally get Coach Ben's true message. EFT is built on that message because the "trophies" of EFT have nothing to do with certificates on the wall, awards, money, fame and the like. Our trophies are all about...
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healing and spiritual connection
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emotional freedom and walking out of our own prisons
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turning anger into forgiveness and replacing pain with peace
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love and making sure everyone has access to the EFT process in a quality and consistent way
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the comraderie within our growing EFT Community and the teamwork that Coach Ben taught so beautifully.
These are the trophies that really matter.
Saturday, May 23, 2009 is the date of Coach Ben's memorial service in my home town of Riverside, California. I am honored to have been invited by his family to address hundreds of his athletes and friends by reciting a poem that I wrote for his retirement dinner 30 years ago. I put it on the internet and, if you wish, you can view my Coach Ben Tribute now.
Sooner or later, we all come to the end our lives. When people attend your memorial service which of your life's "trophies" will they remember? Will they even care about the hardware on your mantlepiece or the certificates on your wall? Or will they remember the times you made a difference in the lives of others? Your softness, your smiles, your encouragement.
What better time than now to touch our brothers and sisters and collect a few more of those trophies that really matter.
Love, Gary