The greatest weakness for most people is that they don’t realize their own strength.
-- Author unknown
Jason McElwain wasn’t trying to inspire anyone. He was just doing his job as well as he could.
Jason was the manager of the boys’ varsity basketball team at
February 15, 2006 was senior night for Jason’s team -- and Jason was now a senior. Coach Jim Johnson rewarded Jason for his dedication by having him put on a uniform and sit on the bench as a player for his final home game.
With just four minutes left in the game, Jason’s team was ahead by 20 points. Coach pointed to Jason and told him to go into the game.
The fans went wild. Everyone wanted to see Jason make a basket. His teammates passed him the ball and he missed his first shot. Then he missed his second shot. Sad, but what would you expect from the team’s manager who spent the last three seasons picking up towels, filling water bottles, and cutting up oranges?
Jason wasn’t trying to inspire anyone. He was just doing his job as well as he could. Teammates kept passing the ball to Jason, and he kept shooting. And finally, the kid got his basket. The fans went even wilder. But then something magical happened -- he got another basket and then another and another! In less than four minutes, Jason sank six three-pointers and one two-pointer. Jason scored 20 points. In his first and only varsity game, Jason was the high scorer!
Jason wasn’t trying to inspire anyone. He was just doing his job as well as he could. What makes this story even more inspiring is that Jason stands only 5’6” tall and he’s a special education student. Jason is autistic. But when his time came, and he got his chance to play, he scored 20 points in less than four minutes. The kid played like Michael Jordan.
How was he able to do that? He was able to play like Michael Jordan because there has always been a basketball superstar inside Jason McElwain.
Now here’s the most inspiring part of this story. It has nothing to do with Jason — it has everything to do with you! Jason just proved what’s always been true. There’s a great athlete, a great student, a great writer, a great actor, a great whatever it is you want, already inside of you, too. There’s a superman or superwoman already inside you. You are not lacking potential. Just because you’ve never tapped into it doesn’t mean the potential isn’t there.
Are you doubting yourself and thinking that what’s written in that last paragraph can’t possibly be true? Don’t. Do not doubt your potential. Never doubt your potential. Whether you tap into it or not the potential is still there. But if you must doubt something, doubt this — doubt your limitations!
It’s extraordinary how extraordinary the ordinary person is.
-- George Will, journalist
