Going Within, Getting Beyond
Whatever the moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. ~ Eckhart Tolle
Simply defined, athletics at Scranton is the pursuit of our goals, our way. We pursue excellence with integrity—with harmony and balance in mind, body, and spirit within ourselves and between our teammates. We pursue the outer edge of our human development capacity (the magis, the more) but without disintegration—without blowing up or burning out within and without disunity, division, drama and disintegration between.
The pursuit of our goals, our way culminated this past year the most successful in the history of University of Scranton Athletics. These individual and collective accomplishments are hard-earned and well-deserved. And yet, the magis—the greater good—we seek isn't just more championships. The greater good we seek by pursuing our goals our way is ultimately a fuller, greater, deeper knowledge of ourselves and our God.
The beautiful opportunity gifted to us in this peak moment for Scranton Athletics is that the competitive excellence we pursue is integrally linked to our Jesuit, Catholic mission. I would argue: no mountains, no mission—or at least little mountains, little mission. In other words, our deepest mission values like magis, cura personalis, and men and women for others are NEEDED FOR and DEVELOPED FROM the pursuit of our bold, aspirational athletics goals.
In fact, I would argue that it is the journey to lofty goals that we activate the deepest mission: to find God in all things. Finding God in all things is about finding the transcendent—the divine, the supernatural, the beyond. Drawn from our Royal Way Touchstone, our theme from this year—REFLECT. ACCEPT. ADAPT. RESPOND—calls us to go within, to bring deep reflection and response to join alongside our athletics journey. But if it only takes us within ourselves, we're missing the big get for ourselves and our competitive excellence as a department: getting beyond ourselves.
The uncommon order of priorities for a champion in sport and in life must be: 1- SUMMIT. 2- SOLIDARITY. 3- SELF. Being about a cause greater than ourselves and about others is how we will go forth and set the world on fire. Learning to get over and beyond ourselves by uniting with others in a worthy cause is the ultimate mark of a Jesuit champion. Follow your emotions—and then realize you are not your emotions, you are more!
Leadership is influence—and influence is NEVER neutral. Each of our actions in response to whatever unfolds presents us with the opportunity to be selfish or magnanimous, to focus on what's in it for me, or to focus on what's in me for this. We have to intentionally reflect, accept, adapt, and respond to ensure that we always pursue the greater good—for ourselves and for our teammates, in the short-term and the long-term.
When we go within, we take pause and interrupt the simple selfish story lines relentlessly generated by our ego. We can then respond with more acceptance, more joy, more persistence, and more love—which is what leads to champions in sport and in life.
Why? Why do we pursue competitive excellence individually and collectively? Why do we pursue our goals, our way? For the greater glory of God—Ad majerum Dei glorium.
Reflect. Accept. Adapt. Respond—to whatever unfolds, as if you had chosen it so that you can be transformed by our goals and our way, a distinctly Jesuit championship athletics experience!! WHEREVER WE GO AND WHATEVER WE DO: WE ARE ROYALS!
Matt Davidson, Ph.D. 1993
Founder and President, Excellence with Integrity Institute
