Unleashing The Fighter Within

16/10/2020

Oct. 16th, 1968:
3 Olympic medalists stood on a platform during America’s National anthem wearing banned civil rights patches, 2 of them with black gloved fists in the air protesting systemic racism largely attributed to black Americans. The two men on the right would go on to be icons of the sport of track & field while the one on the left would return to Australia and be forever shunned for speaking out against an invisible problem many denied even existed let alone needed correction.
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52 years later:
We continue to speak out. To march. To protest. To ask for resolve for major missteps hidden in society because no one wanted to address it happening in their own community.
You may not agree with the solutions that are offered. And that is YOUR fault for not stepping up to ask for some form of reform or transparency or needed change that you are willing to support. Denial is not a resolution. Getting offended is not a resolution. Trying to correct those raising the call for change is not a resolution. Its a continuation of the problem.
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Christ taught many things:
1. That we should “love one another”
2. That we “feed his sheep”. 3. That “when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
4. That we “mourn with those that mourn”
5. And “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.”
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There are countless people in this world who need you. They need you to feed them. Comfort them. Mourn WITH them. Strengthen them. Show love unto them. As you would your Savior. For that is what He taught us. You may be removed from the situation now but sooner or later you will be called to push forward. You may pull back. Or you may just stand in the way. But it wont go unnoticed.
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“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

28/12/2019

Exactly! Remember that happiness in 2020 is all hinged on perspective and not circumstances outside of your control:

“Life will break your heart, and life may take everything you have and everything you hope for... I believe that in the darkness, even there, there will be beauty, and there will be love. And every now and then, it will feel like more than enough.”

Kate Bowler

In life's toughest moments, how do you go on living? Kate Bowler has been exploring this question ever since she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at age 35. In a profound, heartbreaking and unexpectedly funny talk, she offers some answers -- challenging the idea that "everything happens for a reas...

07/06/2019

75 years ago today the world stopped breathing as D-Day happened on a quiet beach on the north edge of N**i German occupied France.
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“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”
-Sir Winston Churchill
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Just before dawn, Canadian, British, and American soldiers landed on a single assault on what would soon turn the war in a brutalized and impoverished Europe overrun by murder and oppression. Hours before this beachside landing, code named Operation OverLord, American troops parachuted behind enemy lines in the middle of the night to pave the way. Along with them, over 1,000 acts of sabotage were orchestrated by the secret French alliance who were given orders via encrypted radio messages from London.
Over 225,000 men gave their lives and braved the unknown on a beach miles away from those they loved as countless French citizens blew up train stations and halted N**i communication in order to slow the German response to such a massive military undertaking.
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Success could not have been possible if so many hadn’t resolved to do the unthinkable: to live up to the person they were called upon to be.
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I have been to this beach. I have cried and prayed at this hallowed ground. D-Day is certainly a day of gratitude and remembrance but also a reminder that the best in ourselves is the only thing available to bring about the best in our own world. Freedom, Love, Valor, and Victory are not simply available upon request. They are the result of tireless efforts to be greater than the situation around you. Be greater and, above all else, Get Up and Fight.
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@ Omaha Beach

30/05/2019

Today BYU Football bid a fond farewell to one of its greats!
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The concluding remarks from Steve Young could not have been more true: “Fundamentally, Shirley was about us.”
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Shirley was certainly my ‘football mom’ and so much behind BYU’s success hinged on this woman’s good natured spirit, hard work, and dedication. As the secretary for the football office (for over 3 decades!), she loved BYU football more than anyone! And her legacy of faith shined through in every life she touched.
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Unfortunately, as my football mom, I often found myself in trouble with Shirley. But typically, in a good way 😉I first met Shirley when I was only 16! Wow! And she was, as it was called, the ‘gatekeeper’ to all things especially for so many new high school recruits like myself looking to meet with LaVell Edwards for the first time. As I sat in the old football office, she kindly reprimanded me to not lean on the team trophies. (OOOPS!) To my credit, that old office was so tiny that we had dozens of championship trophies everywhere and Ty Detmer’s Heisman was displayed more like a paper weight back in those days.
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After graduating, she would still find time to be ‘upset at me’ when I showed up to watch practice with a jesting “why are you late?” When she saw me at reunions or on the sidelines it would be a “why did it take you so long to come give me a hug?”
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She loved my story of being a Fighter & supported my first endeavors to write my book and I will never forget her influence in my life. She was also the familiar voice that called me early Friday morning to let me know I made the travel squad to the UNLV game and to get my butt on the plane! ...I LOVED THAT PHONE CALL letting me know I would finally get to play in a collegiate football game, especially as a recruited walk-on with a broken back!
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So many people are concerned about titles, FB position, station, popularity, or their own self-perception. But Shirley was about people. And when you were ‘one of hers’ you knew it. If you didnt know Shirley you really knew nothing about BYU football. Shirley, you are one of a kind and will be greatly missed indeed! Thank you so much!
@ LaVell Edwards Stadium

31/03/2019

Im not going to pretend I am different. Or that you should be like me.
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But I come from a family of fighters. And in joining the BYU football team I then joined a brotherhood of rare leaders that share stories of hardship similar to mine. Maybe they didnt all get hit by a drunk driver like I did, but somewhere along the way life came out swinging at them none the less. Ask any of them. Success is earned, not given. You have to learn to hit back and hit even harder.
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You have to have the awareness that you can make a difference. And that you have to continually find that changing path that will help you get there so that your effort isnt just wasted. Life isnt built on fate or circumstance. The life you build rests upon the back of your own effort and faith—your own willingness to get up and fight, regardless of circumstance! Myself and so many other fighters like me can attest to it. Life isnt perfect and will always change—Pivot and get back in it!
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To be able to play in a BYU alumni game last week with so many good friends and guys I have looked up to and relied upon really lifted my spirits especially after a tough week. It is always great to see the boys and really good to know that my track legs are still there LoL
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Im not gonna lie, with all the laughs and jokes alumni reunions make me a little sad as well knowing that amazing leaders and friends like LaVell Edwards, Dick Felt, and Naki Maile are no longer with us. But thanks to the tradition they have helped build, their legacy lives on with the next wave of young bucks coming through. I couldnt be more grateful and proud to say I am one of these many fighters that will never give up—a BYU Cougar for life!
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Also, my cousins are pretty dang cool too!😃
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@ BYU

05/03/2019

MAYDAY MAYDAY!!!

I'm in Oahu May 26th/Memorial Day wkend (and for my birthday) and all I want from you is to help me get in touch with the right people so that we can coordinate a fireside for my book Unleash the Fighter Within on the North Shore!
PCC? BYUH? YSA? Youth group? LETS DO THIS!!! =)

Bill Baker Marie Kulbeth Manny Alboroto Phil Alboroto

John Bytheway introduces Unleash the Fighter Within, an original book by BYU football player, Mike Nascimento. Mike tells his story of overcoming adversity b...

21/01/2019

Fighters emerge from the most unexpected places
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Montgomery, Alabama: A woman by the name of Rosa Parks, a local NAACP secretary, was arrested for ‘civil disobedience’—for refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white person. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People decided to move forward with her case in both the courts and in protests and elected that a young, no-named minister should lead the boycott of the public transit system.
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., far from national fame, acccepted the call to lead the cause. As much as he had feared the recourse for such a movement amid so much unbridled and unchecked prejudice, his own account states that he came to rely on his faith in God and find a way to withstand the terrible threats of harm, and loss of life. Dr. King’s suffering in peaceful protests only fueled his ability to lead and align so many people of different races with one of the greatest dreams in existence.
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Standing at the steps of freedom, he asserted that all non-white American citizens were entitled to cash a check, a promissory note of sorts, that would protect so many unalienable rights that had been overlooked, ignored, destroyed, and disgraced under the red, white, and blue. Dr. King called upon the American people to make good on a check that previously came back marked as ‘insufficient funds’ knowing that freedom and justice had not yet set on this great nation.
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The Hours were long. The Efforts were exhausted. The Pains were great. Yet so was the cause. So many heroes of the civil rights movement had banded together to drive change and promote a rare freedom from centuries of oppression. To his lament, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr lived to see his brother in arms, Malcolm X, assassinated at the feet of liberty only to later become a martyr himself.
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But fighters emerge from the most unexpected places. He knew how very real the risk was. He knew the sacrifice. And he fought anyway. Be true to yourself & your ability to overcome. And when nothing is left, fight anyway! And always... dream.
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08/11/2018

Your goals don’t care about how you feel! I was a 115 pound freshman with a broken back and I told everyone I was going to play college football. And absolutely zero people believed me. And how could they?
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I still wake up every morning to a broken back. That will never change. The ability to drown people out and focus your energy on the impossible is an everyday process. Everyday that you wake up, you too will be faced with adversity and you can easily take it personal. Or you can make the decision each morning that today is the day that you make a difference in your life and in others who haven’t yet learned what it means to fight.
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Be a Fighter everyday! And you will get in the habit on knocking down walls and making each setback your stepping stone into a reinvented version of yourself that welcomes change, life’s challenges, and the opportunity to dream the impossible. Today is never the end. Completely dependent upon your outlook, its the first day in what you are shaping your life to be moving forward. So fight till heres nothing left!
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02/11/2018

You cannot stop the waves from crashing. There is no reset button when the storm comes to your shore. You might get lucky. You might nearly drown in the process. But you should get used to swimming in deep water. If you find the closest thing that keeps you afloat and you swim for it, you just might make it. Surfers do it all the time.
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The ocean can be daunting and promise a formidable storm where the only escape might be to totally remove yourself from the coastline all together. Life, however, does not give you the option of being totally removed. There is no reset button and hiding from trouble, even ignoring your need to intentionally seek to be happy, only brings with it detrimental effects.
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But faith in God and placing your hope and your complete trust in the one who made you who you are will allow you to press forward. You cannot mistakenly say that Christ is your savior from sin while also neglecting his role as the good shepherd who cares for his flock. The one who allowed the storm has also allowed the Fighter to exist and to thrive in adversity. He has a plan for you. He will help you as often as you call for it. You are never alone and you are never without the love of God to bring you lasting happiness that none can remove from your way. God has empowered the Fighter to do and be better than who they assumed they could before the storm hits and God’s refuge will be the source that allows you to withstand troubled waters without becoming bitter, angry or resentful—without being totally removed. You must be brave enough to reinvent yourself, be that optimist, and accept that you can find joy in the life that you choose for yourself moving forward. Find the safe refuge that only God can provide and find out just how much God loves you.
⚡️..The devil whispered to the Fighter, 'You can not withstand the storm’ to which the Fighter responded, 'I am the storm.'
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22/08/2018

I am filled with so much gratitude to have John Bytheway invite me to share my story at BYU Education Week! Nobody promotes my book more than him—not even me! LoL
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I was able to relate to a few hundred people that doing whatever it takes (like 17 months of rehab and doing 1,300 sit-ups with a 10 pound weight on your chest in order to play college football) will always bring you eternal rewards as well as the support and comfort from your creator who made you to be such a “Some have faith to heal others, others have faith to be healed, I had faith that God didnt want me to Stop!” ...It’s all about embarking with all of your Heart, Might, Mind and Strength!
Thank you, John!
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Also, my man was well represented today! 👊🏼




Photocred: @ BYU

13/08/2018

LIVE FEARLESS!
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
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2 Timothy 1:7 shows how God seeks to empower us to overcome adversity. He is always cheering the Fighter on and supporting him or her in their quest to become a champion. It is not your fate in life to live without fear but to live above it when the gun goes off. God is on your side and has given you all the gifts and tools you need to be victorious.
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