Am I Doing My Best

"Nobody who ever gave his best, regretted it."
~ George Halas
***
In high school, John Baker did not look like much of athlete; he was short and on the thin side. Because of his physical stature, John did not participate in any of the traditional high school sports. Instead he developed a passion for distance running and set his sight on making the high school track team.

In his first race, John beat the defending state champion and set a new meet record. Baker was asked how he came from behind to win the race. He responded that during the first half of the race he knew he was struggling and he asked himself. “Am I doing my best?” Wanting to give his best effort, he focused on the back of the runners ahead of him. He convinced himself that he would overtake them, “one by one.” Instead of focusing on the struggle, Baker’s entire focus was on passing the runner in front of him. He blocked out anything that could have caused a distraction. Baker eventually passed the last runner and hung on to win the meet.

John Baker had a remarkable high school career. He was considered one to the best distance runners in the State of New Mexico. He never lost a race in his senior year and finished his high school career as a state champion. Baker attended the University of New Mexico on a track scholarship and continued to excel in the sport he loved. Baker graduated from college and began training for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games.

When he wasn’t training, Baker was enjoining a newly found passion; coaching children. Baker accepted a coaching job at Aspen Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The children quickly found themselves endeared to Baker. He cared about the children, and they knew it. He was referred to as, “the coach who cared. Baker taught each child the importance of giving their best.

In May 1969, John Baker was diagnosed with cancer. His prognosis was not good; six months at best. Devastated, Baker contemplated suicide. He did not want to put his family, or the children through the pain watching someone die of terminal cancer. Prior to taking his life, in a brief moment, Baker saw the faces of the children at the school. He thought about what they would think of him. He taught them to give their best, yet he wasn’t willing to do the same. Right then, Baker decided to once again, give his best. John Baker wasn’t going to be a quitter. He decided that he would live the remainder of his life, asking himself at every opportunity, “Am I giving my best?”

After having surgery and follow-up treatments, John Baker returned to Aspen with a goal to make the sports program better than before. He declined to take pain medication because he was concerned it would affect his ability to relate to the children. Certainly, John Baker was giving his best. The school became inundated with letters from parents praising Baker for his positive impact on children.

In early 1970, Baker was asked by a small Albuquerque track club for girls to coach the team. True to fashion, Baker got the best out of each girl. The girls had become so good that Baker boasted that they would be competing in AAU track finals later in the year.

Throughout the summer months, Baker's condition continued to decline. By October, Baker found it difficult to attend practices. On Thanksgiving Day in 1970, John Baker passed away. Giving his best to the end, he lived one year longer than any doctor expected. Two day after his death, his girls track team not only competed in the AAU finals; they won the AAU championship in honor of Coach Baker.

In May of 1971, Aspen Elementary School officially became John Baker Elementary School. The name change was put up to a vote after the children began calling the school “John Baker School.” The name change proposal passed without any No votes.

John Baker was a young man who constantly asked himself, “Am I giving my best.” His legacy is evidence that he gave his very best. He was state champion in high school. He had a successful track career in college. He had an elementary school named after him. And, more importantly, he left an impression in the lives of many children. An impression they’ll likely never forget. Not bad for someone who only lived to be 26 years old!

How about you? Are you willing to adopt John Baker’s motto, which asks the question, “Am I giving my best.” It certainly worked for John Baker in the short time he had here on earth. Now, I can’t guarantee you that you’ll have a building named after you, but I can guarantee that you'll become a better person in everything that you do. Just as Baker, while running, knew that his focus had to be on one runner at a time, I ask you to focus on giving your best in the present moment; one event at a time. For if you do, just like John Baker you’ll eventually find yourself a winner.

It's your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it
MJD