This Is the Day
by Tim Tebow
★★★★★
Live without regrets
This Is the Day: Reclaim Your Dream. Ignite Your Passion. Live Your Purpose.
Loved this book and all the inspiration it contained! I can’t even begin to describe what an impact This Is the Day had on me. It hit so close to home with so much of the descriptions of what we let control our days, our time, and our thoughts. It hit me where I lived, putting things off until tomorrow, because that would be a better day to make that effort, to keep that commitment, and the duties and desires of today take precedence over what is really important for me to do today, for others and for myself.
I’m not into sports or following celebrities, so I didn’t know a whole lot about Tim Tebow going into this book, except that he was a football player who knelt at games. An acquaintance recommended This Is the Day, and I’m so glad they did. Tim Tebow has included so much good advice about living each day to the fullest, despite setbacks, fear, and distractions. He encourages us to be our best and to follow our passions. What timely advice for our society, even without the Christian aspect! We are so absorbed with entertainment, celebrities, and social media, holding ourselves accountable to an imaginary relationship. We need to refocus our attention. “We can focus only on today. Right now. This moment.”
But there is a Christian aspect to this book, which makes it even deeper, although I don’t believe you need to be a Christian to benefit from Tim’s advice. He dedicates a lot of his time to serving others through each day of his life, whether it’s in airports, airplanes, the playing field, or working through his Foundation. It’s inspiring that a person who has had so much is willing to set it all aside and dedicate his time to helping others. While it was fascinating to hear about Tim’s baseball career and what great examples he harvested from that, it was inspiring that This Is the Day read like a sincere pep talk for living life with integrity, intention, and intensity. Tim’s is not the only witness, as he uses stories about other to support his points in the book, and it’s obvious that he has not done what he has to gain the approval of people, but his God’s approval.
Serving others, is not his only focus for his readers, Tim also wants us to rescue ourselves, to stop getting lost in the distractions and voices around us that tell us we’re failures, we can’t succeed, we don’t have what it takes. He wants to encourage us to speak truth and positivity into our own lives. “Sometimes, you need to do this out loud. It’s amazing what an incredible difference hearing yourself speak words of encouragement will have on your mind-set, your outlook on life, and the moments that may get you down. If you don’t block out the negativity, the loneliness, or the questions, they will fester and take hold of you.”
While sports has been an arena where Tim has been very successful, he counts what he’s done for others and the impact he’s had on their lives, especially those who are ill, special needs, those tossed about by hurricanes, and even the homeless. That is the difference that drives his life, and he articulates so well how we can get a focus on others, rather than ourselves. And he uses one of my favorite quotes: “Only a life lived for others is the life worthwhile” (Albert Einstein) as the quote for the beginning of one of his chapters. (Actually, the chapters all have fantastic quotes, so don’t overlook them.) It takes a lot of guts to serve others everywhere we are called, it’s not that much easier on a plane than it is talking to a prisoner. In fact, it might be harder, because the prisoner knows there’s something missing and have more invested in admitting their mistakes. The rest of us just hide it better.
I’m looking back and I have a zillion highlights for this book and intentions to ask my family to join me by also reading it and discussing it among ourselves. So many awesome quotes! “Many people want the rewards of hard work, but few are willing to put in the effort required to reap the end result.” “But learning how to face and work through the grind gives you the greatest potential of being everything you can be.” “There is no instant payoff with growth.” He has so much quotable wisdom about work and the work ethic. I think it’s great that someone with his fame and skills emphasizes that it’s work that got him where he is, that talent and desire are not enough. You have to put the work in.
And yet, for all his worldly success, Tim makes it clear that his sports career is not the most important aspect of his life. He talks so much about the time and activities he shares with family and friends. And the ultimate judgment: “I believe we are made to be in relationships. With God first, then with others. For me, others include my family, my friends, and hopefully one day a significant other. Community is truly what life is about. I believe investing in relationships is worth far more than any career choice I could make.”
I can’t recommend this book highly enough for inspiring one to choose the important areas of life in which to invest and to disconnect from the distractions and voices that we are all inundated with. We need to listen to our hearts, and we need to listen to God.
“When you’re just not feeling it, remember when you first trusted Jesus. Remember the moment when you were convicted in your spirit and overwhelmed by His grace. Remember the moment when you believed with your whole heart that God has a plan for you. Remember the moment you learned that your life was not an accident and that you have a unique purpose. Remember the time you shared the hope of the good news with a friend who made the decision to trust Jesus. Remember the song you sang in church or at a concert that so enraptured you in God’s presence, you could almost feel Him.”
Book description
Beyond Tim Tebow’s exploits as a Heisman-winning football player, he is widely known and respected for his exemplary character and personal excellence, which have made him a role model for millions. When Tim interacts with the public, he often encounters people who feel “stuck”–unable to take action on matters ranging from daily life to pursuing lifelong dreams. In response, Tim often identifies a crippling fear or lack of courage, to which he advises: “now is the time to take some risks, to quiet the voices of defeat, to step forward and make a mark, because this is the day.” In this inspiring, motivational book, readers will receive the advice and encouragement to daily move from “pause” to “play” in finding deeper meaning and success. Tim illustrates the book’s themes with stories from his personal life that will delight all readers, including his an update on his dream pursuit of a baseball career.
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