What is the true making of a champion? What comes to mind in describing a winner in a society that highly values professional sports, athletic competition and a world that is in dire need of true role models? Would it be holding a coveted Super Bowl or World Series trophy? Would it be embracing a Most Valuable Player or a Cy Young Award? Would it be winning a Teacher of the Year award? How about a Volunteer of the Year Award? Our society has all kinds of ideas of what constitutes a true champion. Professional athletes are revered for their athletic abilities. Businesspeople are esteemed for their extensive knowledge of products. Financial planners are respected for their knowledge of what life insurance has to offer. Stockbrokers are respected for their ability to help customers reap profits through stocks and bonds by knowing when to buy and sell in an unpredictable stock market. These people are considered successful by societal standards and are champions in their own right. Who are some of these champions we admire who have reached the pinnacle of success? How about Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Rupert Murdoch? How about super star professional athletes who are now successful businessmen such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Roger Staubach, John Elway or Nolan Ryan? Perhaps you know other champions who have not quite reached this stature but are successful in their professional fields. They may have achieved success in real estate, business investments or network marketing. You may very well know them and be in awe of their accomplishments and their ability to make wise choices. Are these truly champions we should revere? What is it about them that you are attracted to? Is it their ability to acquire wealth, their good looks, their reputations, fame or possessions that captures your attention? These people made many sacrifices to get to where they are today and understandably so. They were bold risk-takers and were not afraid to stand alone and follow their dreams when others criticized their innovative ideas. What is the true making of a champion? Is it the underdog who overcomes a life of poverty and becomes college-educated, gains distinction in his profession and gives back to his community? Is it a victim of bullying who survives the blows he was dealt and goes on to inspire others who had similar experiences? Is it a victim of abuse who finds the courage to leave an unhealthy relationship and discovers that her self-worth is really valuable? Or is it someone who dedicates himself or herself to ministry so he or she can reach victims of sex trafficking, abuse, neglect, homelessness, unemployment or broken relationships? Or how about a woman raised in the projects who becomes a business executive and builds a community center for underprivileged youth as an alternative to gang affiliation? In this book, I will take you on a path that will explore what is most meaningful in life. You are valuable and precious in Heaven’s eyes and you have little time to waste because you don’t know how much time you have left on this earth to follow the career or ministry path that you are destined to follow. We will look at principles that will help you explore what true success is all about while using pertinent illustrations to encourage you to become the champion that you are destined to become. A champion’s heart belongs to anyone who is willing to wrestle against forces that dare to keep you from reaching your full potential. You are destined for greatness, my friend, and I encourage you now to read on so you can find out what helps people overcome misfortune with a proper mindset. Open your heart and mind so you can be molded into the champion that longs to be discovered. My prayer is that you will build strength and character through adversity through The True Making of a Champion.

Becoming a True Champion offers a path to achieving athletic excellence, longevity, and dignity through the values and hard work that once distinguished athletes as true role models. Providing an antidote to images of misbehaving athletes, this book guides readers through the ethics and standards that will set them apart both on and off the field.

Having grown up in an impoverished environment, Demario Davis found himself leading a life filled with drugs, alcohol, violence, and eventually, jail. With the odds against him at every turn, he continued to pursue his dream of making a name for himself in the NFL. But when given a divine warning that he was dangerously close to hitting his final strike, he began searching for something greater. Journey with him as he shares his story of finding what it means to become a true champion in the midst of what the world may deem defeat. “If you’ve ever had the chance to meet Demario, you will truly understand the common phrase ‘force of nature.’ This title is normally reserved for athletes who are so powerful and agile that it’s overwhelming; you can’t stop it. Demario is like that on the field, but his joy, character, and passion for life might be his most powerful attributes. This book reminds us all that there’s something greater we live for. This might not always show up on a scoreboard or in a bank account, but our wins and losses do not have to define us. God’s call on our lives is the most important. Demario’s life is evidence of this exact thing. This book will be a blessing to anybody who is trying to make a difference in this world. I highly recommend it.” Carl Lentz, lead pastor of Hillsong East Coast “Demario’s story is one that will inspire, encourage, and challenge anyone who reads it. This book is a powerful story from an incredible man, whose faith in God will impact generations to come.” Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback “It speaks volumes when people who have money, power, and influence take time out of their busy lives to focus on the things that matter most. I’m looking forward to seeing what Demario creates off the field through his new book and the insights he’s found through his journey.” Andy Mineo, rapper

What makes a champion? Olympic champion Bob Richards says it's the will to win no matter what the odds. In The Heart of a Champion, he shares the incredible stories of athletes who have overcome hardship, disability, racism, sexism, and more to become the best the world has ever seen. A celebration of hard work and the indomitable human spirit, this book captures Richards's contagious enthusiasm for individual greatness as well as the beauty of working as a team. These inspirational true stories have been loved for fifty years. Now repackaged for a new generation of athletes and coaches, The Heart of a Champion is poised to influence thousands more with its message of hope and perseverance.

A twist of fate brings a man and horse together in this remarkable true story now available in a new version adapted by the author of the Marguerite Henry’s Ponies of Chincoteague series. Snowman, an Amish plow horse, was bound for the meat market when Harry deLeyer, a Long Island riding instructor, spotted him at auction. After making eye contact with the gentle giant deLeyer decided to purchase him for $80. At first, Snowman was just a horse that children rode during lessons, but when deLeyer sold him to a neighbor, the horse had other ideas. He would jump the high fences so he could return “home.” Harry then began training Snowman as a show jumper. Less than two years out of the plow fields, Snowman won the 1958 horse show jumping Triple Crown—the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year, Professional Horseman’s Association Champion, and Champion of Madison Square Garden’s Diamond Jubilee. Snowman was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1992.

This Treasury of Powerful Wisdom Principles Will Inspire You To Overcome Mediocrity And Pursue Excellence In Every Area of Your Life. Discover The Keys To Breaking Old Patterns / Unlock Your God-Given Potential / Stop Taking Journeys Into Yesterday / Decisions Create Destinies / Failure Is Not Fatal. A 31 Chapter Daily Devotional.

DOES IT SEEM LIKE YOU NEVER HAVE TIME TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE? Are you waiting for a hero to come and rescue you? Do you feel like the universe is conspiring against you to keep you from doing what will make you happy? Duane Martinz knows those feelings, but over time, he has learned not to let fear and setbacks stand in his way. In 'Becoming Your Own Champion', Duane shares the inspirational tale of how he learned to change his thoughts and the stories he told himself into a tale with him at the center as the champion of his own life. Through his story, you will learn how to declare your own championship season and rescue yourself from monotony and lack of fulfillment. When you embark on this championship season journey with Duane, you will finally discover how to: * Live life to the fullest * Not die with your music still in you * Surround yourself with greatness * Have an attitude of gratitude * Trust yourself * Become an uncommon leader * Do the right thing * Direct your outcome Overcome your fears After reading this book, you'll join Duane in being a reverse paranoid–someone who believes the universe is conspiring to bring about good in your life. And once you become your own champion, you'll discover that no doors are barred against you. Opportunity is knocking and you just need to open that door to experience life to the fullest, and it all begins with reading this book.