A Leader is a Dealer of Hope–10 Days of Inspiration

I was excited when Ashlee invited me to write about somebody who inspires me, but for some reason I have procrastinated writing this article. At least a dozen different times I have sat down at the computer without writing. I finally realized why I was struggling so much.

The person I decided to write about is former NFL player, David Vobora. I don’t care much about sports, but David Vobora is one of the most inspiring people I’ve learned about. I’m a huge fan of his story, of what he is doing at his foundation, and the impact he is having on the world.

I fear that whatever words I write about him cannot come close to doing justice to the man and his mission.  This is why I failed to write before, but as David would say, “trust your gut” – stop letting your thoughts, fears, and doubts hold you back from whatever it is you felt needed to be done and just do it!

David Vobora was the 252^nd draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. This is literally the very last pick and the player picked last for the NFL is called “Mr. Irrelevant.”

Undaunted by this demeaning nickname, Vobora went to work and after some twists and turns became the first Mr. Irrelevant in 14 years to start in a game in his rookie season.

He played for about 3 years, but his career was cut short by a catastrophic shoulder injury.

David’s life was in crisis. Between a prescription pain medication addiction and having to redefine his life without football, David declined until he hit rock bottom. In a short amount of time he went from working out in the NFL to having seizures in a rehab, so weak he couldn’t even hold his dinner plate.

After rehab, David started a gym for elite athletes. He was doing well, but something was still missing. A couple of serendipitous events introduced David to two veterans with amputations. He started training them and found his passion for helping others who were broken physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

At this point I realize my fear was valid. I can’t explain this as well as it deserves. Please take a moment to watch a video that Starbucks made about David and his gym.  When you come back, let me share the main reason that his story means so much to me.

Our purpose here at Intentional Inspirations is to help each of us identify and live our purpose, because through doing that we will experience the greatest measure of joy and satisfaction for ourselves and we will change the world by inspiring and bringing hope into the lives of others.

David Vobora exemplifies our mission. He is a powerful example of what happens when someone answers the call to be their most authentic self.

When talking about the moment he met Brian Aft, David said, “When you recognize that your gifts match the needs of others right in front of you – it’s not by your choice. Your choice is to listen when that call is made!  And I chose to listen that day. And I’m so happy that Brian Aft is still here and that Brian Aft isn’t a statistic. Because that statistic sucks! And suicide sucks. And if more people recognized that… purpose for them comes from building into others, this world would look significantly different.”

That is an astounding result, and it is easy to respond with thoughts like – Sure, David is amazing and played in the NFL… of course he can influence somebody like that.

David would tell you not to believe that lie. You and I can make an equally significant impact on the lives of those around us!

I’ll end with an invitation comprised of a few quotes I got from David in several of the videos and interviews he has done.

“A leader is a dealer of Hope.” How have you felt that you could step up and do something to inspire hope in another person?

“Don’t marginalize your capabilities as a leader and put them conveniently out of reach and say, ‘somebody else was built for that.’”

“Don’t let what you can’t do affect what you can do.”

“You can serve without compassion, but you cannot offer true compassion without service.”  Your gifts fit somebody’s needs.

What are you doing to develop those gifts?  How can you share those gifts more with others?

“How are you invested in your personal story?  You cannot give what you do not have.”

I hope you are inspired by David’s story. I hope you have felt that call – that gut feeling of where your gifts meet another’s needs – and that you step up into that leadership role of dealing hope.