Thursday 15 June 2017

MND - Courage and Purpose (and Action)

“When all is said and done, more is said than done”

There is courage and conviction, and then there is Neale Daniher.

Some may know him as an incredibly talented footballer whose career was cut short by injury. To others he was an inspirational coach motivating out performance from his players, perhaps at the expense of strategy.

To his family, he is an amazingly giving and loving Father, Husband, Brother, Uncle.

To millions, he is the face of Motor Neurone Disease, (MND) devoting his final years to raising funds to find a cure.

Daniher epitomises making choices in life that make a difference. He was diagnosed in 2013 with MND or put it another way, he was diagnosed with an uncertain future, ending in certain death, sooner rather than later.

He could have used his profile to do anything, including maximising pity. He could have chosen “selfish” and no one would have blamed or judged him. Neale Daniher chose “selflessness” and chances are, many people in the future will owe their way of life to him.

He refuses to accept defeat in the chase to find a cure for MND. He fully understands it is not about him, he knows it is too late. He believes, no, he knows there is a cure, we just haven’t found it yet. Daniher has dedicated his life, all of it since 2013, to finding this cure.

He could survive, make the most of it, pamper and spoil himself, fulfil his bucket list but he doesn’t.

Neal Daniher lives by the edict of action, and represents the value of a “life purpose”.

To be complete, do we need a ‘life purpose’? I suspect we do, but I also suspect we all too often lack the courage to identify and then acknowledge our true-life purpose, let alone pursue it – myself included.

Last week Daniher addressed the players of the Melbourne Football Club, a team he coached with some distinction. Sure, he spoke about football, but more than that, he spoke about life.

“When all is said and done, more is said than done”.

Click here for his address, and make an investment in the rest of your life. It is only 4 minutes 32 seconds.

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