Like most of you, I didn't know Stuart Scott personally.
He came into my living room on a regular basis with amazing catch phrases. It almost made me feel like I know him. That's why the death of a famous sportscaster hits a lot of us hard because he might have been the last voice we heard before we went to bed.
Not only that. His zest for life that makes you think about your own immortality. Stuart Scott was fearless. I watched an amazing 15 minute tribute to him on ESPN. It was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.
Stuart Scott was a fearless man. He didn't care what other people thought. He decided he was going to chart a course in his life to have absolutely no regrets. He didn't play it safe when it came to announcing and he went after everything with zest.
He was an amazing father to two beautiful girls. You see it when he received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award last summer. He brought his daughter up on stage, sick as can be. Stuart Scott really left us a lot. He left us a lot of great catch phrases we'll always remember like, "Boo Ya!" Or the way he described a home run on ESPN's "SportsCenter."
But the legacy of Stuart Scott is much deeper. I've been coaching men and women for 15 years and I know a lot of people like Stuart Scott.
People who wake up every single morning with a zest for life, an intense love of life. People like Stuart Scott don't allow life to dictate what's going to happen next. They take control of their lives. People who have the power Stuart Scott brought every single day don't listen to what the masses say. They know instinctually, deep down what they're about and what they need to accomplish.
That's what made Stuart Scott amazing. What made him truly amazing was that he made a decision in his life to live it the way he wanted to, even with cancer. There's a quote from him that literally said that he did not want to know what stage the cancer was in. He didn't want to give in to it.
Deep down he probably knew he had limited time left. But it didn't matter because every single day this man lived with passion, to the absolute fullest. That's where the lesson comes in. How many of you are living your life to your fullest?
Be honest here.
How many of you wake up every morning and tap into your inner Stuart Scott? Do you wake up and do the things that instinctually feel good? Or are you constantly evaluating yourself and constantly contradicting yourself? Are you constantly seeking validation from others?
The real lesson here is what you can learn from Stuart Scott. The way he lived is the way you should be living. He lived 49 years. Did he deserve another 40 years? Absolutely. No one deserves to die young. But he lived every single day. So in his 49 years, he probably lived more than someone who's been on this planet 80 years who lived in fear.
What we can learn from Stuart Scott is to live a fearless life, a life full of passion, a life full of adventure, a life that's rewarding to you on all levels. I want all of you to tap into that inner Stuart Scott.
I want you to look at his death as a gift, a gift you're going to be able to use every day. If Stuart Scott could crawl into your healthy body, what would he do with your life.
That's the life you should be living.
Read more from David at www.davidwygant.com