JohnA Passaro Quotes & Sayings

Just imagine what would have happened if Michael Jordan quit after getting cut from his High School Basketball team? — JohnA Passaro

Just do the next right thing.
Then repeat indefinitely. — JohnA Passaro

This holiday season I learned the vue if presence over presents. — JohnA Passaro

One person with belief is worth a thousand people with only an interest. — JohnA Passaro

I need to dream.
I need to believe.
I need to know that I have some control in my life.
That if I work hard, that I will be rewarded.
That life is not arbitrary.
I need to believe that bad things happen to good people, for a greater reason.
That dedication, sacrifice, hard work, discipline are all worthy attributes that will eventually produce extraordinary results.
That if I live a certain lifestyle, that my family will be better for that.
That there is a direct link between my actions and my results.
That If I prepare properly that I can face the insurmountable foe and look him in the eye and say "Bring it on, I can take whatever you can dish out."
I need to keep living in order to save my daughter from dying. — JohnA Passaro

I love my mother.
My mother loves my dad.
Those two facts are undeniable.
I want my father to live.
I want him to fight to live as long as he can.
My mother wants to let him pass.
She does not want him suffering anymore.
She says that I am not there in the middle of the night at home, when he begs her to let him die.
I say that he should not be taking the medicine that the doctor is prescribing, that it made Mike Tyson want to eat his opponents young. — JohnA Passaro

In a proud fatherly sadomasicisticly way, I am thrilled when I get hit. As every deep purple bruise on my body represented a perfect swing.
If I were to lift my shirt at any time there would be 4-5 bruises on my body ...
As soon as I was able to, I would throw batting practice again from the short distance, and take another shot if necessary to keep the boys in the zone. — JohnA Passaro

Sometimes life is your opponent and just showing up is a victory. — JohnA Passaro

When you decide that you are going to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes, sometime during your seemingly infinite journey the weathervane will just change direction and the new winds of positive change will blow at your back instead of into your face and things will just get easier and you will start to see progress right out of the blue.
When that day happens you will know that it is just a matter of time.
And time is what I have. — JohnA Passaro

There will never be "the right time" in your life to do a great thing.
You must create that time and greatness will follow. — JohnA Passaro

The most valuable thing in the world is a good person. — JohnA Passaro

The fulfillment of your dreams lies within you and you alone.
When you understand and accept this then nothing, or no one can deny you greatness. — JohnA Passaro

I know the answer to improving Jess's condition doesn't lay in tears the answer is in sweat. — JohnA Passaro

It seems like it has been forever.
But i getbthe feeling that forever hasn't even started yet. — JohnA Passaro

A dear friend of mine recently asked me how did I find happiness after all that i have been through?
After thinking about it for a while I realized that you don't find happiness, it is not hidden, it's right there out in the open.
Happiness is a decision not something that is lost.
You just have to recognize all that there is to be happy about and decide to be happy because everything in life is miracle. — JohnA Passaro

The key to this world is to be loved by your fellow man and to be liked by yourself. — JohnA Passaro

Water boils at 212 degrees.
At 211 degrees it's just hot.
Every degree is needed. — JohnA Passaro

Mr. Passaro, let me teach you about how medicine works." He starts out.
"One of two things is going to happen. Either the Doctors are going to say I told you so, or they are going to say that Jess was the exception. What you believe will determine who gets to say I told you so to whom."
"Never stop believing." He begs me.
"Doctor, you are on the team". I say.
He smiles. — JohnA Passaro

Find a way.

It is that simple. — JohnA Passaro

If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we would be happy with more? — JohnA Passaro

You decide every moment of every day who you are and what you believe in.
The good news is you get another chance to improve in another second. — JohnA Passaro

I guarantee that tomorrow there will be something that will happen, that has never happened before.
That is something to look forward too.
And the best part of tomorrow is that there is another one just a day later. — JohnA Passaro

A diagnosis is not a prognosis unless you let it be. — JohnA Passaro

I am noticing a big difference in the way the hospital workers are looking at me as I approach Jess's room.
The look of sincere sympathy that used to be on their faces when they made eye contact with me is gone.
It has been replaced by shear helplessness as they quickly walk past me with their heads tilted down and to the right.
I feel like Bud Fox walking into his office with the Securities and Exchange Commission awaiting him. — JohnA Passaro

There was no way possible that I was going to have a life and not live it. — JohnA Passaro

There is a very good organization called "Make a Wish Foundation" that helps make a dying child's wishes come true.
People go out of their way and work together to create an unbelievable lasting memory for a deserving person.
What just dawned on me was:
Why do we wait until someone is dying in order to do that?
We have the opportunity to do this everyday for many, many, many people over our lifetime.
It doesn't have to be a really big wish, small wishes add up fast.
Imagine how much better the world would be if we all granted each other small wishes that came true every day.
Find someone today and implement the "Make a Wish" concept in your life.
Watch what happens. — JohnA Passaro

This holiday season has taught me the value of presence over presents.
It is good to be home. — JohnA Passaro

I drop kindness pebbles in still water everyday, and I watch the effect they have on other people's lives.
My favorite kindness pebbles are compliments.
Drop a compliment and watch the ripple affect that it has in your life. — JohnA Passaro

September 14th, 2009 — JohnA Passaro

When the zone calls, you must listen.
You never know how long being in the zone lasts.
It is a cardinal rule - you must take advantage of every second that you are in the zone. — JohnA Passaro

The best thing you can say to someone going through a tragic loss is not that
"It's going to be alright"
It is:
"Hold on tight because this is going to hurt like hell". — JohnA Passaro

It has taken me four years to figure this out.
If we live long enough, we all will experience this.
Don't ever predetermine how you think that you should feel on an anniversary of a tragic event in your life, such as a death of a loved one, or on a holiday after such an event.
Each year starts out with 365 days, and I will be damned if I am giving up even one of them to misery. — JohnA Passaro

There is something special about baseball that goes far deeper than being a game. It is the father-son relationship that is built, the life lessons that are taught in the process of playing a game and the ability to overcome not succeeding all of the time and still considering yourself a success. — JohnA Passaro

You are closer to victory than you know, when you feel you just can't go on any longer. It is what makes champions who they are, the ability to muster up a little bit more when everyone else would give in. It is at that moment a tipping point usually occurs. — JohnA Passaro

I believe there are no coincidences in life, only subtle signs that when you inspect them, will lead you to where you need to go. — JohnA Passaro

Today is not the real Father's Day.
It is the man made version.
The real Father's Day are the other 364 other days of the year that I get to see my boys grow into men and my girls grow into ladies and feel I had a slight part of the people that they turned out to be.
Not a better feeling in the world.
With every life lesson taught, half of which are understood at the time, and the other half that are understood after I am told to stop being ridiculous - EVERYDAY is Father's Day.
And I wouldn't trade it for the world. Good and bad.
I can honestly say there is no feeling on earth, like being a father and a dad. — JohnA Passaro

My original fear that my daughter was going to die before BettyJane and myself has now been replaced with the fear that she is going to outlive us. — JohnA Passaro

It is 2:06 am, one of 1488 nights that I lie awake trying to make sense of it all, trying to find an ounce of inspiration so I can convert it to a pound of energy - Energy so needed to just win the next day. — JohnA Passaro

There is a scene in one of the Rocky movies where after the match Apollo Creed and Rocky are waiting for the scoring of their brawl all beat up and battered, obviously both fighters gave all they had to win, and Apollo Creed says to Rocky - "Your not getting a rematch" and Rocky says "I don't want one".
I love that scene.
That's when you know that you left no doubt - that your opponent, win or lose, never wants to compete against you ever again.
That's fighting. — JohnA Passaro

When your dreams are big enough the odds just don't matter. — JohnA Passaro

We spend 8 hours a day, for 10 months a year, for nearly 17 years sending our kids to school to prepare them for life.
In all of that time there is never a course in overcoming adversity, goal setting, sacrifice, perseverance, teammates, or family.
I guess that's what wrestling is for. — JohnA Passaro

It is at this moment that I realize the best thing I ever did in my life was to marry this woman.
She is willing to give up her life for her child. I know most parents would do the same. But how many mothers would give up everything that they love, everything that they will ever be able to do in the future for the "possibility and not the guarantee" of getting their child better.
Now reduce the odds of success to less than 1%.
How many mothers are still standing?
She is. — JohnA Passaro

There are a few things in life that occur, that you don't ask for, that are just dealt to you.
These things can define you or you can define yourself through them.
I elect to define myself through overcoming what has been dealt to me in my life.
It took thirty-one years and two generations of tweaking to get my first perfect ending.
Now I am going to work on my next one. — JohnA Passaro

Q: Does it get easier?
A: No, you just get better at it. — JohnA Passaro

There is an open circle."
This mantra is what my high school coaches would say to me during wrestling practice when they knew that I was physically exhausted and was about to rest for a moment. There was an open circle on the wrestling mat, and if I was interested I could get out there and do more.
"There is an open circle."
Meaning there is still more that you could do. Don't rest now; this is where the difference is made. To work when you are mentally and physically exhausted gets you to the next level.
"There is an open circle. — JohnA Passaro

Be grateful.

Not Hateful. — JohnA Passaro

In some aspects losing a child is like a wall, but instead of getting over it, you must carry the wall with you, wherever you go, for as long as you live.
The wall is immovable.
You can't go anywhere until you learn to move the wall.
You are just stuck in the same place, forever.
You can tug and tug all you want, there are days that the wall will not move.
And there are days that it moves ever so slightly.
Over time I have realized that in order to move forward, knowing that I must bring this wall with me, that the best way to do so is to metaphorically flood the soil near the wall with water, and have the wall float with me, instead of me having to carry it.
Every act of love and kindness turns to water.
Water and love can penetrate and move anything.
It just takes time.
I need to turn my wall into a raft. — JohnA Passaro

Went to bed with a dream.

Woke up with a purpose. — JohnA Passaro