Five foot, nine inches tall, 229 pounds. Reading these stats you’d might think of a bit overweight individual you may work with, or your next door neighbor. Instead those dimensions described a former National Football League Pro Bow Linebacker, Sam Mills.
Sam Mills played fifteen years in the NFL; twelve of those with the Carolina Panthers. He led the Panthers in team tackles 10 times and eclipsed the 100-tackle plateau in eight seasons. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2022. He lost his battle with cancer in 2005.
In 2003, when addressing the Panthers, as an Assistant Coach, “He implored the team to ‘Keep Pounding’ before a home playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. That phrase has become a cornerstone of the Panthers culture and identity.”
The phrase, keep pounding, was indicative of an individual who was told he was too small to play professionally. There was no way he could make a NFL team much less star and gain the accolades he did. He just kept pounding. The pounding drowned out the naysayers.
Keep pounding is a call to persist. It is a rally cry to hold on. Hang in. Never give up, in, or out. Take one more step. Believe one minute more.
Keep pounding is a mantra to listen to your inner voice of resolve. It is an encouragement to do what you can do, the best you can do it. It is two powerful words of fortitude.
Keep pounding each day. Keep pounding through the barriers of discouragement. Keep pounding when the weariness sets in. Keep pounding when the pull to quit seeps in. Keep pounding when…just keep pounding.