No Sleep

It’s funny I wrote a blog a few days ago about being rejected by sponsors.  I was devastated to say the least.  With that said I have been having trouble sleeping the last few weeks and have spent several nights not sleeping or being up very late.  I never went to sleep the other night and spent most of the night on Facebook.

I was reading some stuff about sponsorship and being on pro teams.  I realized why I am worrying about sponsorship.  Yeah it would be nice to have help in the fishing industry and get discounts but I fish because I love it, because when I do I feel close to God.  I watched this funny clip floating around face book about guys being on pro teams and how they get on a pro team and then spend more than they would to be on it.  I’ve found that I only want to partner with companies I use.  I only use Vicious line and will not approach any other line companies.  Just like crankbaits, 95% of the crankbaits I use are Strike Kings and I don’t care to approach other companies because I don’t want to use anything else.

I also have had this need to get a new bass boat (which is always there just more at the moment).  I want to fish BFL’s and don’t know that my trusty old 1979 Ranger bass boat will do the trick.  After talking to a few guys and hearing about other people fishing big tourneys in smaller Jon boats.  I am feeling better about my boat. No, I don’t think I will fish BFL’s in it but with the help of my friend Josh I hope we can fix my boat up a little and make it a little better to fish from this coming season.

Even though I didn’t sleep I learned a lot.  God uses all situations to help us grow.  I truly did grow that night.  I realized that I have a great boat.  Its old, it doesn’t go as fast as the guys I fish with but it gets me fishing.  I have great sponsors like JJ’s Magic, Atomic Tackle Company, BB-Lures, Inside Bass Fishing, GLCC, CenterMark Coaching, Bass Fury and Fish Bait Radio.

My wife was telling me about a conversation she had with a lady she works with that helped me gain a new perspective on my sponsors.  The co-worker said it was impressive that I have lined up the sponsors I have.  In this economy to her that was impressive.  My wife realized that I have done a lot and when I stop and think about what her co-worker said, they are right I have done a lot.  I don’t need to have a big sponsor I have a lot more than most guys.

Rejection

I have been feeling down all day.  I sent out a bunch of inquires about sponsorship in the last week and  I have heard a lot of no’s.  I know I have a lot to offer a company if they would take a chance on me.  I talked to Mike Harrison my life coach and he told me not to get down.  Yet it didn’t help me feel any better. 

My friend Josh and I started a Bible study to help keep each other accountable.  We are meeting in about 30 minutes.  We started in the book of James.  I have read chapter 1 everyday this week.  Yet today I saw something that I had not noticed all week.  James 1:2-8 spoke to me today:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

Most people would not think this is a trial, but for me it is.  Rejection hurts, being told that I “overvalue myself” according to some companies really bothered me.  I think I may have undervalued myself to be honest.  This is a bump in the road and I know that with God on my side I can persevere.  

It seems like when I am down God gives me a glimpse of hope. I had Hogs Tornado Baits contact me this week about doing a review for them because they like my work. Then, after being down and posting how I felt on Facebook today, I was contacted by two companies about possible sponsorship.  Yet once again that excited feeling left when one of them was a competing company of JJ’s Magic one of my sponsors.  The other one is most likely a no, but I gained some insight into what larger companies are looking for.  It was a disappointment with a bright spot, I have a better understanding of what to do and what to expect.  James says “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  I lack wisdom when approaching sponsors, yes I have managed to get several, but when going to larger companies I have no clue about what they are interested in.  God has given me wisdom that I did not have before.  I gained insight from someone in the business and now have a better idea of what companies are looking for.

It’s a great feeling knowing God is on my side and that even when I am rejected by a company God will never reject me.

Cleaning out the old in with the new

Winter is the off season for a fisherman, unless they like to sit in the cold and ice fish.  It can be a time of anticipation waiting for spring to come and the opportunity to hit the water.  It can also be a time when a bass angler can get ready for the next season.  They can work on sponsors re-signing, getting new ones that sort of thing.  They can figure out when to plan a trip to the lake of their dreams.  It is also a great time to do research for lakes they might have to fish the next year.

One of the things I do during the off season is go thru my tackle and figure out what I need and get rid of the stuff I don’t use.  It can be a great time to get all of that tackle you need for the following year at a lower price than normal.  Anglers can evaluate what they have and what they need.

Christians don’t need an off season to figure out what we need to get rid of in our lives.  We have the Holy Spirit to help us get rid of the things we don’t need in our lives.  Much like tackle we have accumulated over the past year of fishing there are things in our lives that we don’t need.  The Holy Spirit is there to convict us about things in our lives that are harmful to our Christian lives.  It helps us to identify those areas in our lives that need to be changed.  Just like our tackle boxes there are things in each Christian’s life that need to be cleaned out. 

Sponsorship

It seems that anybody that fishes bass tournaments wants a sponsor (s). I have spent my fair share of time thinking that way too. It wasn’t until recently that I realized it’s not what the sponsor can do for me but what can I do for my sponsor. I think we tend to get greedy when it comes to sponsors. We want more and more.

I have spent some time recently helping some anglers who want sponsors. What keeps coming back to me is that idea of what can I do for them. One of my goals is to help other anglers; I want to be a fishing coach. I want to help other anglers see how to reach their goals of getting sponsorships but keeping in mind that it is not all about them.

As I was writing this I was thinking, what if Jesus had only thought about himself. What if he had decided, you know what this is about me and what is best for me, I’m not going to die on the cross? Where would we be? But instead Christ thought about us, and what he could do for us. We as anglers need to have the same mentality and not worry about what that sponsor will do for you but what we will do for the sponsor.