15 Some Goals worth accomplishing. Should be missed for the right experience.

When I was around the age of 12 the leader of our congregation, also a high school football coach, brought in a man who told us a story that went a little something like this... It has been 28 years please forgive the details. 

This man told a story of a teenager, his friend, who had a list of goals on his wall. He spoke of how his friend had achieved all those goals. The friend worked towards them and had accomplished all of them save one. It was to compete and win at the state level in his athletic of choice. He had achieved the honor of doing so... including playing in the final round of completion.
His coach, our religious leader, came to him one afternoon, the regional special needs school was having their prom and the coach ask if this young man would be willing to take one of these students, a young lady, to their prom. There was only one thing that was that it was the day of the competition; his coach did know the significance of the date but felt strongly he should ask this young man. 
This young man went home, rending his heart knowing what he should do and what he wanted to do. He looked at his goals on the wall and the only one that had not been crossed off. 
His team took the championship. They won by a large amount as I recall, even though they had been down one player.
The young man, our storytellers' friend, had decided to take this young woman to her prom. The only goal he didn't accomplish on his was accomplished by his team. He did not receive the accolades... but he has never felt that he had chosen wrongly. 

Some Goals, are worth accomplishing, some goals are worth missing for a better opportunity.

While that story has influenced my life, what defined it came next. 

The leader of our congregation got up. Spoke of his love for the young man who he had asked to go to the prom with that young lady. He then told us who the young man was. 
It was the man who had been speaking to us.
He, the man, told his tale and did everything in his power to not show that he was the young man who had made the choice to Prom over State Championship. 
I was sitting so I could look at him directly, this man, who in my esteem could not have been any greater, and I could see just how hard it was for him to be recognized as a great man, rather than just a man.

This is why the greater my pride in my accomplishment the more likely I am to say it was a friend. I don't need nor do I want to be recognized for my accomplishments. I would rather someone else get the credit than to have the adoration of others.