It’s Never Too Late

The month of January is renowned in the United States for two things: New Year’s resolutions and the National Football League (NFL) playoffs. 

While, historically, I haven’t been a huge fan of the latter, I must admit that living close to Tampa Buccaneers’ football team hometown has increased my interest … not to mention that Tom Brady, my “cousin” (not really), is not only a great football player who is making history but also a brilliant leader.

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been some real nail-biters. What has grabbed my attention most is the commitment and the never-say-die attitude that the players have until the very last second of the game. Sometimes that meant going full-out for the last three minutes when there was a 20+ point spread and no chance of winning; other times, the efforts resulted in can-you-believe-they-pulled-it-off outcomes.

Anticipating what we believe to be the expected results is second nature to many. And when our prediction isn’t something we’re thrilled with, we can withdraw. Take the Buccaneers vs. Rams game this past Sunday. The score was 3-20 until mid-way into the third quarter; one of the folks watching with me had written off the team, saying “there’s no way they could win” and retreated into a book instead of watching the game. Then, when a fumble turned into three touch downs in short order, it looked like they might win after all … thunderous cheering commenced again. Hope had been restored! 

Unfortunately, another unexpected situation, and the Bucs lost by just three points. Afterward, players of the opposing teams congratulated one another with hugs and slaps on the back. Everyone had given it their all.  

How much of the football mindset can we adopt in our daily lives? How often do we prematurely stop giving it our all? Or stop supporting others because we don’t think the outcome will make us happy? I wonder what would be possible if we took a page from their playbook and went full out for an entire day. 

This Week’s Challenge: Be aware of your energy this week. When you feel like slacking off, do the opposite – double down on your efforts. See what happens.