Another college football season come and gone. If you are a football fan like me, you watched a few of the bowl games. In one of the games, Texas Christian University played the University of Oregon. Although, sports clichés and metaphors are often used, I cannot imagine a better example of how sports can mirror everyday life than what was displayed in that football game.
Oregon was ahead of TCU by 31 in the 3rd quarter of the game. TCU did not have their starting quarterback who had been suspended for the game and the chances of coming back from that kind of deficit were ridiculously bad. TCU did come back and won the game in 3 overtimes! TCU’s comeback matched the biggest comeback in football bowl history.
The lesson is to never quit. It’s really easy to throw in the towel in life. Your mind plays tricks on you and allows you to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Some people quit because they have taught themselves to quit. Some people quit because they can’t imagine winning.
When difficult challenges occur, how you react builds your character muscle. It’s okay to come up short in life. It happens to everyone. It’s okay to even quit on an endeavor when you realize it’s no longer what you truly want. It’s okay to quit when you realize there is another endeavor that has now presented itself that is better for you or more of what you truly want. It is never okay to quit because you have a challenge or you are getting beat.
The sports metaphor of “one play at a time, one game at a time” is true in life. Sometimes, it’s simply just about taking a deep breath or getting out of bed. Sometimes it’s about doing the best you can do on that day. Not your overall best, but the best you have for that day. When you do these things, you build a sense of pride and evidence that you have what it takes to survive until you can thrive. May you have your best year ever and meet every challenge in a way that makes you stronger.