Preparing for life like a football quarterback
Part II: They take notice that we are here to win.
In Part I of my post I shared that every day we deliver an 8-hour performance. We enter Corporate or entrepreneurial work, everyday life, or school to deliver our 8-hour performance. Our colleagues and peers only see our 8-hour performance. They watch what we expose. They are studying us like athlete’s study film. They are mastering our attributes that are applauded and taking mental notes of our weaknesses.
Now in Part II the world takes notice that the quarterback is here to win.
As I sit here in my corporate world I cannot help but to visualize the quarterback’s demeanor in heavily contested matches. The quarterback commands the team with poise and sometimes encourages the team by shouting orders. It is visible and has been articulated in pregame interviews, that winning is the only outcome. The only sound on the field are the voices of the team as they strategize which plays are best for moving the chains one down at a time.
In the stadium, we as fans are in awe of their physique, strength and ability to endure multiple tackles. We marvel at their physical strength and athleticism. But then I remember the power of the mind. Yes, As a man Thinketh So is He. It is the mental strength and tenacity that is the true shining star.
Yes, the mental strength married to the will of heart! Those are the attributes that resemble heroism. The traits we recognize and channel in our worlds.
As fans, we love the quarterback today and we hate him tomorrow. Just like in life, our spectator’s love us today and resent us tomorrow. While their love may fade, the one thing we have in common with the quarterback is persistence to do it all over again.
We continue to return to the stadium of work, life or school and deliver our 8-hour performance. We can feel our colleagues and peers turn into opponents. We are their spectator sport. Yet we play to win and never for them. Unfortunately it occurs to us that many secretly hope for a loss, yet publicly advertise their support for our win.
Why is this?
My opinion is because it takes a lot of courage to contend publicly and express the desire to win. It is easier to let someone lose and lobby to take their place in secret.
Recognize this exists and do not let it change your playbook.
So, we as quarterbacks of our lives return week after week to life, work, or school reporting out on progress. Always engaging during the week with others to be better than the week before, smarter than the week before and more accomplished than the week before.
Our desire to win is on display. My personal desire to win is on display. The stadium is the life; the opponents are work, peers and of course ourselves.
The realization sets in that in our existence we are playing dual roles. We are the fan in the stadium cheering for a winning outcome. We are also the quarterback publicly executing plays to achieve a win. The complexity of being a leader and becoming a leader rests on our shoulders.
We quarterback our lives like champions because every play must count!
We are all quarterbacks of our lives. We walk into the world every day to deliver our best performance. We push aside the ridicules and failures of yesterday. We retire the successes. All are building blocks for the future yet I recommend they remain in the rear-view. The future vision will be realized if we accomplish the key plays of today and not remain memorialize on yesterday.
Possibly today the play is focusing on your career, learning a new skill, learning a new language or investing in your relationships. Or maybe it is to be consistent. Win every day!
Let’s challenge ourselves to be quarterbacks of our lives. Let’s challenge ourselves to own the responsibility. Prepare for your stadium with the following practices:
- Sacrifices of personal time studying and practicing our craft for public presentation.
- Allocating time to nurture relationships and connections in our professional and personal lives.
- Investments into our appearance.
Ask yourself in life am I the quarterback or the spectator? Or do I stumble between the two places?
If you are stumbling between two places, remember the discipline starts with the mind. As you think, so are you!
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Courtney Jamille Stoner
