Was that a fascinating Superbowl or what? OK, I admit it, I was raised in Baltimore and while I never took it personally, I never quite understood the Colt’s departure in the middle of the night. Combine the whole Baltimore connection with the fact that I’m not a big sports fan, when it came time to pick a team for the SB, well, I went with the Saints. Besides, I thought New Orleans could use the boost, I have some good friends from New Orleans and they seemed awfully excited about their team making it to the big game, and if that’s not enough, my girls like the Saints uniforms better (Hey, I said I’m not a big sports fan).
That being said, I must admit, I was unimpressed with the Saint’s performance for much of the first half, I mean they were within yards of a touchdown, what, twice when the ball got turned over? Arrrgh. It seemed like they just couldn’t do anything great, except for their kicker who was like a machine. Then came the second half!
WOW! They came out of half-time and who knows what. Perhaps it was listening to The Who that did it, I mean, if those old guys can still do what they do, surely the Saints can step it up – and step it up they did. From the kick-off on, they simply played creative football and never stopped moving forward! Quite simply, they played. If they couldn’t get a touchdown, they went for a field-goal. But they weren’t afraid to take chances either, whether it was an on-side kick or a going for the the two point conversion they had the courage to stay in the game and play smart, but aggressive. They never stopped being present the entire game and nothing proved that more than the interception that locked the game in their favor.
If only we could live our lives more like they played! It’s too cliche’ to say, “it ain’t over ’til it’s over” but that is simply the truth. Too many of my clients and friends and even me sometimes, get caught up in our mistakes, seeing it as evidence against us. As a result, we focus on our mistakes and ask what went wrong, instead of being wholly present and asking what’s next; and therein lies the secret to life. Had the Saints focused on score or mistakes or the the things that weren’t going their way, they never would have won their first Superbowl. So here are some simple lessons of life, courtesy of the New Orleans Saints via the eyes of an executive life coach:
1) Believe that anything is possible regardless of the evidence that might lie before you.
2) Play in the moment, rather than in the past. Remember the lesson of the stock market; past performance is no indication of future gains! Ohh how the Saints proved that yesterday. The first half was no indication of the gains about to come in the second half.
3) Stay alert and look for opportunities, you never know when a pass will be thrown your way – have the courage to reach for it.
4) Take chances when the opportunity warrants it.
5) Play smart, but play
Now go out there and win the Superbowl of your life!
