Goals? It’s All About the Game

I think of life as a contact sport. I even wrote a book about it. Commitment to our goals is a given. It’s how we play the game that counts. Three football lessons are my New Year’s resolutions.

1. Shake off the bad plays.
When a quarterback throws an interception, or a receiver fumbles a pass, does he get depressed? Does he mope about, needing recovery time? NO! The great lesson of football is, “When the whistle blows, the play is over.” Each moment is a new moment of now. Just as the players do, we need to shake off past mistakes and negative circumstances, so we can begin the next moment with a clean slate. They have a name for it in football—it’s PACE—Plays After Critical Errors. How’s your PACE score? Mine could use some improvement this year.

2. Honor your inventory.
In football, they practice holding onto the ball no matter what. We need to hold onto our “inventory,” whether it’s a garage full of products, or, for us service people, your TIME and your ENERGY. Be frugal and protective of your time and energy. Don’t fritter it away on other people’s priorities. Take care of your “ball.” The teams with the most turnovers—interceptions and fumbles—lose the big game! Be tenacious, people, in order to win.

3. Get everyone to buy into your goals.
Football is the ultimate team sport. Everyone on the team buys into the goal of winning. Back in 2006, I was in the hospital fighting a life-threatening disease. Determined to make it to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in February 2007, I put the date on the bulletin board in my hospital room. I got all the nurses and doctors enrolled in my goal. Of course, I made it and lived to tell the story. So this new year, even if you think your goals sound unrealistic given last year’s nightmare, thank your mind for sharing that negative thought, and tell people your goals. It makes them real.

If your goal this year is to get yourself out there more to speak about your business, please schedule a 30-minute complimentary clarity call with me. You get value and we discover if we are a match to work together.