Setting Goals? It’s About How We Play the Game
Life is a contact sport. My second favorite contact sport is American football. 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 have a short memory. Shake off past mistakes and negative circumstances, so we can begin the next moment with a clean slate. Quarterbacks use a measurement in football — it’s PACE—Plays After Critical Errors. How’s your PACE score?
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, it’s your TIME and your ENERGY. Be frugal and protective of your time and energy.
Resist the temptation to fritter it away on other people’s priorities. Take care of your “ball.” The team with the most turnovers—interceptions and fumbles—loses the ball and the big game!
Hang on and be tenacious to win.
3. Get everyone to buy into your goal.
Football is the ultimate team sport. Everyone on the team buys into the goal of winning.
In December 2006, I was in the hospital fighting a life-threatening disease. Determined to take my nephew 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, in 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 recommit and chase your goals. It makes them real.
Work With Mimi
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Mimi was a superstar in the speaking business, keynoting for audiences of thousands. Her combination of sophisticated humor and solid content made her one of America’s most popular funny females.
Mimi has created speeches and “found the funny” for TEDx Talkers, executives, celebrities, and entrepreneurs. Before starting her speaking and coaching business, she was a Human Resources Specialists with Walt Disney, Northrop Aircraft, and Rockwell International.