As a Florida graduate, that was a very tough title to type.
Last Saturday, the Florida Gators traveled to Knoxville to play the Tennessee Volunteers in front of 100,000 college football fans. The Gators were hoping to extend their streak of winning 11 consecutive games against the Vols. Not since 2004 had the Gators lost this rivalry game. All week my social media networks were full of jokes about how long ago 2004 was … “What were you doing in 2004?” or “These were the headlines in September, 2004” or my favorites were photos of pets and kids that had never seen the Gators lose to the Vols because they were born after that 2004 game.
It looked pretty good for us right away. In fact, it looked like the game was going to be another blow-out. We were up 21 – 3 at halftime, and 21 – 10 as the fourth quarter began. Then it happened – the Volunteers rolled off four unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and ended up winning the game. Obviously, I wasn’t happy; but I did learn a great lesson. To be completely candid, I knew this lesson already. However, watching the UT team carry out the lesson gave me a perfect reminder and embedded this life lesson even deeper into my mindset. The lesson …
Keep playing. The Volunteers kept playing. They didn’t think about the score or act desperate – they just kept playing hard and good things happened.
So, how does this lesson apply off the football field? Our lives don’t have 15 minutes quarters or scoreboards, so this lesson applies to us even more than it does to athletes. Whether you’re a sales professional, full time parent, software designer, or teacher, you’re being measured – usually by yourself - and you feel it. Sometimes we get behind and panic. We think that our results are black and white, but they never are. Unlike a football game, life is full of gray and doesn’t have an ending – until it has the ending. That’s the beauty of it all – just keep playing. Keep following and trusting your process and things will turn around.
… And don’t ever claim that I don’t have an open mind. I just admitted that I learned something from those UT people. I’ll be sure to thank them in a few months when they’re in Orlando for the Citrus Bowl.
