Play to Win...

The Gator Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, and the “Granddaddy of them All”…the Rose Bowl have entertained millions of college football fans across the nation during this New Year’s holiday. My family, like others have spent hours watching these talented teams bring their very best skills (along with some verbal outbursts) to compete for the title ‘winner’.

Winning on the field and winning in life, I’ve noticed while watching college football bowl games, have some similarities. Here are three that jumped out at me, see if you agree.

     A) Some teams have more depth. They have more players to play the game and keep everyone fresh and alert. Additionally, with more depth on your team, you can play each player in their strongest area. When each player exercises their strength, the team becomes stronger and at times…undefeatable.

     B) Some teams are just more prepared. The game we watch on television is the culmination of days, weeks and months of hard work, training, sweat and practice. The viewer does not see all the dedication behinds the scenes. Yet it is certain that there are many different levels of preparation. It stands to reason that those who spend more time in the weight room will be stronger. Those who spend more time with the trainer will be more coordinated. Those who spend more time exercising will be healthier. Hence, the team that is more prepared should be able to win more games.

     C) Some teams just want to win more. The will to win is an amazing factor seemingly giving teams momentum. As a sports fan, I’ve seen two teams walk onto their playing field with two very different swaggers. One team with head and chest held high, the other head and shoulders sagging. The difference? I might suggest the difference could be belief. One team just wants to win and believes they will be victorious. The other team…well, to be honest, they hope they will win.

It’s a new year. Are you ready to become a better, stronger, more winning team? Where are the specific areas you need to strengthen?

• Do you need more depth on your team? Take a look at the strength of each player. Are they playing to their strong suit?
• Do you need to be more prepared?  What specific area needs improvement - education, motivation, organization, attitude?
• Do you want to win? Do you believe?

If college football teams are willing to ‘lay it on the line’ for a trophy and a t-shirt, what are you willing to do to win in your life? There is no better time to start than today, because today is the first day of the rest of your life. Play to win.