Whether it be as aggressive as football or as passive as chess, playing in the game of life can be challenging. It takes wit, focus, determination and perseverance to win the ultimate challenges that life presents. We do have the home field advantage though, as we are the ones who pick the game, the rules and the stadium. We get to pick our teams, our uniforms and our coaches. And then we dare the universe to actually bring us our challenger. And that challenger may come in many forms. As little and as fragile as a newborn baby to as big as Mother Nature's wrath, we strive to succeed, rise above circumstances and achieve the impossible.
The good news is that in life the cards are actually stacked in our favor. We can all agree that after every storm the waters subside and the sun does come out again. After every land fire, although the once beautiful green forest appears to be black and charred, shortly thereafter as we look closely we will see the sprouting of new life, and before we know it the forest has been reborn. And if we are really honest and stop being dramatic, out of every disappointing event, even loss of life, there is a silver lining. Life has been designed that way to give us hope, second chances, and an opportunity to make the world a better place than we have found it.
As with any sport there are wins and losses. And I will agree that both come with a price. There is a price to pay for greatness as there is a price to pay for giving up. So why play at all? Because we can. Because we're here. Because, quite frankly, what else are we going to do? So let's talk about the game.
Buying that dream house you've always wanted may qualify as winning that Super Bowl. But yes there is that mortgage payment and how we hold our breath waiting to see if we will have enough money that month for all the bills. Landing that dream job certainly would cause the end zone dance, yet with every dream job there are aspects of it that we hate. They say football is a game of inches and often in life it seems that getting to our goals is taking so long we can hardly see any forward motion. In football we get four tries to move the ball 10 yards and the game continues until the clock runs out. Well, in life we have unlimited tries. That clock only runs out at death. And we don't only have two hours to play, we have a lifetime. A lifetime of choices and consequences. Of making fumbles or getting touch downs. And through it all we make friends, lovers, families, and sometimes enemies. But in the end the best players walk off the field knowing they did the best they could. And if they were really brave players they are considered an MVP.
Understanding the psychology behind sports helps us move forward in life. Sports are 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, as is life. We need to stay physically and mentally healthy. Eating well, sleeping well, and believing that we can achieve anything we set our minds to is where success begins. And note, preparation plus opportunity will always equal success... on the field and off. Sports teaches us how playing well with others is vital in winning at anything. It shows us that no one succeeds at anything alone. We need people on our team whether they are playing beside us or they are in our corner cheering us on, watering us down during time outs, or encouraging us to keep practicing every day to become better and better at the game. And at the end of the game we are lucky if our team is beside us as we walk off the field. It's then that we know we have played well.
Dr. Donna's weekly blog examines life and equates it with different venues of sports. She talks to her daughters, and all young women, about their roles as young wives and mothers and answers their questions and frustrations while equating it to a sport to make her point. Whether it be about dating, successful marriages, parenting, working mom issues, sibling and in-law frustrations, or insecurities about their role as women of their generation- her advice takes on the role as General Manager of the greatest game of all....LIFE.
You can read her recent blogs at Heartcocklesblog.blogspot.com