www.RINGOLD.net
© November 11, 2006
© November 11, 2006
Greetings!
You know, something interesting happens when you travel abroad -- particularly
if you listen. You find out, for the most part, that people are people, with the
same hopes, and dreams and aspirations... as "us". They fall in love, they marry,
they get divorced, they succeed, they fail, they laugh and cry... same as us. They get up in the morning and go to work, make money, pay bills, like their
jobs, hate their jobs... same as us. I flew thousands of miles to Brisbane, Australia, saw
the same stores (except Walmart), some of the same shows, they ate the same foods, the same
cereals (plus some), their gas prices are high just like ours, they read the same magazine titles, and they even
speak the same language...more or less... just like us. So the topic of today's Ramblings should be understandable to them... just like us.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was relating -- rather energetically -- about how their life really sucked; how they couldn't catch a break, how every time
they got a little bit ahead something happened to knock them back, and they were
right back where they started, and they noted how discouraging that was. I said to them, "you
just need to get your perspective right. It's all a game! Nothing that happens here is
real. LIFE is just like a fotball game."
Now for those of you who know me... you know
that ME talking about sports is pretty much like me trying to teach Chinese, and at the risk of having my "man" card revoked, you need to understand that the biggest
thing I know about football is that you use the brown ball that's got a point on
both ends! in which case, I'm not quite sure why they even call it a ball,
because they're supposed to be round, right? But, from whatever I've gleaned from watching
the sport (good thing my youngest son played in high school) the game of football is a
perfect analogy for life.
Sometimes you go and plan your day, and you know exactly what you
want to do! You set out down the field (I mean the road) and things are going
well when suddenly... there's a traffic jam and you end up late for work, or a meeting. You finally get there and the client left and you're bummed. Hmmm.
You got a penalty on that play, and had to go back to the scrimmage line. So you go
back into huddle, plan your next play, call the client, explain what happened,
set up a second meeting and they say okay, and you meet them later. Whew! Gained a
few yards on that one. You're still in the game.
You get there, you make your presentation or whatever, the client is
impressed... awed, and he or she buys your whole concept and is going to
take it to their partners to discuss. FIRST DOWN! first break of the day. Back to the huddle to plan your next advance... and life goes on like that !
If you look at life in that way -- like a foot
ball game -- you'll realize it IS a game, and sometimes it feels as if life is really plotting
against you -- just like the other team would be. Every sport in the world is a
competition, and half the fun of the competition is the struggle! If there's
no struggle, you get bored! Have you ever watched a football game where one team just tromps all over
the other team? What do you say? "Man that game stunk; it was SO one-sided" and you say that even if your team wins! You want your team to have some competition,or it's boring. Why, then, do you want life to be a cake walk? You
don't.
Think about it! If you have things too easy, you get bored! If you don't have
something to overcome and conquer, you get bored. The more stuff you overcome -- the
bigger the odds -- the more excited you are about winning, and if you win too easily...
you don't place any value in what you won.
So go out there tomorow and LOOK for your next challenge! Get in the game! Get into your
huddle, run your play and see how many yards you get. Was it two yards ? a first
down? did you get sacked? Whatever ! 2nd and 10, do it again and keep going. Touchdown? Awesome. What's next? Is the game over? HA!!! No! Now it's time to get
your defense together, because something is coming down the field to try to get past you and take back the yardage you've gained, so
you have to run your defense and make sure you keep what you've already got. Go get
it ! Get your cheerleaders (your front row), run your plays... and have a blast in the (football) game
of life, every day.
And don't let negativity get in there and put you on the sidelines, either, or
you'll just get to watch the game happen around you, and THEN how do feel? Yeah. Benched! That's what a lot of people's problem is. They got negative, they hit the
sidelines, and now life is just playing on without them. If that's what your life feels
like, then it's time to get back in the game. And just remember; one
touch down doesn't make a game, and one victory SURELY doesn't make a season (just ask any football team).
As the late Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) said, "you just gotta keep the
feeling." You've got to stay in the game. SO... get suited up, do your warm-ups, get your cheering section
together, and get out there and play. See you on the field.
Have an awesome day.
