On any Sunday during the NFL season, the camera is on the coach on the sidelines as much as it is on any player. Seahawks fans have an image of Pete Carroll pumping his fists and chomping furiously on a piece of gum, slapping the behinds of players coming off the field, getting in the faces of the players who fell short and campaigning on his team’s behalf with the officials.
Pete is the head coach for the Seattle Seahawks. His efforts have turned the Seahawks
franchise around in a few short years.
From a fan’s perspective, our lives of dashed hopes and frustrations
played out on the television screen each Sunday for years. But recently, thanks to a collaborative
effort on the part of ownership, management, players and fans, Pete’s vision
has become a reality and we (loyal Seahawks fans) have all begun to think of
ourselves as winners.
Whether it is the Seahawks, the Mariners, or the Gonzaga
Bulldogs, I ride the emotional roller coaster as I cheer for my favorite
teams. I joke with my wife that I’m
struggling with my self-esteem when my team loses (Seattle Mariners) and that I’m
feeling pretty good about myself when they win (Seahawks and Bulldogs). While it’s humorous to have fun with this,
there is also some truth. That is
probably what being a fan is really all about.
You see, I don’t actually play the games. I don’t really win or lose. I’m not really on the team even though there
is a flag just for me and all of you other “12th men” and
women. But it sure feels like I’m out
there on the field or on the court when I’m watching the game. I feel the thrill and the agony as if I’m in
the game. But…I’m still just watching
the game. I’m not even on the bench
hoping to get in the game.
Then there’s my real life.
The game goes on whether I am on the bench, in the stands or on the
field of play. Most of us play the game
of our lives unconsciously. It’s not
until we start playing on purpose that we can consistently “win” in life.
What does it mean to win in life? And what does it mean to live
consciously? It may be that winning is
synonymous with success. We must all
determine what it means to win or to have success. Whatever that is for each of us, there will
be victories and defeats.
Consider that we can’t really own our victories unless we
are on the field playing the game. Being
on the field means living our lives with intention and full participation. And
unless we can own our victories, there is no real power in them.
To be on the field in life means playing the game
consciously, on purpose. To be in the
stands means watching the game play out with no intention to ever actually play
the game. To be on the bench of our own
lives means waiting for just the right time to enter the game but not actually playing the game any more
than the spectator in the stands.
These are our lives! Life
is short (if you don’t believe me, take a slow look in the mirror) and we get one
shot at living it (reincarnation and afterlife aside). Why would we stay on the bench or in the
stands? There’s really only one
reason. Fear.
Okay, you say. That
sounds right. So now I will come down
out of the stands or get off the bench and get into the game. Fear won’t stop me. I’m in it to win it!
And then fear stops you again. You’re trying to play a game you forgot how
to play. When did you stop playing? What could you do if you played on purpose? What if you could design your own game? What if you could make up your own
rules? What if you knew you couldn’t
really lose?
And here’s the pitch.
What if you had a coach who believed in you even if you didn’t until you
could? What if your coach could show you
what it would take to succeed? What if
you could play the game without fear? Then
what would be possible?
Who needs a life coach?
Only those who forgot how to play the game and are tired of sitting on
the bench or in the stands. Do you want
to come play? Team tryouts are now. Call me for a possibility conversation. You have a game worth playing. You wanna play?
