I’m not sure if you’re a football fan or not, but it really doesn’t matter. There are some real lessons to be learned with the recent loss by the Indianapolis Colts to the New York Jets. This past Sunday, December 27, 2009 the Colts lost to the New York Jets by a score of 29 to 15 and blew a chance for a perfect season.
Peyton Manning, the colts MVP quarterback had been told by head coach Jim Cardwell prior to the game that he might pull Peyton and some of the starters out. Let’s set the record straight, the Colts were on the verge of history. The history of overcoming the Miami Dolphins record of perfection in 1972 when the Dolphins achieved an undefeated season of 17 wins and 0 losses.
Cardwell’s logic is he wanted to rest his key players in order to be ready to make a run at the Super Bowl. You’ve got to be kidding! You have a chance to be the best ever and you’re going to rest your best players? That would be like saying we have a chance to set an all time record in our sales department, but we want everyone to be rested for next month so let’s take a couple of days off to get ready.
Please tell me who out there would do that? If you said you would then you should be booed out of the dealership just like the Colts fans booed the Colts on Sunday.
If you have a chance to win, why would you not do everything in your power to make it happen?
You’re sitting there agreeing with me on the Colts laying down this past Sunday, but yet you just kind of plod along thinking let’s take a few days off it will be better next month. Next month comes and you’ve still done nothing. Next year will soon be here and you’ve done nothing. You’re playing with second string players or a lousy game plan and think it’s going to get better.
Look Einstein it’s not. It’s really not. It’s not going to get better until you develop that killer instinct of take no prisoners, pay the price to win, study the game and kick some butt each and every day.
It’s really very simple. The New Year is upon us. It’s that time when we make resolutions to change and be better. A small percentage of people will make resolutions and achieve their goals. They will see the finish line in front of them, go for it and make it.
Most will be like the Colts. They will start out with a goal, get off track and the next thing you know the chance for history (for a great bottom line) has escaped them. The only thing you have control over is what you do today. Today is the first day of your quest for historical greatness. You can choose to be a winner…or you can choose to be a loser. You can swim like a Dolphin or you can buck along like a Colt. If you take the Colt approach you’re going to get bucked off, hit your head and come this time next year wonder what happened. Enjoy the ride.
That’s all I’m gonna say. Tommy Gibbs