There’s a flag on the play

I love football – All kinds, from powder puff, high school, college, and NFL.  I loved it before I had three boys, and I love it even more now because 2 of the 3 REALLY LOVE IT. So, this past Sunday, one of my boys and I had the opportunity to watch the Buffalo vs. New England game in Buffalo because we have a family friend that plays for the Bills.

We (the Bills) started strong on the first drive and after that, it seemed like the only response we could achieve was… “There’s a flag on the play.” — FOUL, PUSH BACK, SORRY GUYS, NO LUCK THIS TIME…   YIKES, I leaned over to tell my friend by the fourth quarter mentioning that this must be the official title of the game.

Here’s the interesting part, (In other words…Ruminating on these may help you serve with excellence better on YOUR FIELD.)  because of the circumstances we were able to ask questions later of her husband, a 10-year NFL veteran. His response was two-fold:

1. We (the fans) don’t usually know the whole story.  Often, what looks like what caused the flag, wasn’t obvious- It was two “players” back in line that caused the person who actually got the flag to make the mistake.
2. Players who let their emotions get the best of them, make multiple mistakes, get “ruffled” easily and thrown off of their game.

At quick review, he’s right! What caused my “flag” probably wasn’t because of the obvious.  It may have been, most likely, orchestrated via a series of behaviors, incidents, decisions, that caused the problem.  We can strive for better by taking a look at those “flags” and truly trying to learn and take note because mid-game corrections are necessary!

Finally, point #2 couldn’t be more obvious- I am going to commit this week to not get thrown off my game.  Those little things that can make you want to respond, “Hey, that’s not right, here’s what the truth is…” can often be reframed when you take some time to digest, or as we have often heard, “Never let ’em see you sweat.”  How true that is.

Have a strong week!