Persistence Pays Off

October is easily my favorite time of year for sports. My favorite sport, baseball is in the midst of its playoffs and World Series. Hockey, another favorite, is beginning. College and pro football are in full swing, as are the European soccer leagues. It's heaven for this sports fan.

Besides the quantity of action, I am noticing a great deal of high quality as well. Many of the games are well-played, and fun to watch. The part that stands out to me the most is the number of comebacks I am seeing. Already in this year's baseball playoffs we have seen teams come back from 4-0 leads. Football teams are also coming back from large leads. This is the reason I enjoy college basketball so much, because even a 20 point lead is rarely safe.

I believe we can use this as a lesson in our lives, especially for those days that we feel like we are losing badly. We may feel like nothing is going right, and it becomes rather frustrating. How did these teams come back and win after starting so badly?

1. They maintained a positive attitude. The scoreboard said one thing, but they still believed in themselves and always felt like they still had a chance to win.

2. They took it one step at a time. In baseball it is impossible to hit a 5 run homerun. In order to get even they had to take small, productive steps. The same is true for us. Instead of putting extra pressure on ourselves by trying to make things right all at once, we are better off taking small steps, a few minutes at time.

3. Be a team player. Great teams are just that. Each individual plays their part, and provides and receives assistance as well. We can do the same. First, play your part. Then, do your part to help others around you. It's amazing how great you begin to feel when you help others. It's a lot better than enjoying your own self-pity. Also, be open to receiving assistance from others. People are willing to help. It's up to us to accept it.

Hopefully there are not many "losing" days. However, when the day is not going as we would like, I have found it best to follow the steps noted above. When we do, we can usually be proud of our comeback victory. As with the sports teams, your "fans" and those around you will be impressed and impacted. So, upon saying that....

Have an excellent day : )