Showing Up For The Game

I’ll never forget attending my first professional football game. I was living in San Diego, and the company I was working for had reserved a block of seats for employee use. I was so excited to sign up for a set of tickets for me and my friends that I just had to pinch myself. That excitement turned into utter elation when I found out that the Denver Broncos would be the opposing team that weekend against the Chargers…and one of my favorite quarterbacks, John Elway, would be at the helm of the ship.

You see, I thought the man had class. He played a clean game, ran some unbelievable plays, and performed to a level that often-times inspired his team to victory. And even beyond his developed skill or raw talent, he was just down-right likeable. Truth be told, if you were looking for a sports hero, he pretty much wrapped up the total package.

So game day came, and my friends and I took off early from work so that we could get there early enough to grab some good eats and settle in for all of the pre-game hoopla. I felt like a wide-eyed 10 year old as I sat and watched the festivities unfold before me. By game time the anticipation was almost unbearable and I found it quite impossible to stay in my seat as each team hit the field to battle their way to victory.

But play after play, possession after possession passed, and I had yet to see Elway come alive. He was there, sure enough…in his navy and orange uniform…right in front of my eyes. But something just wasn’t quite right. His play was flat. There was not rallying of the ranks…no passionate spurring-on of his teammates…no dynamic transformation when he stepped onto the field and took hold of the football. He was in the game…but disappointingly, he just never really “showed up”. What promised to be one of the most memorable events in my life, ended up as nothing particularly extraordinary…not nearly as thrilling as it could have been.

As I remembered that feeling of let down…of dashed expectations and disappointment…I had the thought that what we do in life is a lot like the big game. Each day in our job, in our families, in our dealings with clients and fellow employees, we have the opportunity to really “show up”…completely engaged, inspiring and affecting everything around us. OR we can simply play the game, get the football down the field, get on the bus and go home.

It’s completely our choice in life & well within our power to make what we do undeniably memorable & absolutely extraordinary…simply by choosing to show up for the game. I guarantee you this: you truly show up…and your fans will have memories that they will cherish for a lifetime…and they’ll share them with everyone they know. The art of showing up…such a simple thing…but it’s transforming power makes for strong, connected families, pleasant work environments, elated customers…and an irreplaceable sense of satisfaction at the end of the day. Hey, by the way: GOOD GAME!

From Good to GREAT!

On the way to work this morning my thoughts were fixed on the topic of greatness. It sounds much nobler than it really is...quite honestly, I struggle to even remember HOW I got to work this morning. But for some reason, I just couldn’t shake the thought, “What makes up the difference between good and GREAT?”

I envisioned the usual morning chatter around the office...everyone swapping stories about their weekends. For some it was good, but for others it was GREAT. But WHY?!, I wondered. I thought about great places I like to shop, great people I love to hang around, great food I love to eat, and how much I enjoy listening to really great live music. But what on earth is it that makes these things GREAT?

The answer came to me the minute I stepped through the office door and heard people sharing the details of their time away from work. It’s in the little things. It’s the pine nuts and goat cheese on top of the Brixx salad I love so much. It’s the cut of the dress...or the tiny bits of beadwork detailing it. It’s the way someone makes you feel when they’re around...how they make you laugh, or forget your worries...or inspire you. It’s the musician that infuses his plucking of a string with boldness and creativity that makes for a unbelievably killer bass line that cuts straight through your soul. It’s all of the little things that add up into something wonderfully memorable...something far beyond good...something simply GREAT.

Performance Psychologist, Todd Kays says,

”Greatness requires going beyond the normal everyday requirements and doing all of the little things when no one else is watching… simply for the love of doing it.”

So this week, as you’re enduring the not-always-so-joy-filled task of dealing with overly demanding people or unruly kids, or as you're driving from Point A to Point B for the fifty-seventh time...be sure to remember: it’s the little things that you do while no one’s watching, simply for the love of doing it, that can transform whatever mundane thing you might be doing into something wonderfully memorable...omething far beyond good... something simply GREAT!

And I really mean this when I say it: HAVE A GREAT WEEK!